South Africa joined many countries around the world when the 18th annual World Milk Day was celebrated on 1 June.
In the press release that was issued by the Consumer Education Project of South Africa, the following questions were discussed:
Why is milk so important?
Because milk is a tasty, versatile and convenient source of important nutrients that adults and children need for optimal nutrition.
Does the source of calcium matter?
Calcium is one of the most important minerals in the diet. We all need a daily calcium intake from our diet. The adult human body contains about 1 000 mg of calcium; 99 per cent is found in the bones and the rest plays a vital role in muscle contraction, blood clotting, communication between neurons, and regulation of blood pressure. Calcium helps us grow and maintain strong bones and teeth and also helps to prevent high blood pressure, heart disease, certain kinds of cancer and obesity.
How much?
In South Africa, and globally, the recommended calcium daily intake for adult men and women to maintain the calcium balance of the body is about 1 000 to 1 200mg. If the diet is lacking in calcium, the body extracts calcium from the skeleton to meet its other needs such as regulation of blood pressure.
Best sources?
Dairy products like milk, maas (fermented milk), yoghurt and cheese have the highest calcium content of all foods. One serving of milk, yoghurt or maas (1 cup) or 40 g of cheese contains about 300mg of easily absorbed, bio-available calcium. The suggested 3-A-Day™ servings of dairy foods should therefore provide 90 per cent or more of the daily reference intake (DRI) for adults.
Low intake
Unfortunately, many studies have shown that the dietary intake of calcium from foods by South African adults and children is far lower than the recommended level of 1 000 to 1 200mg per day. The critical phase when calcium should be deposited in the skeleton (infancy,childhood and particularly the teenage years right up to the mid-twenties) is probably the period when calcium intake is most neglected, followed by low intake in old age, when bone maintenance is still vital to prevent crippling disease.
The ideal solution
The ideal solution would be for everyone to have three servings a day of dairy products such as milk, maas, yoghurt or cheese in optimal quantities.
“South Africa should be made aware of how essential it is to select the best possible source of calcium for their daily intake. Besides dairy, most other foods contain calcium in varying amounts. For example, broccoli contains 35mg per 70g serving. meaning that it would take seven cups of broccoli to provide the same amount of calcium as one cup of milk, maas or yoghurt,” the press statement said.
The statement also went on to say, “Dairy products are rich sources of nine essential nutrients, of which high-quality protein, calcium and potassium are probably the most important for South African requirements. Whole foods such as milk, maas, yoghurt and cheese are the richest source of bio-available calcium in the diet, so, if possible, give them a chance to improve your health and complete your diet.”
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