Most people don’t eat enough dairy, say experts
Academics and food manufacturers will gather in London tomorrow (January 22) to discuss how industry can tackle negative perceptions about dairy products and educate consumers about how dairy can form part of a healthy, low-fat diet.
Many consumers who were avoiding dairy in a bid to lose weight were missing out on crucial nutrients, said Global Dairy Platform technical director Cindy Schweitzer, who is speaking at Obesity and the Dairy Industry - a conference organised by Dairy UK.
She added: "The industry needs to understand consumer perceptions of dairy and convey to them how dairy can be part of a low-fat diet."
Contrary to popular belief, most people are not eating enough dairy, she claimed. “Dairy is a part of our dietary recommendations globally - most guidance says we should be eating two or three products a day - and the majority of countries aren’t meeting these targets.”
Schweitzer claimed that dairy could even form part of the solution to the obesity crisis. “There are lots of reduced calorie products on the market, which can easily fit into a calorie restrictive diet. Dairy provides nine or 10 essential nutrients, which are difficult to get from other foods.”
She also said that there were several studies going on, which showed a positive link between dairy and weight control. “The gold standard is the human clinical trial,” she explained.
“Not every human clinical trial shows benefits, but this may be because there’s a set amount of dairy from which you can benefit and once you go over this, you don’t benefit.” Considering that most people needed to increase their dairy intake, it followed that the majority could use dairy to help with weight management, she said. “We have funded a meta-analysis study on dairy intake and fat excretion, which we’re hoping will show that dairy can help with weight control.”
