9 minute read
Drink to Your Health
Drink to your Health
MILK HAS 13 ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS FOR YOUR WELL-BEING
By April Pearson
Milk, cheese and yogurt are among the first foods we consume as human beings, and it’s obvious why. Chock full of vitamins and minerals, versatile in recipes, and delicious to boot, dairy products offer various benefits for our bodies and taste buds.
Tall Glass of Goodness
Milk is an excellent source of 13 essential nutrients. Just one 8-ounce serving of milk has 8 grams of protein, which builds lean muscles and strong bones. Calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D work together to strengthen bones and teeth. Riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) convert food into energy and regulate metabolism, while vitamins A and D, along with zinc, support immunity. Iodine is necessary for proper bone and brain development during pregnancy and infancy; vitamin B12 also promotes brain development during pregnancy and infancy, and is linked to cognitive function in childhood. Selenium helps protect healthy cells from damage, and potassium helps control blood pressure. Consume three servings of dairy daily, and you’ll be serving up a whole host of benefits to your body’s skeletal, endocrine, muscular, nervous, cardiovascular and immune systems.
Local Production and Processing
Milk is a local product made with wholesome ingredients. “You look at a glass of milk, and all you see are clean, simple ingredients: milk, vitamin A and vitamin D,” says Christine Cliff, sustainable nutrition manager for Midwest Dairy and a registered dietitian nutritionist for 21 years. “It’s delivered to stores within a 300-mile radius of where it’s been produced, and it typically only takes about 48 hours to get from the farm to the store.”
But before it’s delivered, milk is pasteurized to guarantee safety while maintaining nutritional value and taste. Milk that hasn’t been pasteurized, or “raw milk,” may contain harmful pathogens that could lead to serious illness or even death. The Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and health experts strongly recommend not consuming it.
Sensitivity Selections
For those with lactose sensitivity, there are plenty of no-lactose or low-lactose options. Hard and natural cheeses like mozzarella, parmesan and cheddar are naturally low in lactose. Greek yogurt has less lactose than regular yogurt. And there are several lactose-free milk options in most grocery stores. “For those who may think they can’t have dairy because of lactose sensitivity: You can still enjoy low-lactose dairy and get calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A and protein naturally,” says Cliff.
Healthy Individuals, Community and Economy
Dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt offer essential nutrients critical for overall wellbeing. Produced locally to ensure freshness and safety, these dairy staples play a significant role in supporting personal health and the local economy. From protein-packed yogurt to low-lactose cheese, a diet that includes dairy enhances nutrition and celebrates the dedication and tradition of dairy farming communities in Iowa.
Dive in to Dairy
The udderly amazing world of dairy.
Perfect Post-Workout DrinkChocolate milk is ideal after a workout because it has the perfect balance of carbohydrates and protein. Carbs replenish energy while protein grows and repairs muscle so you can recover faster. Chocolate milk also rehydrates your body and replaces the iodine that was lost in your sweat.
Dive Right InBlue Bunny in Le Mars produces 150 million gallons of ice cream annually. That’s enough to fill 306 Olympic-sized pools!
Cheese, PleaseIowa’s four most famous cheeses are Maytag Blue, Prairie Breeze Cheddar, Flory’s Truckle Cheddar and Prairie Rose Swiss. Have you tried them all?
Gallons and Pounds and Pints, Oh MyThe average American consumes 25 gallons of milk, 23 pounds of cheese and 45 pints of ice cream annually.
YumButter’s melting point is 98.6° F — the same temperature as the inside of your mouth! It’s nice when things work out like that.
Fill up QuickWith these snack options, getting three daily servings of dairy is easy. Choose Greek yogurt for more protein and satiation than regular yogurt. Pair a few cheese slices with fresh fruit or veggies for a tasty, well-rounded treat.
This or ThatYou can find milk’s unique combination of essential nutrients in non-dairy foods, but it’s not easy. Serving-for-serving, your best bet for equivalent nutrition is canned sardines with bones.
PhD(airy)It takes 13 years to become a Master Cheesemaker — that’s longer than a PhD!
From Grill to Chill – Dairy Delights for Summer
Grilled Shrimp with Yogurt Cilantro Salsa
• 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) low-fat plain yogurt
• ¼ cup coconut milk
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
• ½ cup diced red bell pepper
• ½ cup diced green bell pepper
• ½ cup diced yellow bell pepper
• ½ cup diced cucumber
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon red hot sauce, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks in unsweetened juice, divided
• 16 large shrimp, 20 pieces per pound
• ½ teaspoon Cajun creole seasoning
• 1 bag (9 ounces) baby spinach leaves
• 4 wooden skewers, pre-soaked in water
For salsa: Mix yogurt and coconut milk in a medium bowl until smooth. Reserve 1 tablespoon each of cilantro and diced peppers for garnish at serving time.
Stir remaining cilantro and peppers into yogurt mixture along with mint, cucumber, jalapeño, ginger, garlic, hot sauce and salt.
Mix in 1 tablespoon canned pineapple juice; refrigerate salsa until serving time.
Place 4 shrimp and 4 pineapple chunks on each skewer. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning on each side.
Place on heated grill and cook about 2 minutes each side or until nicely browned and shrimp is cooked.
To serve, divide spinach among serving plates and spoon about 1/2 cup salsa onto each plate. Sprinkle reserved cilantro leaves and diced peppers over salsa. Place shrimp skewer alongside salsa.
Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Squares
• 1 cup wheat-and-barley cereal
• 3 cups strawberry yogurt
• 2 ½ cups frozen unsweetened strawberries
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup whipped cream (optional)
Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with foil. Sprinkle cereal evenly on bottom of pan; set aside. Place yogurt, strawberries and condensed milk in a blender; cover and blend until smooth. Pour mixture over cereal, gently smoothing it to edges of pan. Cover with foil (or plastic wrap) and freeze for 8 hours or until firm. Use edges of foil to loosen and remove from pan; let thaw for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into squares, top with whipped cream, if desired, and serve.
Iowa Ranks 11th in the Nation for Dairy Production
What does that mean for our state?
$4.6 BILLION: Direct economic impact of dairy in Iowa
14,890: Jobs directly supported by dairy in Iowa
239,000: Dairy cows in Iowa
750: Licensed and inspected dairy farms in Iowa
300: Average dairy cow herd size in Iowa
6 BILLION POUNDS: Yearly milk production in Iowa
9 GALLONS: Daily milk production per cow
350,000 GLASSES: Lifetime milk production per cow
$25,495: Economic impact of a single dairy cow
Q&A With Adaway Dairy
Located in Waucoma, Adaway Dairy is a family farm run by Scott and Jeanie Adams, along with three of their children, Nathan, Katie and Joe, and son-in-law Matt. Adaway combines cutting-edge technology with traditional farm practices to care for its 350 cows, producing 9 million pounds of milk annually for Iowans. Let’s see how they do it!
What modern equipment do you use on the farm? We use DeLaval V300 milking robots, smart gates and robotic feed pushers. Implementing this new technology helps us improve how we care for our cows.
What safety and quality measures do you follow? Each tank of milk shipped from our farm is tested to ensure a quality product. Somatic cell, bacteria and milk quality samples are collected, along with butterfat and protein. This ensures all milk shipped from our farm is safe for human consumption.
How does your farm practice sustainability? We’ve implemented no-till planting, cover crops, grass waterways and contour strips on our farm, which are important for protecting our natural resources. We also reuse water on the farm. First, it runs through the plate cooler channels to cool the milk before it goes into the bulk tank. Then, it’s used to water the cattle and wash the hoses in the robot rooms. When the wash water is drained, it flushes out the barn floor.
How do you care for your animals? Cow care is essential to maintaining a profitable farm. All our cattle are well tended on a daily basis. From calf to cow, they’re appropriately fed with individual rations calculated by a nutritionist to ensure their diet is well balanced. We keep their pens clean and provide fresh bedding regularly. We routinely have a hoof trimmer out for all cows and work alongside a veterinarian every week to ensure optimal health. The success of our farm relies on proper and humane treatment of all animals, and we do our best to ensure that happens.
Where does the milk from your farm go? Our milk is shipped to Prairie Farms and is mostly made into cheese.
Why do you love what you do? Dairy farming allows us to do what we love every day — working outdoors and tending to our cattle and land. No two days are the same; it keeps us on our toes and challenges us. It is very hard work, but also very rewarding. Lastly, it allows us to work alongside our families daily.
How important is dairy farming to Iowa? Dairy farming is crucial to Iowa. Dairy farmers support the local economy and give back to the land, all while providing consumers with a safe product. To keep dairy farms running smoothly, we partner with agricultural co-ops, feed mills, veterinarians, implement dealers and nutritionists from the community. All of these services result in dollars returned to the local economy. Farmers comprise less than 1% of the U.S. population, and dairy farmers make up even less than that. In addition to doing what we love, we carry on the traditions of dairy farmers before us and pay homage to Iowa’s agricultural history.
