The month of June brings us hot summer weather and also is a celebration of the dairy industry and the many benefits of dairy food products. New research supports dairy as a major nutrient contributor to the American diet. Dairy is especially important for children. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends three daily servings of nutrient-rich, low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese or yogurt for adults and children 9 years of age or older and 2 daily servings for children ages 2-8. Milk is the leading food source of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and potassium in the diet. Higher dairy consumption as part of a healthy diet leads to higher nutrient intake, as well as better diet quality and bone health, and has been associated with reduced risk of several diseases and conditions such as osteoporosis, hypertension, obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
Dairy foods play an unparalleled role in delivering an array of key nutrients in the diet, beyond just calcium. Without consuming the recommended daily servings of milk and milk products, it can be difficult for most people to meet their nutrient needs. Considering that higher dairy intake is associated with increased nutrient intake and dietary quality, as well as numerous health benefits – such as bone health and healthy weight maintenance – these research findings support that there’s few, if any, substitutes for dairy’s incomparable nutritional value.
It’s difficult for most people to get enough of dairy’s nutrients without consuming the recommended daily servings of low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese or yogurt. Some convenient, practical and child-friendly ideas that National Dairy Council (NDC) suggest to help meet these recommendations include:
- Prepare oatmeal and soups with nutrient-rich, low-fat or fat-free milk instead of water.
- For a quick, on-the-go snack, skewer a banana, dip it in low-fat yogurt and then coat with a favorite fiber-rich cereal.
- Start the day strong by wrapping scrambled eggs, a slice of low-fat cheese and some colorful sliced peppers in a whole grain tortilla.
- Offer nutrient-rich snacks, such as colorful veggies and low-fat yogurt-based dip, skewers with cheese cubes and fruit, or strawberries with vanilla-flavored yogurt as a dip.
- Serve low-fat or fat-free milk with meals, and offer lactose-free, low-fat or fat-free milk, which is real milk just without the lactose for those who may be lactose intolerant.
For a yummy treat that’s rich in those essential nutrients, try this recipe:
Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Squares
Ingredients:
- 1 cup crunchy wheat and barley cereal
- 3 cups fat-free strawberry yogurt
- 1 (10-ounce) bag frozen unsweetened strawberries (about 2 « cups)
- 1 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup light or fat-free whipped topping (optional)
Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with foil. Sprinkle cereal evenly on the bottom of the pan; set aside.
Place yogurt, strawberries and condensed milk in a blender; cover and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture over top of cereal, gently smoothing yogurt mixture to edges of pan. Cover with foil (or plastic wrap) and freeze for 8 hours or until firm. Use edges of foil to loosen and remove from pan; let recipe thaw for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into squares, top with whipped topping, if desired, and serve.
Storage tip: Squares may be individually wrapped and frozen for single serving.
Note: Create your own variations by using other flavor combinations of yogurt.
