Milk and dairy products, such as cheese and yoghurt, are great
sources of protein and calcium. To make healthier choices, go for lower-fat milk
and dairy foods.
Because they're good sources of protein and calcium, milk and dairy products
form part of a healthy diet.
Our bodies need protein to work properly and to grow or repair themselves.
Calcium helps to keep our bones strong. The
calcium in dairy foods is particularly
good for us because our bodies absorb it easily.
Healthy dairy choices for adults
The total fat content of dairy products can vary a lot. Fat in milk provides
calories for young children and also contains essential vitamins such as
vitamin B2 and vitamin B12.
However, much of the fat in milk and dairy foods is saturated fat. For older
children and adults, eating too much saturated fat can contribute to becoming
overweight. It can also cause raised levels of cholesterol in the blood, and
this can put you at increased risk of a heart attack or stroke.
You can check the amount of fat,
salt and
sugar in most dairy foods by looking at
the nutrition information on the label. If you compare similar products you will
be able to make healthier choices.
Choose lower-fat milk
If you're trying to cut down on fat it's a good idea to go for lower-fat
milks.
Semi-skimmed, 1% fat and skimmed milks contain all the important nutritional
benefits of milk, but are lower in fat.
Cheese can be high in fat and salt
Cheese can form part of a healthy diet, but it’s a good idea to keep track of
how much you eat and how often.
Most cheeses – including brie, stilton, cheddar, lancashire and double
gloucester – contain between 20g and 40g of fat per 100g. Foods that contain
more than 20g of fat per 100g are high in fat.
Some cheeses can also be high in salt. Eating too much salt can contribute to
high blood pressure.
If you're using cheese to flavour a dish or a sauce, you could try using a
more strongly flavoured cheese, such as mature cheddar or blue cheese, because
then you'll need less.
Another option is to choose reduced-fat hard cheeses, which usually contain
between 10g and 16g of fat per 100g. A few cheeses are even lower in fat (3g
of fat per 100g or less), including reduced-fat cottage cheese and quark.
Other dairy foods
Butter is high in fat, so try to use it sparingly. Low-fat spreads can be
used instead of butter.
Cream is also high in fat, so use this sparingly too. You can use plain
yoghurt and fromage frais instead of cream, soured cream or crème fraîche in
recipes. You can also get reduced-fat soured cream and half-fat crème fraîche
instead of full-fat versions.
When eating yoghurts or fromage frais, choose low-fat varieties. These
products contain at least the same amount of protein, calcium and some other
vitamins and minerals – such as B vitamins and magnesium – as full-fat versions.
They just contain less fat.
Pregnancy and babies: dairy intake
Dairy foods are important in pregnancy because calcium helps your unborn
baby's developing bones to form properly.
But when pregnant, there are some cheeses and other dairy products that you
should avoid, as they may harm your baby or make you ill.
Pregnant women should drink only pasteurised milk. Cows' milk that is sold in
shops is pasteurised. However, you can still find unpasteurised or ‘raw’ milk
for sale from farms, in farm shops and at farmers' markets. Check the label if
you are unsure. If only unpasteurised milk is available, boil it first.
Pregnant women should not drink unpasteurised goats' or sheep’s milk, or eat
some foods that are made with them, such as soft goats' cheese. See below for
more on pasteurisation.
Pregnant women should avoid soft blue cheeses, and soft cheeses such as brie
and camembert and others with a similar rind, whether pasteurised or
unpasteurised. This is because they can contain high levels of listeria, which
is a bacteria that can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in a
newborn baby.
Cottage cheese, processed cheese, feta, mozzarella or hard cheeses, such as
cheddar or parmesan, are considered safe to eat while pregnant, so there is no
need to avoid these.
Babies and children under five
Milk and dairy products are an important part of a child's diet.
They are a good source of energy and protein, and contain a wide range of
vitamins and minerals. They are rich in calcium, which growing children and
young people need to build healthy bones and teeth.
The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding (giving your baby
breast milk only) for around the first six months of your baby’s life.
Cows' milk should not be given as a drink until a baby is a year old. This is
because it doesn't contain the balance of nutrients your baby needs.
Foods that use full-fat cows' milk as an ingredient, such as cheese sauce and
custard, can be given to your baby from the age of six months.
Babies under a year old should not be given condensed milk, evaporated milk,
dried milk or any other drink referred to as milk, such as rice, oat or almond
drinks.
Children should be given full-fat milk until they are two years old because
they may not get the calories or essential vitamins they need from lower-fat
milks.
After the age of two, children can gradually move to semi-skimmed milk as
a long drink, as long as they are eating a varied and balanced diet and growing
well.
Don't give skimmed or 1% fat milk to children as a long drink until they're
at least five years old. Skimmed or 1% fat milk doesn't contain enough vitamin A
and skimmed milk doesn't contain enough calories.
Children between the ages of one and three need to have around 350mg of
calcium a day. About 300ml of milk (just over half a pint) would provide this.
Goats' and sheep's milk
Like cows' milk, goats' and sheep's milk aren't suitable as drinks for babies
under a year old because they don't contain the right balance of nutrients.
As long as they are pasteurised, ordinary full-fat goats' and sheep's milk
can be used as drinks once a baby is one year old. They can be given to babies
from the age of six months in cooked foods such as cheese sauce and
custard.
Pasteurisation
Pasteurisation is a process of heat treatment intended to kill bacteria and
prevent food poisoning.
Most milk and cream is pasteurised. If milk is unpasteurised, it is often
called raw milk. This must carry a warning saying that it has not been
pasteurised and may contain harmful bacteria.
You can sometimes buy unpasteurised milk and cream from farms, farm shops and
farmers' markets. However, these could be harmful because they may contain
bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
If you choose unpasteurised milk or cream, make sure they are kept properly
refrigerated because they go off quickly.
Some other dairy products are made with unpasteurised milk. These include
some cheeses, such as stilton and camembert, brie and goats' cheese.
Children, people who are unwell, pregnant women and older people are
particularly vulnerable to food poisoning and so should not have unpasteurised
milk or cream, or some dairy products made with unpasteurised milk.
Milk allergy and intolerance
There are three conditions that cause a reaction to milk.
Milk and dairy foods are good sources of important nutrients, so don’t cut
them out of your or your child’s diet without first speaking to a GP or
dietitian.
Lactose intolerance
Some people can't digest the special type of sugar found in milk, called
lactose. Being unable to digest this sugar is known as lactose intolerance.
Lactose intolerance can cause symptoms
such as bloating and diarrhoea. It does not cause severe reactions.
IgE-mediated milk allergy
One type of milk allergy is known as IgE-mediated milk allergy. This can
cause reactions that usually occur within a few minutes of having cows' milk. It
can cause severe reactions, but more often the symptoms are mild.
Symptoms can include rashes (
hives), swollen lips, diarrhoea, vomiting,
stomach cramps and difficulty breathing.
In some cases milk allergy can cause
anaphylaxis. This is a life-threatening
allergic reaction that results in difficulty breathing, swollen lips or mouth,
and collapse. If this happens, call 999 immediately and describe to the operator
what is happening.
Non-IgE-mediated milk allergy
Another type of milk allergy is known as non-IgE-mediated cows' milk protein
allergy. This has previously been referred to as cows' milk protein intolerance.
This type of allergy is distinct from IgE-mediated milk allergy and lactose
intolerance. It can occur in adults, but is more common in babies and
children.
Children with this allergy can experience symptoms the first time they drink
cows' milk. The symptoms include eczema, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps.
Rashes (hives) and breathing problems do not occur. These are symptoms of
IgE-mediated milk allergy.
Symptoms take longer to occur than in IgE-mediated milk allergy. They can
occur from between a few hours and a few days after having milk. Because the
symptoms are delayed, it may take some time for this allergy to be discovered.
There is no easy test for the allergy.
Children who have non-IgE-mediated cows' milk protein allergy often grow out
of it by the time they go to school. In rare cases it can persist into
adulthood.
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/milk-dairy-foods.aspx
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