National Diary Month is celebrated every June. In 1937 it was initially recognized as National Milk Month to promote the distribution of extra milk and encourage drinking milk. The National Dairy Council renamed it as National Dairy Month in 1939 to expand the campaign to incorporate all dairy products. In 1955 the American Dairy Association took leadership and now promotes it yearly to emphasize the hard work of dairy farmers and the agricultural community.
Nutritional Benefits of Dairy
National Dairy Month is an important time to highlight the many nutritional benefits associated with consuming dairy products. Dairy products contain calcium, potassium, and all 9 essential amino acids which can assist in reducing your risk of osteoporosis, the weakening or frailty of your bones. Calcium keeps our bones and teeth strong, helps our muscles move, and keeps our heart beating. Potassium keeps our muscles working, allows our nerves to send messages, and keeps our heartbeat stable. Essential amino acids are the building blocks our body uses to make protein. These amino acids help build muscle; allow our body to do important jobs like fight illness; and keep our hair, skin, and nails healthy. They are called essential because our body cannot make them, therefore, we have to consume them. Dairy is just one of our main food groups, and we want to be sure to include dairy in our daily regimen to ensure we are receiving adequate nutrients and keeping our bones strong!
Examples of Dairy Foods:
- Milk
- Hard Cheeses (ex. Cheddar, Swiss)
- Soft Cheese (ex. cottage cheese, ricotta)
- Yogurt
Food items such as butter, cream cheese, ice cream, or sour cream are not considered part of the dairy food group as they contain little to no calcium.
How Much Dairy Do I Need?
The Dietary Guidelines recommend a total of 3 servings daily.
Examples of 1 serving of dairy:
- 8oz glass of milk
- 6oz of yogurt
- Hard Cheese: 1.5 ounces
- Soft Cheese: ½ cup
To incorporate dairy foods into your meals and snacks try adding milk or yogurt into your smoothie, make your own overnight oats with your preferred milk, pair cheese cubes or slices with a fruit of your choice or whole grain crackers, pair cottage cheese with fruit, use Greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream, or added shredded cheese to your scrambled eggs. The choices are endless!
Dairy Facts
- An average dairy cow can typically produce 8 to 10 gallons of milk per day.
- The United States has over 9 million dairy cows.
- Dairy cows only take about 5 to 7 minutes to be milked in modern dairy facilities.
- The United States has over 30,000 dairy farms.
- The average dairy cow weighs about 1,200 pounds (or 544.31 kilograms).
- To maintain milk production, dairy cows consume up to 100 pounds of food daily, comparable to about 600 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
- It takes: 12 pounds of whole milk to make 1 gallon of ice cream; 21.2 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of butter; and 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese.
Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
Directions:
- Blend strawberries until smooth.
- In a bowl, combine strawberry puree, yogurt, milk, and honey.
- Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Recipe Tips:
- Can use any type of yogurt (Greek versus non-Greek; low-fat versus original) to meet your taste preferences or nutrient needs.
- For those with dairy allergies or lactose intolerance, plant-based alternatives are an option. Be sure to choose products that are fortified with calcium and vitamin D to match the benefits of dairy milk. Soy milk has a protein content comparable to cow milk, but options like almond or oat milk may be lower in protein.
- Use any choice or mix of fruit you prefer for more variety.
Sources
- Celebrate National Dairy Month, American Dairy Association, Northeast.
- Dairy Cattle Facts, Agriculture Unboxed Shop.
- Dairy Fun Facts, American Dairy Association, Mideast.
- 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, USDA.
