World Milk Day on June 1 sees Australian dairy experts concerned by the great divide between reported consumption of dairy foods and official recommendations.
Australia’s new dietary guidelines, released by the National Health and Medical Research Council in February, increased minimum daily dairy consumption requirements.
Women aged 50 plus are now encouraged to consume four serves of dairy foods (milk, yogurt, cheese and/or alternatives) a day for health and wellbeing – double the previous Guidelines, which were published in 2003.
Alarmingly, new consumer research2 from Dairy Australia reveals that only 30 per cent of women in this critical age group currently claim to consume three or more serves of nutrient rich dairy foods a day.
Women under 50, men and teens also need to up their daily dairy food quota in order to meet the new national guidelines.
Younger women (aged up to 50) and men under 70 years of age now require at least two and a half serves a day, and men over 70 and teenagers need three and a half serves of milk, yogurt and cheese and/or alternatives daily.
“But, most of us are well off the mark,” said Dairy Australia spokesperson and dietitian, Glenys Zucco.
Re-analysis of the most recent National Nutrition Survey suggests that only around 10 per cent of women and around 30 per cent of men are actually achieving the new minimum recommended intake of milk, yogurt, cheese and/or alternatives established by Australia’s leading nutritional experts as the benchmark for optimum health.3
“The Dietary Guidelines have evolved significantly over the past decade,” Glenys explained.
“There is now a much stronger scientific evidence base for the health benefits of dairy food consumption than there was 10 years ago when the previous dietary guidelines were developed.
“While dairy foods have been synonymous with bone health for generations, there is now good evidence to show that milk, yogurt and cheese may help reduce a range of modern lifestyle related disease, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.”
In addition to being calcium rich, dairy foods are also a good source of other beneficial nutrients including protein, iodine, riboflavin and B vitamins.
“So why not raise an extra glass on World Milk Day and make it a new lifelong habit?” suggests Glenys.
Media enquiries:
Glenys Zucco — Dietitian, Dairy Australia
03 9694 3042 0409 552 554
gzucco@dairyaustralia.com.au
– See more at: http://www.legendairy.com.au/media-press-room/health-and-nutrition/aussiesurged-to-put-more-milk-on-the-menu#sthash.6zzIzdmS.dpuf
