Dairy In Your Diet

Milk and dairy products are an important part of a healthy diet and it is recommended by The Dairy Council that we consume three portions of dairy a day.

A portion of dairy can be classified as a glass of semi skimmed milk, a pot of low-fat yogurt or a matchbox size piece of cheese.

Milk is vital in our diet because it contains a wide range of nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are needed for good health, for example, to get the same amount of calcium as you would from a 200ml glass of milk you would need to eat the following:

• 4 servings of broccoli (1 serving of broccoli is equivalent to 2 broccoli spears)
• 11 servings of spinach (1 serving is 90g)
• 15 servings of red beans (1 tablespoon is 35g)
• 62 servings of rhubarb (1 serving size is 140g)
• 69g of sardines (1 serving of canned sardines is 56g)
• 7.5 slices of white or brown bread (247g of bread)
• 5 oranges (247g)
• 247g mixed nuts

Although many varieties of fruit juice, mineral water and soya drinks are fortified with calcium, the calcium found in these products is not as well absorbed as the calcium found in milk and dairy products. The consumption of milk and dairy foods will also provide numerous other nutrients that are essential to health.

For more information about dairy in your diet please visit The Dairy Council website.