If you’re looking to up your calcium intake, dairy foods are a great source. Dairy foods (particularly yoghurt and most cheeses) are a healthy and easily absorbed source of calcium and have been part of the human diet for some 8000 years. Dairy is also more concentrated in calcium than other calcium-rich foods and an easy way to obtain your quota. June is the International Dairy Foods Association’s National Dairy Month. In honour, we look at the benefits of dairy calcium, and give some quick tips on how to get more dairy into your day.
Why dairy foods?
Dairy products contain nine important nutrients including calcium and potassium. A comprehensive round-up study on the effects of dairy product consumption on health provides some great information on the benefits of dairy-rich calcium:
“Dairy products provide a package of essential nutrients that are difficult to obtain in low-dairy or dairy-free diets, and for many people, it is not possible to achieve recommended daily calcium intakes with a dairy-free diet. Despite the established benefits for bone health, some people avoid dairy in their diet due to beliefs that dairy may be detrimental to health, especially in those with weight management issues, lactose intolerance, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or trying to avoid cardiovascular disease,” the abstract says.
How can I include more dairy in my diet?
Eating your favourite Olympus Cheese and yoghurt can help increase your calcium. Dietitians and the Australian Government recommend including 2-3 serves of dairy per day.
Here are some recommendations on how you can easily achieve this:
- Use Olympus Cheese yoghurt in a breakfast smoothie to start the day, or paired with your favourite fruits or cereal.
- Use Olympus Cheese yoghurt in soups as a replacement for sour cream and salads as a light and tangy dressing.
- Cut up some fetta cheese and have it in a side salad for lunch or dinner. Adding spinach will also increase your calcium intake.
- Not a fan of fetta? Swap it for some halloumi instead.
- Love dessert? Have a look at some ricotta based recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Want to increase your dairy?
Once you break it down, it’s actually really easy to get a sufficient amount of calcium into your diet – especially if you’re an Olympus Cheese lover. So now you have every excuse to enjoy dairy daily. Your body (and your tastebuds!) will thank you for it.
Head to our recipes section for some great ways to add Olympus Cheese into your diet and increase your calcium intake. Or find out where our cheese and yoghurt is sold.