Milking the health benefits of dairy products

There are numerous articles in the media about healthy diets and what we should be doing to improve our health. The problem is that such is the volume of conflicting data we can end up wondering whether anything is safe to eat or drink. Dairy foods are one of the groups that suffer from bad press and misleading articles calling for wholesale reductions in dairy intake or its removal from a diet completely. This can be problematic as if you remove or drastically reduce a certain form of nutrient from what is supposed to be a balanced diet there is no replacement and the body's health can suffer.

Many people who are dieting or worried about their cholesterol levels reduce their dairy intake because they are concerned about the levels of fat. There is actually a lot less fat in dairy products than commonly believed. Dairy foods contribute only 14% of the fat consumed in the UK and some forms of milk such as skimmed variants are virtually fat free. The Caerphilly Study which was carried out in North Wales showed that men with the highest milk intake had a 48% and 12% lower risk of stroke and heart disease respectively. Additional research has demonstrated evidence of a healthy dairy intake enhancing weight loss programmes and helping to maintain a healthy lifestyle by providing the body with an adequate supply of the B12 and B2 vitamins.

A balanced diet is important for our wellbeing, which is why we should always try and keep the key elements that combine to give us good health.