The Parkview Youth Well-being team created a series of healthy habits, simple to apply to everyday life. In this video, Katie Fulk, MA, RDN, LD, youth and family well-being coordinator, Parkview Health, digs into recommendations for consuming dairy.
Did you know dairy foods contain essential nutrients that help our bones? That's because our dairy foods contain nutrients like calcium and vitamin D. Our bones need calcium to grow big and strong, and we need vitamin D to absorb the calcium we eat or drink. Your bones are like straws, slurping up these nutrients.
Some examples of dairy foods are:
-
Milk
-
Yogurt
-
Cheese
-
Cottage cheese
-
Ice cream
It is recommended that most of the time we choose dairy foods that are low fat or fat-free. If regular cow's milk and milk products make us feel yucky, or to fit with a vegan or vegetarian diet, there are great options.
Lactose-free milk is regular milk without lactose, and soy milk is made from soybeans, both rich in calcium and vitamin D. Almond milk, coconut milk and oat milk are not considered a serving of dairy, as these do not contain adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D compared to cow's milk, soy milk or lactose-free items.
Ask your adults at home what kind of milk your family drinks. Let's aim to enjoy three servings of dairy each day to support the health of our growing bones.
Can you share this healthy habit with someone at home? We all love ice cream. Aside from that, what are other dairy products you enjoy?