Dear Kathleen,
 
My husband says I have to give up dairy to lose weight. We have three kids who love milk and cheese. So do I. I don't want to cook separate meals and I don't want to give up dairy! What do you think about this?

Dawn


Dear Dawn,

I think you can have your dairy and be fit too. The major cause of America's number one killer, heart disease, is hypertension. Currently, it affects 50 million Americans. Studies have shown that a diet including at least three servings a day of dairy can play a major role in lowering hypertension and increasing over all heart health.

Whenever someone I know or someone in the media advises eliminating a certain food or in this case, and entire food category, the first thing I do is make a list of pros and cons. I consider the nutritional benefits, convenience factors and cost. If after weighing my findings I'm on the fence, I consider how likely it is that I'll garner that same nutrition and the accompanying health benefits from other foods.

If you didn't consume milk, how likely is it that you'll meet daily nutritional requirements of calcium, protein, phosphorous, riboflavin, niacin vitamins B2, B12, A and D from other food sources?

According to the American Dietetic Association, "9 out of 10 women, 7 out of 10 men, and 3 out of 4 teenagers do not get enough calcium. After the age of 11, no age group consumes even 75% of their calcium needs."

Children ages 1-3 need about two glasses of milk per day to meet their daily calcium requirement; about 500 mg. Teens need about 1300 mg per day, about 4 glasses of milk. Adults between the ages of 19 and 50 need 1000 mg per day, about 3 glasses of milk. Grandparents and their friends over 50 require 1200 mg of calcium a day or 4 glasses of milk. Dairy isn't the only source of calcium but it's quick and to the point.

The Department of Health and Human Services reports that, "By age 20, the average young person has acquired 98% of his/her skeletal mass. Building strong bones during childhood and adolescence is the best defense against developing osteoporosis later in life."

Women are four times more likely to get osteoporosis but older men are at risk too. 10 million people have the disease and another 18 million are at risk. Calcium and Vitamin D, both found in milk, have been proven to play an important role in bone health. Vitamin D is necessary because it allows your body to absorb calcium.

Cheese is milk squared. It's a concentrated source of the same nutrients. If you're worried about the fat content in cheese, consider that it contains conjugated linoleic acid, a "good" fat that according to recent studies may help reduce body fat and help increase lean muscle mass.

Conjugated linoleic acid is also being studied for its anti-diabetic effect, its ability to lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels and for its ability to slow the growth of some cancers. More is not always better. If you're trying to lose weight, reach for low and non-fat dairy products.

If you think low fat cheeses don't taste good. Think again! In 1919, 94 Cabot farmers purchased the original Cabot Creamery plant. It cost them $3,700 all together. That's $5 per cow, plus one cord of wood each to fuel the boiler.

Farmer owned and operated to this day, Cabot cheese has been judged "Best Cheddar" and "Best Flavored Cheese" at the World Championship Cheese Contest, "Best Cheddar" and "Best Aged Cheddar" at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, "Most Outstanding Cheese" at the National Milk Producers Federation Contest and "Outstanding Classic" at the International Fancy Food Show, in addition to the American Cheese Society honors; three blue ribbons for cheddar excellence.

Regular cheddar cheese has about 110 calories per ounce and 9 grams of fat. Cabot 50% Light Cheddar has 70 calories per ounce and 4.5 grams of fat, and their 75% Light Cheddar has just 60 calories per ounce and only 2.5 grams of fat.

If all that's not enough to convince you to drink your milk and embrace dairy as a healthful food category, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism published a study revealing that, "Women who consumed higher intakes of calcium from dairy foods experienced more significant losses in weight and body fat than those women who consumed calcium from non-dairy sources."

Yogurt is made from milk and live active cultures (friendly bacteria) that help break down the lactose in milk, making it easier for people who are lactose intolerant to enjoy the nutritional benefits of milk.

Butter may be high in fat but it possesses nutritional virtues too. It's high in selenium, an antioxidant that can help protect against lung, colon and prostate cancer. It also contains Vitamins A, E, K and D. Throw in a few good fatty acids and it's hard to make a case against it. Especially when margarines and vegetable spreads often contain harmful trans fatty acids.

Dairy has enough nutritional virtues to warrant a rightful place in your diet but don't justify eating high calorie foods because they may contain a serving or more of dairy. Four cheese pizzas and macaroni and cheese meals minus veggie side dishes aren't the best choices. Mind your portion sizes, prepare balanced meals, reach for low and non-fat sources of dairy, limit low nutritional sources of dairy, such as ice-cream sundaes, and there's no reason you have to give it up.

kd@chefkathleen.com