Nutrient Content and Health Benefits of Dairy Products by Ralph Teller

Dairy Products Composition

Dairy products are among the most nutritious products in nature.

Milk and Yogurt are considered one of the Top Ten Brain Foods! 

Nutrient Content from National Dairy Council

Nutrients	Units	Cheddar Cheese 1 oz.	Cream Cheese 1 oz.	Cottage Cheese 1 cup	Mozzarella Skim 1 oz.	American Pasteurized 1 oz.	Yogurt Plain Whole Milk 1 cup	Yogurt Plain Nonfat Milk 1 cup	Butter- milk Lowfat 1 cup
Proximates
Water	g	10.42	15.24	93.20	13.77	11.10	215.15	208.81	220.82
Energy	kcal	114.13	98.95	81.81	79.36	106.44	150.48	136.64	99.00
Energy	kj	477.41	413.91	342.39	331.98	445.38	629.65	570.85	414.05
Protein	g	7.06	2.14	14.00	7.79	6.28	8.50	14.04	8.11
Total lipid fat	g	9.40	9.89	1.15	4.85	8.86	7.96	.044	2.16
Carbohydrate	g	0.36	0.75	3.07	0.89	0.45	11.42	18.82	11.74
Fiber	g	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Ash	g	1.11	0.33	1.57	1.05	1.66	1.76	2.89	2.18
Minerals
Calcium	mg	204.49	22.65	68.82	207.32	174.49	295.72	487.80	285.18
Iron	mg	0.19	0.34	0.16	0.07	0.11	0.12	0.22	0.12
Magnesium	mg	7.88	1.83	6.03	7.45	6.31	28.37	46.80	26.83
Phosphorus	mg	145.18	29.60	151.19	148.58	211.18	232.51	383.43	218.54
Potassium	mg	27.90	33.85	96.62	26.89	45.93	378.77	624.51	370.69
Sodium	mg	175.91	83.77	458.78	149.70	405.52	113.68	187.43	257.01
Zinc	mg	0.88	0.15	0.43	0.89	0.85	1.45	3.38	1.03
Copper	mg	0.01	0.01	0.03	0.01	0.01	0.04	0.02	0.03
Manganese	mg	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.01	0.01	0.01
Selenium	mcg	3.94	0.68	10.17	4.62	4.08	5.39	8.82	4.90
Vitamins
Vitamin C	mg	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.30	2.13	2.40
Thiamin	mg	0.01	0.01	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.07	0.12	0.08
Riboflavin	mg	0.11	0.06	0.19	0.10	0.10	0.35	0.57	0.38
Niacin	mg	0.02	0.03	0.15	0.03	0.02	0.18	0.30	0.14
Pantothenic	mg	0.12	0.08	0.24	0.03	0.14	0.95	1.57	0.67
Vitamin B6	mg	0.02	0.01	0.08	0.02	0.02	0.08	0.13	0.08
Folate	mcg	5.16	3.74	14.01	2.81	2.21	18.13	29.89	12.25
Vitamin B12	mcg	0.23	0.12	0.72	0.26	0.20	0.91	1.50	0.54
Vitamin A IU	IU	300.23	404.56	41.81	199.30	342.92	301.35	17.15	80.85
Vitamin A RE	mcg	78.81	108.30	12.43	54.15	82.22	73.50	4.90	19.60
Vitamin E	mg	0.10	0.27	0.12	0.13	0.13	0.22	0.01	0.15

Milk: Composition: 87% water, 5% Carbohydrate (lactose), 3.3% Protein, 3.4% Fat and 1% Vitamins and Minerals. Milk Protein is considered a complete protein as it contains all of the essential amino acids. Milk contains the water soluble vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, B6, B12, C and folate. Milk also contains the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Milk is a good source of calcium magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc. Complete Composition of Milk from Cornell University.

Milk is packed with nine essential nutrients.  Here's the powerful pay-back when you drink 3 glasses of milk a day.

Milk’s Nutrient Package	Amount in 24 oz. of Milk	Percent Daily Value*
Calcium: A mighty mineral that builds strong bones and teeth	900 mg	90%
Vitamin D: An important bone builder that enhances calcium absorption	300 IU	75 %
Vitamin A: Keeps your skin healthy, regulates immune system and helps your eyes see normally in the dark	1,500 IU	30 %
Protein: Vital for building and maintaining muscle	24 g	48 %
Potassium: Maintains your blood pressure, regulates fluid balance and helps your muscles contract	1,170 mg	33 %
Riboflavin: Helps produce energy in all cells of your body	1.2 mg	70 %
Niacin: Helps enzymes function normally in your body	6 NE	30 %
Vitamin B 12: Works closely with folate to make red blood cells and plays a key role in cell growth and division	2.4 mcg	40 %
Phosphorus: Works with calcium to keep bones strong	600 mg	60 %

* Daily values are set by the Government and reflect current
nutrition recommendations for a 2,000 calorie/day diet.

Cheese: Cheese has a higher Protein content than milk, and compared to milk, a very low carbohydrate content. Cheese also contains many of the same nutrients of milk. Composition per 100grams: 25g Protein, 35g Fat. Complete Composition of Cheese from Cornell University.

Whole Plain Yogurt: Composition per 100grams: 5.7g Protein, 7.8g Carbohydrate, 3.0g Fat Complete Composition of Yogurt from Cornell University.

Whole Cottage Cheese: Composition per 100grams: Protein 13g, Carbohydrate 3.1g, 4.3g Fat

Whey Protein: Composition: Whey Protein is a Complete Protein as it contains all essential amino acids. Whey Protein is especially excellent for Athletes as it is the richest source of the ‘Branched Chain Amino Acids’ leucine, isoleucine and valine. Athletes require higher amounts of BCAA’s during and following exercise as they are absorbed directly by the skeletal muscles instead of first being metabolized through the liver like other amino acids. BCAA’s aid muscle recovery after exercise. Low BCAA contributes to fatigue.

See the complete Dairy Product Nutritional Composition from the UK Dairy Counsel.

 Specific Health Benefits of Dairy Products

• Maintains Healthy Weight.  Studies suggest that the nutrients in three 8 ounce glasses of milk per day can help maintain a healthy weight.

• Builds Muscle.  Calcium is an essential mineral to build muscle.  Calcium is especially important for growing children, men, women and athletes, particularly endurance athletes that are in regular recovery from workouts.

• Multiple Sclerosis Prevention Theory.  It is theorized that Multiple Sclerosis, which often appears later in life, may be caused by a Vitamin D deficiency in early life.  Milk is fortified with Vitamin D. See Health Benefits/Natural Sources of Vitamin D

• Enhances Immune System.  Dairy products containing probiotic  bacteria—defined as live microbial food supplements that beneficially affect the host—may play a role in modulating immune function.  Whey protein is another dairy component recently receiving attention as a possible immune-enhancing food.

• Improves Intestinal Health.  There is significant research to date supporting the role of probiotics in maintaining and improving intestinal health. Probiotics, which are found primarily in dairy products such as yogurts, kefirs, and culture-containing milks.  Certain types of probiotic bacteria preserve intestinal integrity and decrease the incidence and duration of numerous intestinal diseases.  With the efficacy of antibiotics in treating infection currently under question, probiotics may well provide a noninvasive dietary strategy to protect against intestinal and other diseases.

More about Ralph Teller. See Ralph's 1Vigor Log Calendar.
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