June 20, 2002

Prairie Fare: June is National Dairy Month

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

One day as my then-2-year-old son gazed into our backyard, he announced excitedly, "See cow! See cow!" This wouldn’t have been so surprising if we lived on a farm instead of in the city.

I rushed to the window. A rabbit was grazing in our backyard. Granted, it was a pretty big rabbit. That’s how we learned that to this particular 2-year-old, all animals were "cows."

Cows are pretty amazing animals. They eat quite a bit, but they also produce lots of milk. An estimated 2 1/2 tons of hay, 6 1/2 tons of silage, a couple acres of grass and as much as 7000 gallons of water are on a cow’s yearly menu. Cows, in turn, produce about 90 glasses of milk per day, or enough to quench the thirst of 30 children with three glasses of milk daily. Over a cow’s lifetime, that’s 200,000 glasses of milk.

Fluid milk is used to make many other dairy products. It takes about 39 cups of milk to make a pound of butter, 19 cups of milk to make a pound of American cheese and one cup of milk to make 8 ounces of yogurt.

Milk is a nutrient-dense food, with a wide variety of nutrients compared to the number of calories. Milk is an excellent source of calcium (300 milligrams per cup), plus it contains protein, riboflavin, vitamin A, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and other nutrients. Vitamin D is added to fluid milk because it helps the body use the calcium in milk.

What about the nutrition of whole milk vs. reduced-fat milk? Glass for glass, reduced-fat, fat-free and whole milk only differ in the amount of fat and calories they contain. The other nutrients are about the same.

The subject of kids and flavored milk has raised the eyebrows of many moms. Doesn’t flavored milk just add a lot of calories and sugar to a child’s diet? A new study reported in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that children who drank more chocolate milk tended to drink fewer soft drinks and fruit-flavored beverages. They also consumed more calcium.

Consuming adequate calcium is especially important during the bone-building years of childhood. Children ages 4-8 need 800 milligrams of calcium per day, or about three cups of milk or other calcium-rich foods. Nine to 18 year old children need 1300 milligrams of calcium. That adds up to four cups of milk, or other calcium-rich foods, daily.

Some people may have trouble digesting milk sugar, or lactose, and feel bloated or have stomach upset after drinking milk. Research studies have shown that most people with lactose intolerance can drink some milk if they drink it along with meals. Dairy products with active cultures and aged cheeses also are usually tolerated by those with lactose intolerance.

Consuming plenty of low-fat dairy products is linked with a lower risk for colon cancer. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products is linked with reducing risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

There are many reasons to applaud the dairy cow during June, National Dairy Month. Try this tasty and colorful snack with a glass of ice-cold chocolate milk.

Cheesy Tortilla Mini-pizzas

4 6-inch flour tortillas
1/2 c. chunky-style medium salsa
1/2 c. reduced-fat mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 c. chopped red onion
1/4 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tortillas on a baking sheet. Bake for about 7 minutes, until crisp. Remove from oven and top each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of salsa and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Sprinkle with green pepper, corn and red onion; top with Cheddar cheese. Bake about 5 minutes, until cheese melts.

Each mini-pizza contains about 160 calories, 6 grams fat and 170 milligrams calcium.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu