As a staple of the human diet for thousands of years, it’s only fitting that we celebrate June as National Dairy Month! Dairy includes all milk and milk products such as cheese, yogurt, and butter. Though we mostly use cow’s milk, other milk products from goats and sheep are also included. Dairy was first used by nomadic peoples who would travel often. Because they couldn’t stay in one place and farm crops, they relied on their traveling animals to produce nutritious milk!
Dairy products are filled with micronutrients critical for maintaining optimal health. Milk contains calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and selenium in addition to vitamins A, D, E, and B, all of which are responsible for bone health, metabolism, and body maintenance (1). A cup of milk provides an average of 276 mg of calcium (~21% daily value) and 2.9 mcg of vitamin D (~15% daily value) (2,3). Milk and dairy foods are available in a range of whole and reduced-fat varieties. Whole or full-fat dairy such as whole milk, cheese, and full-fat yogurt is the creamiest and most satiating compared to lower or reduced-fat products. On the other end of the spectrum are fat-free or skim dairy products that have the lowest amount of calories. Recent studies have shown that milk fats and full-fat milk products have a zero or positive correlation with cardiovascular health (4,5). So feel free to choose what kind of dairy suits you best based on your nutritional goals and tastes!
Last but not least, dairy products contain high-quality protein. A cup of milk contains 8g of protein. Milk proteins are made up of casein and whey, known as slow and fast proteins, respectively, based on their digestion and absorption rates in the body. Furthermore, the milk proteins have a large quantity of the branched-chain amino acids, especially leucine, which is the most important amino acid; demonstrating the strongest correlation with decreasing muscle breakdown and increasing muscle protein synthesis (6). This, in addition to fast absorption rates, make whey protein very useful in optimizing muscle and performance in both recreational and professional athletes. Casein, on the other hand, will have a slower digestion rate. Some studies have shown that consuming a protein, ideally, a slower absorbing one like casein, in the evening before sleep will improve protein synthesis through the night and lead to increased muscle performance (7). To take advantage of this effect, try having a serving of greek yogurt or cottage cheese for a healthy dessert.
Milk and dairy are nutritionally dense balanced foods to help the body recover after exercise thanks to their mix of high-quality protein, carbohydrates, and fat (that is very customizable!). Dairy companies such as Fairlife and Horizon have launched high protein milk lines that increase the protein content even further, with 13g/12g vs the normal 8g of protein per cup in your typical glass of cow’s milk. If you are lactose intolerant, which we’ll cover last this month, luckily there are lactose-free dairy products available as well. So let’s raise a glass (of milk) to June, the start of summer, and National Dairy Month!
1. Pereira PC. Milk nutritional composition and its role in human health. Nutrition. 2014;30:619–27.