Fend off chronic disease with a glass of milk

If you started your day with a latte and enjoyed yogurt with lunch, you're well on the way to meeting your daily need for Milk and Alternatives. If not, it may be time to double-check your diet. Milk products are under-consumed by many Canadians. Few people know that beyond building strong bones, milk products may play an important role in preventing hypertension, metabolic syndrome and colon cancer, so it's important to get enough. Read on to discover the health benefits of milk products and find some delicious new recipes to help you increase your intake.

Milk products in your diet?
Chances are that you too are under-consuming milk products, since Canadian statistics show that more than half of all men and almost 70 per cent of women aged 17 to 50 do not meet their need for two servings daily. Think about your own diet and add up the number of milk products you have each day. Are you getting enough? One serving is:

• 250 mL (1 cup) milk
• 175 mL (3/4 cup ) yogurt
• 50 g (1.5 oz) cheese

To learn more about the serving sizes of milk products, visit getenough.ca

Beyond bone health
Canadians who do not consume sufficient amounts of milk products are not doing all they can to protect their health. Milk products may help reduce the risk of different health conditions such as:  
 
Hypertension
Also known as high blood pressure, hypertension is a major risk factor for developing heart disease. Over five million Canadians have hypertension, which is roughly 22 per cent of the adult population. Milk products contain a beneficial mix of nutrients, including calcium, potassium, magnesium and dairy peptides (protein), which may have a blood pressure lowering effect. The Canadian Hypertension Society suggests that consuming adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables and milk products can help prevent and treat high blood pressure.

Metabolic syndrome
Meeting your daily servings of milk products may also help reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. This condition includes a group of factors, such as obesity, high cholesterol and hypertension, that increase your risk for developing heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and stroke. Dairy calcium and protein may be responsible for the protective effect.

Colon cancer
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund says that "milk probably protects against colon cancer." Pooled results from 10 studies showed that people who drink 250 mL of milk per day had a 15 per cent lower risk of colon cancer than people who drank little or no milk. Plus, each additional 500 mL of milk was associated with a further 12 per cent reduction in risk.
 
To learn more about the role of milk products in health, visit getenough.ca.

Enjoy these recipes
Now that you know milk products are about more than just strong bones, you should be inspired to include more milk, yogurt and cheese in your daily diet. Here are some delicious recipes you can try:

Baked Eggs with Potatoes, Spinach and Cheese
Cauliflower Soup
Yogurt-Marinated Chicken
Strawberry Panna Cotta
English Muffin Pizzas


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