Milk and dairy products play an important role in healthy, balance diet for everyone. It supports development at each stage of life, beginning with pregnancy and continuing through infancy, early childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
Having a balanced diet is about getting the right amount of nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals) that you need to stay healthy. People have different nutritional needs at each life stage.
Milk and dairy products contribute many essential nutrients including protein, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, riboflavin, iodine, phosphorus and potassium. These nutrients make them a great choice to help us get all the nutrients we need at every stage of life. Also, Milk and dairy products are convenient, versatile and very tasty.
Dairy for All Age Groups
Infants (0 – 1 year)
As per DIETARY GUIDELINES of Indians 2011 by NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NUTRITION Hyderabad:
- Breast-milk is the most natural and perfect food for normal growth and healthy development of infants. Colostrum is rich in nutrients and anti-infective factors and should be fed to infants. Breast-feeding reduces risk of infections to the infants.
- Infants should be exclusively breast fed for six months. However, breast feeding alone is not adequate for the infant beyond 6 months of age. Thus, introduction of Complementary feeding along with breast-feeding is necessary for infants after 6 months of age. These could be liquids like milk or semi-solids like ‘kheer’ in the case of infants. (Complementary Foods is the Food that are regularly fed to the infant, in addition to breast-milk, providing sufficient nutrients.)
- Milk should be boiled before being fed to the baby and should receive supplements of iron and vitamin C. Considering the top milk about 400 ml of milk should be considered as per Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2011. Considering the need of infant formula milk as per requirements, the instructions given on the label should be strictly followed.
Pre-schoolers (1-3)
Milk and other dairy products become more important as babies transition from human milk or infant formula to address the needs and growth spurts.
Milk has many critical nutrients like high-quality protein, calcium and vitamin D for strong teeth and bones, iodine for cognitive function and others.
Indian Pre-school children continue to suffer from nutritional problems such protein energy malnutrition, calcium, vitamin A deficiency etc. For this age group, dairy foods can be a part of healthy diet.
- Cereals & its products – 60 g
- Fruit and vegetables – 250 g a day
- Dairy foods – 500 ml of milk a day
- Protein foods – one portion of 30 g
School – Going Children (4 years & above)
Once the child is 4 years old they can eat a healthy balanced diet like the one recommended for adults.
This is an important time to build healthy eating habits and to ensure dairy is part of their daily eating habits. Dairy can be incorporated into their meals in fun, easy and delicious ways. For example, whole milk, Flavored milk, Cheese, Dahi, Yoghurts, Lassi etc. They provide protein, calcium and phosphorous – three nutrients which are needed for the normal growth and development of bones in children. In addition, milk and yogurt are rich in iodine, a nutrient which supports growth in children.
Teenagers (13 – 19 years)
With their changing and developing bodies, dairy plays an important role in the diet of teens and adolescents.
Calcium for bone health
Teenagers have a higher requirement for calcium due to the rapid growth period experienced at this time. By the time you reach the end of your teenage years about 90% of bone strength and density has already been achieved, this is known as peak bone mass. Put simply, the teenage years are the best time to ‘invest’ in your bone health. To meet these higher needs 11–18-year-old females require 800mg/day and males require 1,000mg/day (see Calcium – daily guideline amounts table above).
Boosting B vitamins
Dairy foods are a source of B vitamins including vitamin B12 and riboflavin (B2), these vitamins have a number of health benefits like:
- Good for Tiredness and Fatigue
- Immunity Support
- Energy Production
- Good for Red Blood Cells
- Helps with Mental Function
Adults (aged 19 to 64) need about 1.5 micrograms a day of vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 is only found naturally in animal foods. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are natural sources of vitamin B12.
Adults & Elderly People
It is important to have a healthy diet and lifestyle to help keep us in good health and avoid developing health problems common in older age. As we enter into our 40’s there are a number of changes happening in our bodies, especially to our muscle and bones.
Losing muscle is a natural part of getting older. Staying as active as possible, exercising regularly (especially weight bearing exercise) and making sure we get enough protein in our diet can help to slow down the rate of muscle mass and strength that occurs with age.
Milk and dairy products are great choices as they are naturally rich in protein, plus they provide calcium and potassium, minerals that contribute to muscle function.
Bone mass begins to fall in both males and females from around the age of 35 years.
In women, there is a phase of fast bone loss in the 10 years or so following the menopause (when monthly periods stop).
To help keep the bones strong and slow down bone loss as we age, it is important to take regular exercise and maintain a healthy weight. A healthy dairy rich diet with enough calcium and vitamin D throughout life is important for bone health.
A healthy diet and lifestyle are especially important if you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy. What you eat can not only influence your own health, but it can also affect the short- and long-term health of your baby.
Dairy foods are important in pregnancy because they contain calcium and other nutrients that you and your baby need. Calcium is important for the growth and development of your baby’s bones and helps to maintain your bones as well. Choose low fat varieties wherever possible, such as semi skimmed or skimmed milk, low fat and lower-sugar yogurt and reduced fat cheese.
Iodine is a mineral that is important for health and is a key part of the thyroid hormones needed for many body processes including growth, metabolism and for the development of a baby’s brain during pregnancy and early life. Good dietary sources of iodine include milk and dairy products, fish, shellfish and eggs should be consumed during pregnancy.
Regardless of the life stage, incorporating dairy into your daily diet is a delicious and affordable way to obtain the needed nutrients our bodies need to develop and prevent many diseases. Ensuring you reach the recommended daily servings of dairy can be as easy as having a glass of milk with each meal or making small changes in your meal preferences.
