Category: Nutrition

Western Dairy is proud and honored to present a new scholarship opportunity through our partnership with CHSAA – the Western Dairy Association Colorado Spirit Award.

The following is the eligibility and nomination process for student-participants who would like to be considered for the Western Dairy Association Colorado Spirit Award/Scholarship. Four student participants will be selected for scholarship awards: three – $1,000 scholarships – and one overall All-Star will receive a $2,500 scholarship.

The primary criteria for selection is the student-participant’s leadership qualities within and outside of the school.

Each school nominates a student to represent the Western Dairy Association Colorado Spirit Award.

• Senior
• 2.5 or higher GPA
• List CHSAA sanctioned athletic, activity and/or additional clubs/organizations in which student is involved.
• List any community service outreaches centered around the Great American Milk Drive.

Application:

• Western Dairy Association Colorado Spirit Award Nomination Form
• Minimum of one letter for recommendation

Please visit Western Dairy Association to learn more and click here to check out our NEW Colorado Spirit Award scholarship offered in partnership with CHSAA.

Winners will be notified and invited to the CHSAA Hall of Fame Banquet on January 25, 2017 for the presentation of awards.

The nomination packet is due to the CHSAA by Dec., 2016 (click here for the nomination form). Please send it to Kathryn McOmber (E-mail: kmcomber@chsaa.org)

With school in full swing, now is the perfect time to consider healthy snack options. The balance of academic and athletic demands requires the question, “is my body receiving what it needs every day to perform and feel my best?” One easy way to do this is ensuring we get the recommended three servings of dairy per day.

Dairy products, and specifically the calcium, protein and vitamin D in them, help build and maintain healthy bone mass, but that’s not all! Milks high-quality protein is great for muscle growth and repair. Combined with the other essential nutrients, milk becomes critical for the athlete’s needs. Having a nourishing, well rounded diet gives our brain and body the best chance of performing at peak ability.

Here are some fun and delicious snack ideas to help add nutrient rich foods to your everyday diet:

• Add a container of yogurt or string cheese to your lunch box: eating a protein snack like yogurt, milk or cheese can reduce your appetite and help prevent over-eating at mealtimes.
• Combine cheese with fresh fruit and vegetables: eating cheese and fresh fruits and vegetables can account for 4 of the 5 food groups from My Plate.
• Include milk on cereal or replace the cereal with fresh berries.
• Dip raw vegetables or fresh fruit in yogurt flavored with honey.
• Make your plain yogurt more exciting with cinnamon, apples, almonds or raisins.
• Consider chocolate milk for post-workout recovery.
• Flavor your hot milk with cinnamon.
• Add yogurt to granola and fresh berries.
• For a make ahead option: combine chia seeds and ½ cup milk, refrigerate it overnight (becomes pudding consistency), the next morning add almond slices and fresh berries.. Yum!
• Consider making a smoothie by combining milk, banana and peanut butter.

• Combine your favorite fruit with cottage cheese and sprinkle with cinnamon.

You can make snacks fun and engage in healthy eating habits. Go ahead, try one!

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 spring 2017 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.

It is the time of year that students are heading back to school, so there might be a decrease in physical activity – which could mean trouble in the classroom. There have been studies on the effect  poor nutrition has on the brain, so it’s essential for student success that kids  continue to make healthy choices, even in the midst of the chaos of starting a new school year.

Let’s take a look at how the body can positively impact the brain, which in turn can impact many different aspects of school performance.

Students are encouraged to eat nutrient rich foods, such as low fat and fat free dairy, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, and be physically active for 60 minutes each day. It only takes 20 minutes of physical activity for brain function to improve. The outcome: better attention in the classroom, improved attendance and higher test scores.

The outcomes don’t stop there.

When students eat nutrient rich foods their bodies benefit as well. Bones, for example, need calcium and vitamin D. During the teen years, this is crucial since this is the bone-building phase of your child’s life. Calcium, vitamin D and protein not only support bone growth, but also help build the “bone bank” for adulthood.

This time in a child’s life is so important for many reasons, but making sure your bones get adequate nutrition is critical. Some scientists have reviewed lifestyle factors on teens and their beverages of choice and found that as kids pass the age of 6, they are choosing carbonated beverages over nutrient dense beverages like milk. This is concerning because evidence shows that these beverages have been associated with increased bone fractures, reduced bone mineral content, and decreased density and strength. It is hypothesized that these beverages might precipitate urinary loss of calcium. Carbonated beverages are also associated with poor bone health because they replace the more nutrient-dense beverage choice of milk.

As athletes it is important to not only nourish your brain, but also your body, which includes your bones. Good nutrition will also pay off in the classroom. Make sure you are getting enough nutrients throughout your day to nourish your growing body and mind by choosing a wide variety of foods, including 3 servings of dairy each day. Nothing is better than a strong mind to facilitate a great performance.

To learn more please visit Western Dairy Association.

August is the start of many preseason fall sports with the intense summer heat. Many of our athletes only think of nutrition to help support their athletic performance, but hydration plays a huge role not only in performance but in post workout recovery.

Many people ask me for advice on hydration and their kids and one great nutritious recovery drink is at times overlooked by the many post workout varieties beverages on the market today. Milk, is a powerhouse of nutrition that contains 9 essential nutrients to nourish your body and help with the hydration after a workout. Hydration should not be overlooked especially milk to hydrate your athlete.

Milk, particularly chocolate milk, has received a considerable amount of attention in both the scientific community and mainstream press for its effectiveness as a post-exercise recovery beverage. The drink many of us loved as a kid is now being recognized as a good source of high-quality protein and carbohydrates that can help fuel an active lifestyle. Milk also provides fluids and electrolytes that support hydration. Of note, a recently published study (Volterman KA et al., 2014) in children and adolescents showed that milk can be as effective, if not more, at restoring fluid balance following a bout of cycling exercise in the heat compared to water and a carbohydrate/electrolyte drink. These findings support previous studies performed in adults (Waston P et al., 2008, Shirreffs SM et al. 2007). Resourced from NDC.

Body temperature is regulated by sweating, which in turn increases the loss of water. This loss of electrolytes and water need to be replenished or you will have a negative effect on your athletic performance which could cause you to fatigue early and have impaired judgement.

In conclusion, as a parent, athlete and nutrition expert I would recommend milk as a recovery beverage not only for myself, but for my kids. Please visit Western Dairy Association for more information on sports nutrition.

It is fun, fast, and easy, to make homemade cheese crackers that are satisfying and healthy!

Cheesy, crispy, crackers are a huge crowd pleaser and many of us love these tasty little snacks. However, the nutrition labels on processed, packaged cheesy snacks are not as enjoyable. Just one box of Cheez-its contains around 2,000 calories, 100 grams of fat, and 2,800 grams of sodium! While you need a small amount of sodium daily to stay healthy, most people already consume much more sodium than they need.

These homemade cheese crackers are great way to help you get your recommended daily 3 servings of dairy. An ounce of cheese provides 7 grams of protein, which provides amino acids your body needs to maintain healthy and strong tissue. It also has other essential nutrients including calcium, protein, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin B12. Calcium is what keeps your bones strong and is one of the nutrients most likely to be lacking in the American diet. The nutrients in cheese may help reduce the risk for osteoporosis.

This snack is filling, easy to eat on the go, and also extremely versatile. There are many different varieties you can use in this recipe. Cheddar, Romano, and Parmesan cheeses make really tasty crackers and if you’re opting for low sodium, Swiss cheese contains 3 times less sodium than cheddar. The crackers will complement any of your favorite dips, salsas, or salads, and make a great garnish to plates.

Follow these simple steps below to make your own batch of cheesy crisps.

Put a tablespoon of shredded cheese onto a parchment lined baking sheet and lightly pat down. Add any spices or seeds for extra flavor – try chili pepper flakes, flax seeds or garlic. Repeat with the remaining cheese, spacing the spoonfuls about a 1/2-inch apart. Bake on 350° for 5 to 9 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Smoothies can be a nutritional powerhouse for your body. Blending the right ingredients can make for an abundant amount of vitamins, minerals, proteins and fiber as well as a host of other great benefits. Here are some reasons to include smoothies in your lifestyle.

• Meeting your fruit and vegetable consumption: Have you ever wondered how you were going to get the correct number of servings of fruits and vegetables into your day? Blending them could help you achieve those amounts recommended by the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
• Convenience: This day in age we are all on the go. Blending a smoothie with many different nutritional components is easy and you can take it with you. You don’t need to settle for eating on the road when you can easily blend a smoothie which will give you the energy your body needs.
• Fiber: One of the dietary concerns for Americans in the 2015 DGA was fiber. Smoothies are a way to increase your fiber consumption to get the recommended amount per day (which is 25-30g per day).
• Athletic performance: Smoothies can be consumed pre or post workout. Using dairy in your smoothies will help with the nutrition needed during your athletic competition and the protein in dairy will help with rehydration, recovery and rebuilding of your muscles afterward.

* See additional information below about dairy nutrition

• Educational: When picking nutrient dense foods and blending them from various food groups, you will learn what a healthy eating style looks like. This will help you to be more confident in choosing the right foods at other meals or when eating out.
• Immune system: There are a number of positive outcomes when you eat healthy, nutrient dense foods. One outcome is increasing your immune system’s ability to fight off illnesses, which in turn decreases your chances of getting sick.
• Variety: A smoothie can be used for, or added to, any meal. The combinations of ingredients are endless. Variety makes meals more enjoyable!

* Milk is a good source of nine essential nutrients – calcium, potassium, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B12, phosphorus, riboflavin, niacin and protein. Nutrients that, in combination, have been shown to help kids and teens grow healthy and strong. Emerging research in adult athletes has demonstrated that one serving of milk post-exercise can increase the body’s ability to make new muscle and may help improve body composition. Milk’s nutrient package may help reduce muscle damage and improve muscle recovery – which in turn may help the body perform better during its next workout. In fact, research shows that drinking milk after a workout can be as effective as some sports drinks in helping the body refuel, recover and rehydrate after exercise.

More info about creating a smoothie: WesternDairyAssociation.org

Have you ever seen a half-used carton of buttermilk in the refrigerator and wonder; what is that and why is it so good for baking and our health?

Buttermilk originated as a by-product of butter churning, today’s cartons are filled with low-fat milk and active cultures. When these two combine, lactic acid is formed, which reacts with baking soda in baked goods to produce carbon dioxide. We have buttermilk to thank for fluffy pancakes and flaky biscuits—and it adds creaminess and tang to savory dishes as well.

It has a mildly sour taste and can be used to tenderize meat, add moisture to baked goods and to add creaminess to sauces and soups. Buttermilk is also lower in fat than regular butter or whole milk and supplies key nutrients.

Buttermilk is a good source of calcium, a cup of it supplies 282 milligrams of calcium toward your daily goal of 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams. The primary role that calcium plays in your body is to support the growth and maintenance of strong bones and teeth. The mineral also contributes to normal muscle function, nerve transmission and hormone secretion. During childhood and adolescence, the skeleton grows in both size and density. Up to 90 percent of peak bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls and age 20 in boys, which makes youth the best time to “invest” in bone health. Visit WDA here to learn more on bone health.

Along with calcium, buttermilk also contributes to your Vitamin D daily requirements. This vitamin is critical for the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D also helps to maintain your phosphorus levels which in turn helps with bone health.

Another great nutrient that buttermilk has is protein. Every cell in your body needs protein to function properly. Protein plays an important role in tissue health because it provides you with amino acids – the building blocks you need to keep your tissues strong and for post-exercise recovery. Getting enough protein also supports your immune system, protecting you from infection.

Buttermilk also contains numerous B vitamins. B2 also known as riboflavin, assists in iron absorption, works with vitamin A to protect the digestive tract and is essential for the metabolism of some amino acids.

As a fermented milk product, buttermilk is considered a probiotic food, a food that contains live microorganisms that provide health benefits. Eating probiotics helps populate your intestine with health-promoting bacteria, which may improve immune function and reduce diarrhea, among other potential health benefits.

Buttermilk is a great addition to your cooking as well as your health. Incorporating buttermilk into your daily healthy eating regimen could enhance your recovery and performance. For more information about proper nutrition for athletic performance please visit the Sports Nutrition page at Western Dairy Association.

We all tend to focus on what food we put into our bodies, but do you really look at what you drink? Being healthy is not only eating nutritious meals, but also consuming beverages that are healthy and nutritious. Before choosing a beverage, remember these easy tips:

• Choose from a variety of healthy drink options such as: water, low fat or fat-free milk, 100% fruit juice, or unsweetened tea or coffee over sugar-sweetened beverages.
• Drink water or milk instead of sugar-sweetened beverages (e.g. sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit drinks).
• Use the Nutrition Facts label to choose foods with less total sugars. Aim for added sugars at 10% or less of total daily calories (DGA 2015).
• Use the Ingredient List to choose foods with little or no added sugars.

Remember not all drinks are created equal (see infographic). The Dietary Guidelines also suggest choosing nutrient-dense beverages that contain vitamins and minerals such as calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C (as well as other nutrients). Examples of nutrient-dense beverages include non-fat and low-fat milk, and 100% fruit and vegetable juices.

Milk is an especially nutrient-rich choice, since it contains 9 essential vitamins and nutrients. These nutrients are: Calcium, Protein, Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Phosporus, Potassium and Ribflavin.  It is also an excellent choice after a workout because it has the ideal balance of carbohydrates to protein for muscle repair and recovery.

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.