Women not Drinking Enough Milk

Women are not getting enough calcium in their diet and would benefit from drinking more milk, according to a review by Safefood.

Safefood say that recent studies show that 23% of women are not meeting the recommended intake of calcium and 42% of teenage girls have inadequate intakes of calcium. Their research suggests that one of the main reasons may be that women mistakenly believe milk to be a high fat food.

“Milk is neither a high fat nor a high saturated fat food, and contains many essential nutrients including protein, calcium and the water soluble B vitamins required for a healthy diet,” said Dr. Cliodhna Foley Nolan, Director, Human Health & Nutrition, safe food.

Calcium is known to be important for bone health but there is increasing evidence of a positive role for milk and other dairy products in diet-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer. Other sources of calcium in the diet include fish containing soft bones, green leafy vegetables, bread and foods containing flour, pulses (beans and lentils), nuts and calcium fortified foods.

For women who are trying to cut down on their fat intake, low fat or fat free milk varieties with their reduced fat content are a good alternative to full fat milk, without losing out on valuable nutrients, said Dr Foley Nolan.

Dietary guidelines recommend 3 servings of dairy a day for the general population, with five servings recommended for teenagers and pregnant or breast-feeding mothers. One serving is the equivalent of a 200ml glass of milk.

Posted Mondya 28th April 2008