Canada's Food Guide can help you determine how much milk and dairy products you need. These foods play key roles in your overall health and well-being. For instance, they contain calcium, vitamins A and D, potassium and protein, nutrients that provide various benefits such as building strong bones and teeth, creating and repairing cells and tissues and regulating blood pressure.
Children
For children between ages 2 and 8, the Canada Food Guide recommends consuming two servings of milk, dairy products and alternatives each day. A serving is equivalent to 250 ml, or one cup, of milk or soy beverage, 175 g or ¾ cup of yogurt or 50 g or 1 ½ oz of cheese. Children and adolescents between ages nine and 18 need three to four servings of milk daily.
Adults
As you get older, your calcium needs dip and then increase again. Men and women between ages 19 and 50 need two servings of milk, dairy and alternatives daily. Past age 50, your calcium needs rise to three servings daily. Osteoporosis is more of a risk when you're over 50, especially if you're a woman. Increasing your calcium consumption can help to protect you from this condition, which causes bones to become brittle and more vulnerable to fractures and breaks.
Choosing Milk and Dairy
Whenever possible, choose milk and dairy with reduced fat content. For instance, choose fat-free or 1 percent milk and fat-free ice-cream instead of whole-fat alternatives. Low-fat cheeses and yogurt are also healthier alternatives. Read food labels to determine how much calcium, fat and other nutrients is in each product you consume. The percentage value on the label indicates how much of your daily needs are being met for each nutrient. For instance, the label may show that one serving of the product is providing 25 percent of your daily calcium needs.
Lactose Intolerance and Milk Allergies
A deficiency of the lactase enzyme can make you intolerant of milk and dairy products. Taking a lactase enzyme supplement and consuming reduced-lactose dairy products will enable you to enjoy foods with lactose. Or, you may have a food allergy that causes your immune system to react abnormally to milk and dairy products and have symptoms such as itching or wheezing. If you have an allergy to milk and dairy products, you need to eliminate these foods from your diet completely.
References
- Health Canada: Canada's Food Guide - How Many Food Guide Servings of Milk and Alternatives Do I Need?
- Health Canada: Canada's Food Guide - What Is a Food Guide Serving
- Health Canada: Canada's Food Guide -- Tips for Milk and Alternatives
- Go Ask Alice!: Milk Allergy or Lactose Intolerance?
- MedlinePlus: Osteoporosis
- USDA: Food Groups - Dairy
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