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Dairy foods are available in a variety of options and have always played an important role in health and wellness. There are many choices in the dairy case and one that stands out is organic or conventional milk options. Is there really a difference?

When it comes down to it, the difference between these two is farm management practices. The dairy farm families of Colorado, Montana and Wyoming make different choices every day for their cows, families, employees and communities. When a dairy farm chooses to be organic they are required to follow standards established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the organic label.

Dairy products are among the most regulated foods in this country and with the strict government standards ALL milk is wholesome, safe and nutritious. Food quality and safety are among the top concerns of consumers today, so let’s take a look.

• Organic milk is better for you: FALSE

From a nutritional standpoint, organic and conventional milk are identical. All milk contains the same nine essential vitamins and minerals that make dairy foods an important part of your diet. In fact, there is no scientific evidence that organic milk is superior with regard to food safety or nutrition. As stated above, all milk is tested to the same stringent safety standards.

• All milk, except organic, contains antibiotics: FALSE

First and foremost, dairy cows are not routinely treated with antibiotics. If a cow develops an illness, both conventional and organic dairy farmers would treat the cow with the same antibiotic under close supervision of a veterinarian. On a conventional farm, during antibiotic treatment, the cow is removed from the milking herd until her milk is tested free of antibiotics. On an organic farm, the cow is removed from the herd completely once antibiotic treatment begins, usually, she is sold to a conventional dairy farm for the remainder of her life.

Milk is tested on-farm and upon arrival at the processing plant for traces of antibiotics – if at any point the milk tests positive, it is discarded and has no chance of reaching the store shelves.

• Organic milk is hormone free FALSE

All milk naturally contains small amounts of hormones. Bovine somatotropin (bST) is a protein hormone that occurs naturally in all cows. There is a synthetic copy of bST- called recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) – which some dairy farmers choose to use to increase their milk production. Health authorities such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have determined that milk from cows treated with rbST is both safe and nutritious. Plus, pasteurization destroys 90% of BST in milk, and the rest is made inactive during digestion.

Dairy farmers are committed to providing a safe, steady supply of dairy products. Dairy farmers and the dairy industry overall have a history of providing safe and healthy products. Whether people choose conventional or organic, they should feel good about consuming all varieties of milk, cheese and yogurt as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition. Please visit Western Dairy Association to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.

Are you familiar with the benefits of drinking milk after exercise? Looking to share these benefits with your team for a season?

The dairy farm families of Western Dairy Association are offering Fuel Up with Milk Grants in conjunction with the Colorado High School Activities Association for Colorado’s fall 2016 sports season.

Recipients of the grant will receive funding to purchase milk (both white and chocolate) for your team to replenish after practices and games. For more information and grant specifics, visit this page.

DID YOU KNOW THAT MILK is NATURE’S SPORTS DRINK?

Milk, both white and chocolate, provides key nutrients needed after exercise. Milk is 90% water and a great tasting choice after practice and games. Milk’s fluids and electrolytes, including calcium, potassium and magnesium, rehydrate the body and replenish what is lost in sweat. Carbohydrates in milk refuel muscles and replenish glycogen (energy) stores. High-quality protein aids in muscle recovery and repair. Calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus build & maintain strong bones. Milk provides potassium to help ward off muscle cramping. B vitamins in milk help convert food to energy.

Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition! Would you like to see your athletes excel both on and off the field by replenishing their bodies with chocolate milk? Your team could win funds to provide FREE milk for a season. If your student athletes aren’t fueling up with low-fat white or chocolate milk, this is a great opportunity to get started!

For more information on the Fuel up with Milk Grant visit Western Dairy Association’s sports nutrition webpage.

Cottage cheese is a wonderful nutritious food that is sometimes forgotten due to its bland taste. It is unique because it is low in carbohydrates and high in protein, which is optimal for post workout recovery and to fuel your active lifestyle.

Cottage cheese contains all the essential amino acids needed for it to qualify as a complete protein. Your body breaks this protein down into its individual amino acids, and then re-assembles those amino acids into new proteins needed to maintain healthy tissues.

During a workout that places demands on your muscles, it’s normal to experience tiny tears in the muscle tissue. This minor damage to muscles and the repair process result in the muscles becoming stronger. Carbohydrates replace the muscles’ fuel, glycogen. Protein helps to build muscle.

One amino acid, glutamine, is particularly valuable in helping the body recover after a heavy workout, and endurance athletes may deplete glutamine. Cottage cheese as well as milk and yogurt does supply glutamine because they are all a complete protein.

Ninety-nine percent of the calcium in your body exists in bones, but the other 1% fills vital roles, so a specific amount must be maintained in the blood. If blood levels drop, the mineral is taken from your bones. Calcium is needed for muscle contractions, including the heart, and normal nerve functioning. It’s also essential for the process of blood clotting.

Cottage cheese also provides phosphorus – phosphorus combines with calcium to become the primary mineral used for building bones, but like calcium, it fills other functions. Many chemical reactions in the body rely on phosphate, which is a form of phosphorus. These reactions are responsible for energy creation and maintaining a normal acid-base environment within the body. Some enzymes and hormones aren’t activated unless phosphate is available.

Cottage Cheese is versatile – it can be sweet or savory – so choose your favorite! It pairs well with sliced scallions, avocados and tomatoes, or apples, raisins and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Create a pasta sauce by blending cottage cheese with some low-fat milk or yogurt and Parmesan cheese.

Don’t like the texture of cottage cheese, but still want the nutrition? Blend some into your favorite smoothie!

Mixing fruit into cottage cheese adds sweetness without sugar, healthy fiber, more vitamins and minerals and can turn plain cottage cheese into a treat. You could also try these cottage cheese ideas from one of our local Colorado bloggers – What’s for Dinner Gena. She has recipes for a Breakfast Sundae, Lasagna Cups and Lemon Bars – all made with cottage cheese!

Incorporating cottage cheese into your post-exercise regimen (within 30-60 minutes) could enhance your performance. Please visit Western Dairy Association for more information.

Nutrition messages can be confusing. When you try to balance eating all of your favorite healthy foods while getting enough carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamin A, calcium, even riboflavin, not to mention all of the other essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to run at its best, having an eating guide can not only be helpful, but almost necessary.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate guide to healthy eating is just that: A helpful eating guide to ensure you appropriately balance your favorite foods with the nutrition you need to be healthy and perform at your best.

Odds are, the MyPlate logo is not foreign to you. You’ve likely read about MyPlate in a magazine or have seen a MyPlate poster hanging in your school cafeteria. The reason this simple logo is so popular is because it is the nationally-recognized way to eat to ensure you receive all of the nutrition you need during the day.

Here’s how it works:

The MyPlate guide was designed to represent a 10-inch dinner plate — a typical-sized plate you would serve a meal on. The recommended instructions are to build your plate with the following 3 tips in mind every time you eat:

1. Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables
2. Fill the other half with grains and proteins
3.  Choose one serving of dairy to include at each meal, for a total of 3 servings each day

You may be wondering: Why is it important to eat each of the Five Food Groups and in these specific proportions? The answer comes down to nutrition science.

Each of the Five Food Groups represents foods that have similar nutrients. If you relied on only one food group, your body would only receive the nutrients that are specific to that group. Fortunately, each of the food groups provides different and unique nutrients that, when combined, provide the nutrients your body wants and needs to operate at its best.

When you remove one of the food groups it becomes very challenging to eat 100 percent of your nutrient needs. Good nutrition is eating to fulfill your nutrient needs, which is key for optimal performance.

Children, teenagers, athletes, and adults of all ages can benefit from MyPlate’s guide for good nutrition.

Once you have practiced determining which foods fit into the Five Food Groups and eating them in the correct proportions, here are some other healthy tips to consider trying:

• Choose a variety of different colored fruits and vegetables to fill half of your plate; different colors typically indicate different nutrients.
• Choose a variety of protein foods, such as chicken and turkey, lean beef, eggs, tofu, beans, nuts and seeds.
• Try to choose whole grains, at least half of the time. Remember, brown breads are not necessarily whole grain; read the ingredient list on the nutrition facts label and look for words such as whole grain, oat, etc. towards the top of the list.
• Low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese and yogurt are the wisest choices in the dairy food group. Even low-fat and fat-free choices provide essential nutrients your body needs. A cup of milk (chocolate or white) provides nine essential nutrients, including calcium.

Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition. Visit this site to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.

Protein is the main nutrient on an athlete’s mind these days, but what about fat, which is part of the big three nutrients (Carbohydrates, Protein and Fats) that help you perform? All of these nutrients are important to an athletes’ performance, but many athletes are confused about fats in the diet.

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines discusses healthy eating patterns, which include fats. Let’s explore the types of fats:

Saturated Fats	Found in red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy
Trans fats	Found in foods from oils that have been partially hydrogenated
Monounsaturated Fats	Found in olive, peanut, canola, sesame and safflower oils
Polyunsaturated Fats	Found in soy bean, corn and sunflower oils. Also in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and trout
Omega 3 fatty acids	Found in fatty fish, flax seed oil (cold pressed), salmon, chia seeds, walnuts
Omega 6 fatty acids	Found in poultry, eggs, avocado, nuts, cereals, vegetable oils

While saturated fat has been labelled the “bad” fat, emerging research shows that not all saturated fats are bad. Milk fat is classified as a saturated fat, but recent research suggests that the fat in milk is part of a complex food matrix that may not elevate blood cholesterol or increase risk for disease. That is good news for whole milk lovers! It may be that the fat in 2% milk, whole milk or cheese isn’t as bad as we once thought.

Fats are used for many things within an athlete’s body; fat acts as a source of calories and energy. Fat provides the main fuel in long duration activities, but also plays a role in high intensity activities, during which fat is utilized to help access stored carbohydrate (glycogen). Not only is fat beneficial for athletes, but for everyone trying to follow a healthy eating pattern.

Fat plays a role not only in the food we consume but also in many aspects of our development. Fat is part of the three major components in food, but it also serves to provide flavor and aids in satiety (how full you feel after a meal). As we grow, fat helps the brain and nervous system to develop correctly, it supports cell growth, protects our nerves, cushions our organs, keeps the body warm and provides energy. If that isn’t enough, fat also plays a role in helping the body to absorb certain nutrients, such as Vitamin A, D, E and K and it is the building block of hormones needed for body function.

Fat is a very important nutrient for our bodies, unfortunately it has been given a bad reputation. When choosing foods, balance is the key. Make sure you eat a variety of different foods using My Plate recommendations.

Keep the idea of healthy meal pattern in mind; instead of focusing on a single food as “good” or “bad,” aim for balance in all of your meals for a healthier you and a better fueled athlete. For now, stick with the current Dietary Guidelines recommendations by choosing low-fat or fat-free dairy foods. If you choose to drink 2% or whole milk, be sure to balance calories and fat elsewhere within your overall eating style.

Visit WesternDairyAssociation.org for recipes and more information about eating healthy!

Did you ever wonder why yogurt has been getting so much hype? Yogurt is an amazing food that can be used for a meal, snack or in place of other ingredients (like sour cream) to make a recipe healthier. Yogurt is made by the bacteria, Lactobacilli (i.e. L. bulgaricus, S. thermophiles, and L. acidophilus) which changes lactose (the natural sugar in milk) to lactic acid, which thickens milk protein (casein) to create yogurt’s creamy texture. One great thing about this fermentation process is that it makes yogurt easier for people with lactose intolerance to digest!

Yogurt is a great go-to food for many reasons:

• It is high in protein for your recovery
• It is high in calcium for bone health and strength
• It is high in Vitamin D for calcium absorption
• Yogurt is known for its probiotics (good gut bacteria) – probiotics help with digestion and promote gut health

Yogurt is rich in protein; depending on the variety, an 8oz serving may contain anywhere from 5-23g of protein. It provides both casein (80%) and whey (20%) protein. Casein can increase the absorption of minerals such as calcium and potassium and whey is very high in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), such as valine, leucine and isoleucine, which are linked to better workout recovery.

Why yogurt is a great post workout snack

Post-workout nutrition should contain carbohydrates to refill glycogen stores and protein to aid with muscle repair. Yogurt’s nutrient profile makes it a “home run” for a post-workout snack because it has both, plus it is low-fat. Fat is NOT a bad thing in the diet, but after a workout it isn’t ideal because fat slows down digestion. After a workout, your body needs to digest the protein and carbohydrates in your post-workout snack, so you don’t want to slow down digestion with fat.

Not all yogurt contains healthful nutrients that suit post-workout meals. Look for yogurt that’s low in fat and sugar and that contains active cultures. Try plain yogurt or select yogurts with natural sweeteners. Please visit Western Dairy Association for more information on snacks and eating for athletic performance. Click here for more information on yogurt.

Exercise depletes energy, fluids, and breaks down muscle. Hydration and the right nutrition are only part of training and recovery. What athletes do in the moments during and immediately after competition also determines how quickly their bodies rebuild, replenish and recover. This helps maintain endurance, speed, and accuracy.

Some research suggests that sleep deprivation increases levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Sleep deprivation has also been seen to decrease production of glycogen and carbohydrates that are stored for energy use during physical activity. In short, less sleep increases the possibility of fatigue, low energy, and poor focus at game time. It may also slow recovery post-game.

Getting enough sleep is a major part of reaching your goals and is key for optimal recovery. A research study showed 4 days of sleep restriction caused:

• Decreased max bench press
• Delayed visual/auditory reaction time, including slower decision making
• Impaired cognitive/motor function
• One full night of sleep loss = legally intoxicated
• 11% reduction in time to exhaustion = impaired endurance ability
• Increased risk of injury (related to less than 6 hours of sleep)
• 1 week of sleep loss = elevated cortisol levels which can interfere with tissue repair and growth (think about muscles healing)

Here are some tips to improve sleep:

Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep; Athletes need 8-10 hours of sleep. Consider yourself an athlete if you exercise for 1+ hours on most days of the week.

• Go to bed at a consistent time! This is especially important if you have varying morning schedules.
• Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark and cool. Don’t be afraid to turn on a fan.
• If you’re having trouble falling asleep, get up to read for 15 minutes then try going back to bed.
• When eating close to bedtime, make sure your snack is 50/50 protein & carbohydrates (cheese & crackers, yogurt & granola).
• Naps can help! A study found a 30 minute nap following sleep loss improved an athlete’s 20m sprint time by .09 seconds. But don’t nap if you have trouble sleeping on a regular basis.
• Sip on a cup of warm milk; pairing it with a carbohydrate (like crackers) will enhance the effects.
• Limit your caffeine after 2pm.

So YES, athletes need more sleep. Remember we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, make it the best night’s sleep possible. Please visit Western Dairy Association for more information on snacks and eating for athletic performance.

Did you know that nature’s sports drink is chocolate milk?

Chocolate milk can help you to refuel, rehydrate and recover after exercise. Top athletes such as the IRONMAN® Triathlon Champions Mirinda Carfrae, Craig Alexander, Luke McKenzie and US Women’s Soccer player Kelley O’Hara recover with chocolate milk. This power house beverage contains a combination of carbohydrates and protein to refuel and repair muscle, fluids to rehydrate and electrolytes to replenish the loss in sweat.

Let’s see what both white and chocolate milk provide:

• Milk is 90% water and a great tasting choice after workouts, practices and games. Milk’s fluids and electrolytes, including calcium, potassium and magnesium, rehydrate the body and replenish what is lost in sweat.
• Carbohydrates in milk refuel muscles and refills glycogen (energy) stores.
• High quality protein aids in muscle recovery and repair.
• Calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus build and maintain strong bones.
• Milk provides potassium to help ward off muscle
• B vitamins in milk help convert food to energy.

Improve your post exercise recovery with either white or chocolate milk. Chocolate milk does provide a great carbohydrate to protein ratio (3 to 4 grams of carbohydrate for every 1 gram of protein) necessary for optimal recovery. The essential nutrients that milk provides:

• Build and maintain strong bones and teeth (calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus)
• Promote normal blood pressure (calcium and potassium)
• Help convert food into energy (riboflavin and niacin)
• Play a role in the development and maintenance of the central nervous system (riboflavin and vitamin B12)
• Help build and maintain lean muscle (protein)
• Help build red blood cells (vitamin B12)
• Help regulate the balance of fluids in the body (potassium)
• Promote good vision (vitamin A)
• Promote healthy skin (vitamin A)
• Promote a healthy immune system (vitamin A)

Incorporating milk into your post-exercise regimen (within 30-60 minutes) could enhance your performance.  For more information about proper nutrition for athletic performance please visit the Sports Nutrition page at Western Dairy Association.

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released on January 7 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The main key messages that the newly released guidelines point out for healthy eating patterns are:

• Follow a healthy eating pattern
• Focus on variety, nutrient density, and amount.
• Limit calories from added sugars and saturated fat, and reduce sodium intake.
• Shift to healthier food and beverage choices.
• Support healthy eating patterns for all.

What are the Dietary Guidelines?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans make recommendations based on current scientific and medical evidence every 5 years. The purpose of the guidelines is to help Americans have a healthy lifestyle and most importantly prevent disease.

The guidelines are used to direct nutrition policy such as with the National School Lunch Program, the WIC program, recommendations that health professionals make and other nutrition assistance programs.

What is important in the new dietary guidelines?

Vegetables

Everyone should try to eat more vegetables every day! This means making your plate colorful with all types of vegetables to eat a variety of colorful vegetables. Eat a variety of dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas), starchy, and other vegetables. Vegetables provide our bodies with Fiber and tons of nutrients every day!

Fruit

Everyone should try to eat more fruit every day! You should try to eat whole fruit most of the time and make sure that you are eating a variety of fruit — all different colors, flavors and textures of fruit. Fruit provides us with Vitamin C, Fiber and lots of other nutrients!

*Whole fruit includes fresh, frozen, canned and dried varieties of fruit.

Whole Grains

Everybody should try eating whole grain bread, pasta and brown rice in place of refined grains like white bread. Whole grains provide fiber, B-vitamins and many other important nutrients!

Dairy

Almost all Americans should try to consume more dairy every day! Strive to get 3 servings of dairy each and every day. Dairy is packed with 9 essential nutrients that our bodies use every single day!

Protein Foods

Everyone should try to eat a variety of protein foods including lean meat and poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts seeds and seafood. Most people need to consume more seafood. These foods not only provide protein, but are packed with other important nutrients.

Other recommendations:

• Cook or prepare food with oils instead of solid fats.

• Limit added sugars to less than 10 % of your total daily calories. For someone that is consuming 1,200 to 2,000 calories per day, this means that no more than 120 to 200 calories should be coming from added sugars. This is about 7 to 12 teaspoons of sugar. Remember that a teaspoon is about 4 grams of sugar, and a gram of sugar is about 4 calories.

• Limit saturated fat to less than 10 percent of your total daily calories. This didn’t change from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. This recommendation is easily met if you stick to choosing lean protein foods and using oil instead of solid fats to prepare food with.

• Reduce sodium consumption to 2300 milligrams per day. The majority of Americans consume very high amounts of sodium, almost 49 percent more than the recommended amount of sodium! The majority of people get too much sodium from eating processed foods and from convenience foods. If you cook or prepare food at home, you have a better chance of sticking to the recommendation because you can control how much sodium goes into your meal.

• Exercise Regularly! Regular physical activity is essential to good health. Exercise and healthy eating work together as the best way to keep you in good health. Everyone should strive to get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity each week and do muscle strength training twice per week.

Nutrients that we don’t get enough of:

• Calcium
• Vitamin D
• Potassium
• Dietary Fiber

Dairy provides an excellent source of Calcium and Vitamin D, and provides a good source of potassium. So, make sure to get your three servings of Dairy everyday!

Women should also try to get more Iron and pregnant women should try to get more iron and folate.