Category: Nutrition

Ashley Krause, the head athletic trainer and wellness teacher at Cherokee Trail, says her favorite part of receiving a Fuel Up with Milk Grant is watching “athletes get more excited and caring more about their health and nutrition.”

Both the Cherokee Trail football and volleyball teams are refueling with chocolate milk this fall season with thanks to the Fuel Up with Milk grant from the dairy farm families of Western Dairy Association. The large Fuel Up with Milk banner hanging in the hallway next to the training room where athletes receive milk reminds the Cougars to refuel their bodies with nutritious foods before and after exercise. Milk is just an “easy and delicious” choice, both teams stated synonymously.

The Cherokee Trail volleyball team, who have a 6-0 leading start to the season, recognize that consuming enough protein for an active lifestyle is important for performance and overall health. One volleyball player shared that the type of protein source makes a difference in her post-exercise regimen. And when discussing milk as an option, explained “I like it better than protein powders because I don’t feel bloated, and it tastes much better than any chocolate protein powders I have had.”

The men’s team also now recognizes the value of many nutritious foods as part of a healthy lifestyle. While exercise is essential for building muscle mass, muscle growth only happens when exercise is combined with a well-balanced diet — and one that includes high-quality protein. Many football players stated that before learning more about health and nutrition this season that they thought nutrition was more unreachable and unattainable than it really is. “I thought you had to buy protein powders to get beneficial protein,” one player stated. “I like the fact that chocolate milk is something I can buy at the store.”

Colorado farm families are committed to ensuring that the nutritious product is available and affordable for all athletes across the state. On average it takes less than two days for fresh, local milk — with eight grams of high quality protein per serving — to travel from farm to athlete. Because it is so readily available, the Cherokee Trail athletes plan to continue to refuel with milk outside of the season, “Chocolate milk is easy, convenient and something I could drink daily,” both teams agreed.

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

Natural Hormones in Foods. Did you know that all livings things produce hormones? All cows naturally produce a protein hormone called Bovine somatotropin (bST). Bovine somatotropin is important in a list of metabolic activities for cows, most notably it helps young cows to grow and grown cows to produce milk. A small amount of this particular hormone is present in all milk, organic and traditional. But, just as with all foods, our digestive system breaks down these hormones as protein when they are consumed.

Use of Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin: Cows can produce more milk when they have more of the bST hormone. Some dairy farmers have chosen to treat some of their cows with a supplemental version of the bST hormone called recombinant bovine somatoropin or rbST. After extensive review this drug was proven safe for cows and found to have no effect on the level of hormone found in milk. Many dairy farmers choose not to use this medication on their farms; milk from these farms are often labeled that way.

Safety of Milk: It’s important to understand that carton to carton, bottle to bottle, all milk is wholesome, safe and nutritious. Dairy products are among the most tested and regulated foods in this country, and American dairy products are among the safest in the world. All milk contains the same combination of nine essential nutrients that make dairy products an important part of a healthy diet, regardless of on-farm production methods or milk label claims.

Adapted from: Milk and Hormones Fact Sheet

This is the second article in a series exploring how milk gets from the farm to an athlete.

Last week, we shared the quick story of how milk gets from the farm to the grocery store. But we left out important details at the processing plant, leaving out the answer to perhaps our most commonly asked question — what is the difference between whole milk and fat-free?

The answer in its most simple form is this: the true difference between whole and fat free milk is the fat content. All cow’s milk sold in grocery stores across the U.S. contains the same nutrition components, including eight grams of quality protein per cup, along with eight additional essential nutrients your body needs to function at its best.

As mentioned in our last article, when cows are milked on the farm, their milk is combined into a large tank of milk. Each cow produces milk with a slightly different fat content. However, the milk sold at the grocery store has a standard of identity (this way milk tastes the same everywhere) — whole milk is closest to the average fat found in milk before processing.

When fresh milk is brought to the processing plant, it is quickly separated into milk and cream — all of the fat is skimmed off of the milk.

A system of precise and careful machines adds back certain percentages of fat to the milk so that it can be labeled as either whole milk (containing 3.25 percent milk fat), Reduced Fat Milk (with 2 percent fat), Low-Fat (with 1 percent fat) or non-fat or skim milk (no milk fat).

Consumers are left to decide which milk they enjoy the taste of most, and which milk fits best in their diet.

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

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This is the first in a series of pieces exploring how milk gets from the farm to an athlete.

Feed Production: Dairy farmers are stewards of the land. They recycle their cows’ manure and turn it into something valuable for the environment – fertilizer. Crops use the valuable organic nutrients found in the fertilizer and it allows farmers to use less water and keep the soil healthy.

A dairy cow eats about 100 pounds of hay, grain, soybean meal, corn along with many other crops and by-products each day. Dairy farmers hire professional nutritionists to be sure that their cows receive the right amount of nutritious food specific to their needs.

Milk Production: Dairy cow’s milk is 87% water and 13% solids. It contains important nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and high-quality protein. Milking cows are milked at least twice a day by machines. Milk is pumped into a large storage tank on the farm and quickly cooled to keep it fresh.

Transportation: Before it is transported, milk is tested to make sure it is safe to drink and free of any antibiotic residue. Fresh milk is driven from a farm to a local dairy processing plant in a truck. The trucks that transport the milk are insulated and keep the milk chilled during transportation.

Processing: At the processing plant, the milk is tested for safety again. Next it is separated, homogenized, pasteurized and packaged as fluid milk, yogurt or cheese.

• Homogenization is a mechanical process which breaks milk fat into smaller globules. This process helps create a smooth, uniform and appealing texture. To do this, milk is pumped through fine holes under high pressure to decrease milk fat globule size. Because fat is less dense than water, fat separates and rises to the top of milk that is not homogenized. This process has no effect on the nutritional quality of milk.
• Pasteurization is the process of heating raw milk at a high enough temperature for a sufficient length of time to make milk bacteriologically safe – destroying dangerous microorganisms which can grow in milk. Pasteurization has little to no effect on milk’s nutritive value.

Packaging: Milk is packaged at the processing plant into a variety of milk containers and labels. Milk and dairy products undergo numerous safety, quality and sanitation checks, making them among the most highly-regulated and safest foods.

Distributing: Once packaged, trucks transport milk to local stores. Much of the milk delivered to the grocery store was at the farm just two days before.

Enjoying: Consumers who purchase milk at the store reap the benefits of milk’s freshness and nutrients.

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

To celebrate Colorado Proud Month and Harvest season, let’s dig a little deeper.

Milk is nature’s sports drink, but where does it come from and how is it processed? Stay tuned for the next four nutrition corner entries — Milk: From farm to athlete.

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

Hiking, backpacking or camping and looking for some new snack ideas? Place a flat ice pack, frozen water bottle, or sealable bag filled with ice cubes in the bottom of your bag. Then toss some of these snack ideas on top, the ice will keep you and your snacks cool. Don’t forget:

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

Heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat stroke? All are serious concerns when exercising in the heat. Know the difference and remember to stay hydrated.

Choose water and nutrient-rich fluids like 100-percent juice and milk during the day to keep you hydrated. A well-balanced diet which includes all five food groups (dairy, protein, fruits, vegetables and grains) will help to keep you hydrated and better battle the heat as well. Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition.

Help prevent dehydration by drinking water before exercise and refueling with milk after a hard workout. Visit WesternDairyAssociation.org to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.

Read more about exercising in the heat on CHSAANow.com

Summer is the perfect time to perfect your smoothie making skills.

The combination of yogurt, fruit and milk provide a refreshing and hydrating drink in the heat and a healthy source of energy after exercise in the sun.

Aim for at least three food groups in your smoothie — fruit and dairy groups are easy, including a third can be more difficult.

A handful of spinach or frozen cooked sweet potato can be a good place to start. Try blending in a small portion and slowly increase as you get accustomed to the taste. Or enjoy your smoothie with a handful of nuts or slices of deli meat or beef jerky on the side.

Remember that cow’s milk has the proportions of quality protein your body needs to refuel after exercise … plus a few extra splashes of milk in your blender will help make your smoothie easier to drink. Follow the tips above to create your own favorite flavor.

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