{"id":146449,"date":"2026-05-31T21:32:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T02:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/?p=146449"},"modified":"2026-05-31T21:32:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T02:32:52","slug":"family-living-focus-june-is-dairy-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/family-living-focus-june-is-dairy-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Living Focus: June is Dairy Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gail Gilman, Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Professor<\/em>
\nEmeritus, University of Minnesota<\/em><\/p>\n

The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans offer science-based
\nrecommendations to help people build healthy eating patterns and reduce the
\nrisk of chronic disease. Families make decisions about how to nourish
\nthemselves and their children with foods that are affordable, accessible and
\neasy to incorporate into daily life.<\/p>\n

Updated every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S.
\nDepartment of Health and Human Services, the guidelines reflect the latest
\nnutrition research and highlight the importance of nutrient-dense,
\naffordable foods at every stage of life.<\/p>\n

Dairy foods, including milk, yogurt, and cheese, continue to play a key role
\nin recommended eating patterns. They provide a unique combination of
\nnutrients, including complete protein, calcium , vitamin D, potassium,
\niodine that work together to support health.<\/p>\n

Dairy’s Role in Healthy Dietary Patterns<\/p>\n

Nutrition science has evolved to focus on overall dietary patterns and whole
\nfoods, rather than single nutrients in isolation. The Dietary Guidelines
\nencourage Americans to build balanced eating patterns that include a variety
\nof nutrient-dense foods.<\/p>\n

Dairy foods are a key part of these patterns, providing a unique combination
\nof nutrients that support bone health, muscle function, and overall
\nwellness. Importantly, these nutrients are delivered within the dairy
\nmatrix, where the interaction of proteins, fats, and bioactive compounds may
\nenhance how the body absorbs and utilizes them.<\/p>\n

Research shows that including dairy foods as part of a healthy eating
\npattern is consistently linked to better heart health, helping manage blood
\npressure, and a lower or neutral risk of chronic diseases like type 2
\ndiabetes.<\/p>\n

What Counts as Dairy?<\/p>\n

Dairy foods include a variety of foods made from milk that retain their
\ncalcium content and other key nutrients.<\/p>\n

Milk, yogurt, and cheese at all fat levels, including whole milk, can fit
\ninto healthy, balanced eating patterns.<\/p>\n

Recommended Dairy Intake<\/p>\n

For most Americans, the Dietary Guidelines recommend about three servings of
\ndairy per day as part of a healthy eating pattern. This guidance is designed
\nto help individuals meet daily nutrition needs within a balanced diet that
\nincludes a variety of food groups. This flexibility allows individuals to
\nchoose options that fit their preferences, culture, and health goals.<\/p>\n

A serving can look different depending on the type of dairy food you choose.<\/p>\n

What counts as a serving of dairy?<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01 cup milk
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00be cup yogurt
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01\u00bd ounces cheese
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01 cup cottage cheese
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01 cup kefir<\/p>\n

Dairy needs can vary based on age, sex, and calorie needs. However, most
\nAmericans fall short of recommended intake, making dairy an important food
\ngroup to include regularly in meals and snacks.<\/p>\n

Dairy Helps Close Nutrients Gaps<\/p>\n

Dairy foods are also an affordable way to help meet daily nutrient needs
\nmaking them a practical choice for families looking to get the most
\nnutrition for their budget. The Dietary Guidelines highlight several
\nnutrients that Americans often don’t get enough of, including:<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Calcium
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Vitamin D
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Potassium
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Fiber<\/p>\n

Dairy foods are among the top sources of calcium, vitamin D, and potassium
\nin the U.S. diet, making them an important part of meeting daily nutrient
\nneeds.<\/p>\n

Including dairy foods regularly can help individuals and families close
\nthese nutrient gaps while supporting overall health and nutrition security<\/p>\n

Choosing Dairy within Healthy Eating Patterns<\/p>\n

The Dietary Guidelines encourage building healthy eating patterns centered
\non nutrient-dense foods. Options like whole milk and full-fat dairy foods
\nmay also support satiety and satisfaction, helping people feel full for
\nlonger.<\/p>\n

Dairy foods can fit into these patterns in simple, everyday ways:<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Add milk to oatmeal, smoothies, or coffee
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Enjoy yogurt as a snack or part of breakfast
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Use cheese to add flavor and protein to meals
\n*\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Cook with milk or yogurt in soups, sauces, and baked dishes<\/p>\n

By incorporating dairy foods into meals and snacks throughout the day,
\nindividuals and families can enjoy foods they love while improving overall
\ndiet quality and help close key nutrient gaps. For example, yogurt has been
\nlinked to reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, highlighting the role dairy foods
\ncan play in supporting metabolic health.<\/p>\n

Building a Healthy Plate<\/p>\n

Incorporating dairy into everyday meals is a simple and affordable way to
\nget high-quality nutrition. Paired with foods like fruits, vegetables, whole
\ngrains, and proteins, dairy helps create balanced meals that nourish your
\nbody and support overall well-being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gail Gilman, Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans offer science-based recommendations to help people build healthy eating patterns and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Families make decisions about how to nourish themselves and their children with foods that are affordable, accessible and easy …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":142950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletters"],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2026-09-30 21:31:24","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[0],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146449"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146450,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146449\/revisions\/146450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}