The real deal about dairy 1260x542
31 Mar 2010

The real deal about dairy

3 mins to read
How much do we need, does it make us gain weight, and how does it boost our health? Naturopath Pam Stone sorts through the controversy.


Q. What are the major points of confusion about dairy?

A – Pam Stone: Generally about whether is it high in cholesterol, whether it is fattening and if low fat or full fat is best. People are also concerned about wwhether dairy contains pesticides, is organic better than non-organic, how well do we absorb the calcium out of dairy and how good a source of calcium it is.

Q. Why all the confusion?

A – Pam Stone: Because we hear conflicting things. On the one hand, we're told that we need to limit our dairy intake because it's high in fat; and on the other hand we have to maintain good calcium levels. There are conflicting messages which make it unclear as to whether you're better off with the low-fat milk, or the milk that hasn't been tampered with.

Q. Does dairy contain fat?

A – Pam Stone: Dairy is a source of saturated, rather than unsaturated, fat. Saturated is the type found in read meat, dairy and peanuts; and is the so-called "bad fat" that is more likely to contribute to heart disease. Whereas unsaturated fat is contained in good quality vegetable oils, avocados, fish and olives, and so on. This type of fat is ‘healthy fat': it's beneficial to your skin and your arteries, so it's not contributing to heart disease. In fact, the unsaturated fat helps your body to handle the saturated fat more effectively. Dairy sometimes gets bad press because of the saturated fat.

Q. Is high dairy consumption linked to weight gain?

A – Pam Stone: It's all a matter of balance. If you have a high dairy consumption, then that could be linked to weight gain, particularly if you eat a lot of cheese, ice-cream and milk (the full fat versions), because eventually you're going to consume enough calories, and that will contribute to your weight. There are a number of studies that have shown that people on a calorie-controlled diet who include a dairy component, actually lose more weight, so there's something in dairy that's contributing to the weight loss.

The reason that dairy consumption can be linked to weight loss rather than gain comes back to calcium being contained within dairy. Calcium has been shown to help stop fat being taken up into fat cells. In other words, it helps to control fat gain – you do need a fairly high level of calcium for that to happen. Several hundred milligrams have been shown to have that effect. But nevertheless, calcium at high enough levels and a calorie-controlled diet is linked to weight loss.

Q. How does dairy aid our bodies?

A – Pam Stone: Dairy contains two main things that we need: protein and calcium. Dairy is regarded as a complete source of protein. There are two types of protein: complete and incomplete. Dairy contains the full complement of amino acids that is needed – so it gets a big tick as far as a source of protein goes. It also contains calcium and vitamin D. Calcium relies on vitamin D for its absorption, and vitamin D is found within the fat of milk. That's why in order to gain the benefit of calcium in milk, you have to have the vitamin D there. It's better to have a source of milk that contains some fat. So if you have non-fat milk, it's debatable as to whether your body is able to use the calcium. The argument against that is you need calcium, fat and vitamin D in order for calcium to be effectively used. However, it's not essential that they are contained within the same food.

Too much is made of the fat in milk – there is not a lot of fat in milk really. People are better off having full-fat, regular or low fat milk, and managing their weight with more holistic approach – by exercising and limiting the amount of fat consumed in other parts of their diet.

Q. Are there any negatives in not consuming dairy?

A – Pam Stone: You can be quite healthy by eliminating milk or dairy altogether and some people are hyper-sensitive to some components of milk, in which case it's more likely to give them respiratory problems, sinus problems, asthma, or even skin conditions, such as eczema – and in this case, people are better off without it. Even without these sensitivities, you can still have a nutritious diet and get away with not having dairy – you just need to ensure you're getting your calcium and protein from other sources, such as almonds, broccoli, tinned salmon or calcium supplements.

Too much milk can be hard to digest for some people and can trigger the production of mucus – some people can consume high amounts of it and never have a mucus problem, whereas other people will find it overloads their liver and general digestion which will often show up in terms of congestion and excess mucus production. It should be something people are aware of.

Q. Which types of people require a higher dairy intake?

A – Pam Stone: Pregnant women need about 1200 mg of calcium a day, and that jumps up by another 100 mg when you're breastfeeding. During menopause, women are in a position where they need more calcium for strong bones. Oestrogen facilitates calcium absorption for women, and when they lose most of their oestrogen, they can help offset this by taking more calcium and doing weight-bearing exercise.

Q. What are some good ways of getting enough dairy in your diet?

A – Pam Stone: Natural yoghurt is one of the best ways, because you're also getting beneficial bacteria. Ricotta cheese is good because it has lower levels of fat and is less processed.



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