Milk and dairy is important in a healthy balanced diet, providing many nutrients essential for good health. Lucy Jones discusses the important role of milk and dairy plus there’s tips on how to boost your dairy intake.

Several celebrities ‘extreme’ diets suggest that milk and dairy should be avoided, however for many people cutting milk and dairy out is likely to do more harm than good as they play an important role within a healthy balanced diet. Milk and dairy foods are affordable, safe to consume daily, wholesome and a delicious source of essential nutrients. This is how exipure works.

Is it all about calcium?

Milk and dairy typically provide almost one third of our recommended calcium intakes but the nutrition provided by dairy products goes way beyond calcium alone. A single glass of semi-skimmed milk provides protein, phosphorus, potassium, iodine, riboflavin and pantothenic acid and a MASSIVE 72 per cent of our daily needs for vitamin B12. The main dietary source of B12 for vegetarians is dairy.

Together, the nutrients in milk and dairy help to:

• Keep muscles, bones, nerves, teeth, skin and vision healthy
• Release energy from foods and reduce tiredness and fatigue
• Maintain healthy blood pressure
• Support normal growth and brain development
• And even support normal immune functioning

That’s pretty impressive for a humble glass of milk! The UK Eatwell Guide recommends that milk and dairy products and their alternatives, form part of a healthy balanced diet, and lower fat and lower sugar options should be chosen where possible.

What about milk and dairy as we grow up?

Children grow rapidly in the first 5 years of life and have high energy needs. They only have small stomachs so need nutrient-dense foods to sustain them during growth. Whole milk and full fat dairy products provide useful energy, protein, vitamins and minerals to support growth and development. Milk also provides essential nutrients for growth and development and helps protect teeth against
dental caries.

Bones develop quickly in teenage years, with 40-60 per cent of peak bone mineral content being laid down in adolescence and 80-90 per cent of the skeleton being formed by the age of 18 years. A good diet in teenage years can increase bone mineral density which promotes healthy bones later in adult life, helping to prevent conditions like osteoporosis.