Say Yes to 1% or Less
 
Eating better is one of the most important actions you can take to protect your health. Just making one simple change in your choice of dairy products may be all that it takes to begin your journey to a healthier lifestyle.
 
Things to consider when choosing the type of dairy products that you use:
 
  • Milk is full of calcium and vitamin D to build bones-- to help prevent osteoporosis and debilitating factures. Low-fat 1% and Fat-Free Skim milk have all the calcium and vitamins found in whole milk, with little or no fat.
  • Whole and 2% Reduced-fat milk are among the top sources of saturated fat in American's diets. Saturated fat is a major contributor to heart disease - the number one killer of American men and women.
  • Over a lifetime, the fat savings from drinking low-fat milk could be enormous. By drinking Fat-Free Skim milk instead of whole milk (after the age of 2 years), the average American could cut 400 pounds of fat from his/her diet. That's over one and a half million calories - or almost two years worth of calories for the average person.
  • One glass of whole milk has a quarter of your day's budget for saturated fat. That's as much as in 1 hotdog, 5 strips of bacon, a Snickers candy bar, or a fast food hamburger.
  • Don't be tricked into thinking that 2% Reduced-fat milk is low fat. 2% Reduced- fat milk does not meet the legal definition of low-fat food
  • Whole milk gets almost half its calories from fat. Fat free Skim milk is virtuously no fat and has 40% fewer calories than whole milk.
March is National Nutrition Month®. This month consider making a positive change in your health. When choosing dairy products select Low-fat 1% milk or Fat-free Skim milk.
 
Brought to you by the Madison Department of Public Health Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. (Material adapted from the 1% or Less Campaign, sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.)