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Health & Fitness

Choose Smart Dairy Products

One food group that far too many people unnecessarily cut from their diet is dairy rich foods.  Think you must avoid these if you want to see fat loss results?

Think again!  Dairy products (low and no-fat versions, specifically) have been shown to help reduce body fat. And those who ingest healthier versions of dairy products on a regular basis have a higher rate of keeping the weight off. Here in my personal training business, where the #1 goal for most of my clients is to get lean, dairy can (and probably should) be included.

Dairy rich foods are going to provide you with a great dose of calcium as well as protein, both of which are an important part of any sound diet plan.

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This said, it is important that you are choosing your dairy products wisely. Because if you aren’t, they may provide you with more saturated fat and calories than you bargained for.

Let’s have a look at what you should know about choosing smart dairy products.

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Choose Skim or 1% Milk

This is the most obvious. If you are using milk for anything, skim or 1% milk should be your milk of choice.  Milk can be an decent source of protein with up to 9 grams per cup.

One of the attractions to liquid milk is that it’s easy to incorporate into your diet. Add it to oatmeal or a protein shake.

Opt For Cottage Cheese

Another terrific source of dairy to include in your diet is lower fat cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is a form of ‘casein protein’ which breaks down and digests more slowly in the body compared to other protein sources.

This makes it an ideal option for before you turn in for the evening.

Combine it with a little all natural peanut butter (for some healthy fats) and you’ll be all set.

Go For Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is yet another fantastic option to consider.  Greek yogurt is great because it’s higher in protein than any other yogurt variety and is also very low in fat - if not fat free depending on the variety that you’re getting.

Greek yogurt works well in smoothies, served up with some fresh fruit, or incorporated into dishes such as protein pancakes or sauces.

Eat Only Reduced Fat Hard Cheese

Finally, when it comes to hard cheese, you can include some of these in your diet from time to time, but really do your best to include the lower fat varieties.

The regular variety of hard cheeses are higher in saturated fat content and the calories will really add up quickly.

Most people who are cheese lovers and start dining on cheese will find it difficult to stop as well, so this can make them quite problematic as far as maintaining a healthy caloric intake.

There you have just a few of the important points to remember as you go about choosing the dairy products you want to include in your diet.  Try and get at least one serving, and up to three, in per day and you’ll be meeting your calcium needs and taking a step towards meeting your protein needs as well.

I will say this...lactose intolerant people beware.


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