By Brandy Cavanagh
Purdue Extension, Elkhart County

June is National Dairy Month. Talk about a food with unlimited possibilities! When it comes to dairy foods I like them all, such as really good cheese that has been allowed to come to room temperature, which doesn’t take long right now. Yogurt, a milkshake or malt and of course a bowl of ice cream. The ice cream is better of course with a topping and fresh fruit like strawberries would be very tasty.

I know your behavior doesn’t show it but you need to consume dairy products throughout your life. A bonus is that dairy foods taste so good and there are so many options. Generations of people have grown up hearing the same advice: ‘Drink your milk for strong bones and teeth’ yet we still have many people with unhealthy bones.

When you are young you need to have calcium for bone growth for length and when you are maturing you need it to keep bones strong. Your body needs dietary calcium also to help protect against high blood pressure and colon cancer; in addition, it’s the best food to help prevent osteoporosis which is the brittle bones disease. The trouble is that many of you, young and old alike, are just not eating calcium rich foods to reap the benefits.

Calcium rich eating offers many benefits from the beginning of our lives through our senior years. Our calcium requirements changes as we live through the different stages of life. Milk and other foods from the milk group are the best sources of calcium, but don’t forget about dark green vegetables! They too are a good source of calcium in your health eating plan.

 Drinking milk is the easiest way to consume the calcium you need. So what you need to know, practice, and encourage others to do, are included in the calcium guidelines. Provide children at least 3 servings from the milk group. From the age of two on up most children, youth and adults should have low-fat dairy foods. Youth and young people from the ages of 11 to 24 are the groups lacking most when it comes to calcium consumption and calcium is probably the most important to them.

Teenagers need at least 4 servings from the milk group and it should be low-fat. Adults 24-40 years of age also need to help their bodies by making their bones stronger and denser. In middle age, bones start losing calcium slowly. For adults the calcium is at least two or more servings a day.

Pregnant and nursing women are among another group that needs calcium as they are eating for two. If they don’t consume enough calcium rich foods, their bodies will pull the calcium their babies need out of the mother’s teeth and bones. Pregnant and nursing women should have at least four servings and teenagers who are pregnant need five or more servings.

So a serving from the milk group equals one cup milk, or one cup yogurt. To get the same amount of calcium from other sources you have to eat one and a half ounces of cheese, one and three-quarter cups of ice cream, one cup of pudding or two cups of cottage cheese. So plan ahead and the next time you are thirsty or hungry think of the milk group.

There is a great “Dairy Delicious” contest at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair. The two categories are appetizers and main dishes. For a copy of the rules visit our website or call the office and we can send them to you