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The Milk Group....
All fluid milk products and many foods made from milk are considered part
of this food group. Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content
are part of the group, while foods made from milk that have little to no calcium,
such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not. Most milk group choices should
be fat-free or low-fat.
Some commonly eaten choices in the milk, yogurt, and cheese group are:
Consuming milk and milk products provides health
benefits—people who have a diet rich in milk and milk products can
reduce the risk of low bone mass throughout the life cycle. Foods in the milk
group provide nutrients that
are vital for health and maintenance of your body. These nutrients include
calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein.
Health benefits
- Diets rich in milk and milk products help build and maintain bone mass throughout the lifecycle. This may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
- The intake of milk products is especially important to bone health during childhood and adolescence, when bone mass is being built.
- Diets that include milk products tend to have a higher overall nutritional quality.
Milk* All fluid milk: fat-free (skim)
low fat (1%) reduced fat (2%) whole milk flavored milks: chocolate
strawberry lactose reduced milks lactose free milks Milk-based desserts* Puddings made with milk ice milk frozen yogurt ice cream |
Cheese* Hard natural cheeses: cheddar
mozzarella Swiss parmesan soft cheeses ricotta
cottage cheese processed cheeses American
Yogurt* All yogurt Fat-free
low fat reduced fat whole milk yogurt |
*Selection Tips
Choose fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese. If you choose milk or
yogurt that is not fat-free, or cheese that is not low-fat, the fat in the
product counts as part of the discretionary
calorie allowance.
If sweetened milk products are chosen (flavored milk, yogurt, drinkable yogurt,
desserts), the added sugars also count as part of the discretionary
calorie allowance.
For those who are lactose intolerant, lactose-free and lower-lactose products
are available. These include hard cheeses and yogurt. Also, enzyme preparations
can be added to milk to lower the lactose content. Calcium-fortified
foods and beverages such as soy beverages or orange juice may provide calcium,
but may not provide the other nutrients found in milk and milk products.