Dairy Food Group

All fluid milk products and foods made mostly from milk products are made up of this food group. Most Dairy Group choices should be fat-free or low-fat. Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content are part of the group. However, foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not a part of this group. Here is what is included in this food group:

·         Milk-skim milk, low fat (1%), reduced fat (2%), whole milk, and flavored milks

·         Milk based desserts-puddings, frozen yogurt, ice cream

·         Cheese-hard natural cheeses such as cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, and Parmesan. Soft cheeses like ricotta and cottage cheese.

·         Yogurt- all yogurt: fat-free, low fat, reduced fat, whole milk yogurt

Any one ages nine and up is supposed to at least get three cups of dairy daily.  That isn’t too hard to figure out because 1 cup is considered eight ounces and that if you drink milk one eight ounce cup at every meal you are set! One regular size container of yogurt also counts as a cup.

For me personally, I have a hard time with this food group. I have never liked milk. I can’t even eat it with my cereal.  I love cheese though! This is the way I get most of my calcium from. My mother also encouraged me to eat ice cream to also get more calcium. I also have a hard time swallowing yogurt. I love yogurt, but it takes me a long time to eat it. So I definitely had to check out tips from Choose My Plate on how to consume dairy products and here are some of the ones I will use:

·         Make fruit-yogurt smoothies in the blender

·         Have fat-free or low-fat yogurt as a snack

·         Eat fat free cheese sticks

·         Add fat-free or low-fat milk instead of water to oatmeal and hot cereals

There are so many health benefits for the dairy food group. Eating dairy products is linked to improved bone health and reduces the risk of osteoporosis and rickets.The intake of dairy products is especially important to bone health during childhood and adolescence, when bone mass is being built. It is also associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, and with lower blood pressure in adults. This food group also provides great nutrients such as Calcium, which is used for building bones and teeth. Dairy products, especially yogurt, fluid milk, and soymilk, provide potassium. Milk and soymilk that are fortified with vitamin D are good sources of this nutrient. Other sources include vitamin D-fortified yogurt and vitamin D-fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereals.

This is a food group that is important for growth and it is important to maintain eating this food group as you age. I believe that I will become better at eating dairy because I know it will help me live a long life.