June is National Dairy Month. Milk and other dairy products contain calcium and vitamin D which are both important nutrients for health. Use June as a time to making sure you're getting enough of these important nutrients in your diet.
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in our bodies. It makes up about 2% of our total body weight. Most calcium is stored in our bones and teeth to keep them strong but it also provides some other very important functions. Calcium helps in blood clotting, healing wounds, helps our muscles to contract, makes our heart beat, and controls our heart rhythm. If we don’t include enough calcium in our diet, calcium is pulled from our bones to perform these needed functions.
Vitamin D is added to milk because it helps us absorb calcium and regulates how much calcium remains in the blood. It also helps assure calcium is deposited in bones and teeth. Vitamin D plays a role in immunity and helps regulate cell growth.
The most recent dietary guidelines recommend three cups of fat-free or low fat (1%) milk or the equivalent each day to assure adequate intake of calcium for adults. An equivalent amount of one cup of milk would be one cup of yogurt, 1 and a half ounces of natural cheese or 2 ounces processed cheese. Choose the low-fat options of these products.
Adult males and females up to age 50 need 1,000 milligrams of calcium every day. Women over the age of 50 and men over the age of 70 need 1,200 milligrams.
To assure adequate calcium intake, enjoy fat-free milk on cereal or mix some crunchy cereal with yogurt for a quick breakfast. Remember cheese and yogurt at snack times. One cup of fluid milk with a meal can provide nearly one-third of your calcium for a day.
