By Taylor Sutton, MS, RD
United Supermarkets’ Lifestyle Desk
The variety of dairy foods available in today’s supermarkets offers something for almost everyone’s overall wellness and taste needs. The nutrient density of milk is one that isn’t matched in most other foods.
Milk packs in 13 essential nutrients in every serving including protein, zinc, selenium, vitamin A and vitamin D, which contribute to healthy immune function. Some people out there may have heard of kefir — we’ll talk more about how that impacts gut health in the future. Other dairy foods like cheese and yogurt also provide high-quality protein, calcium, vitamin A, B vitamins and more!
Dairy foods provide roughly 52% of the calcium, 51% of the vitamin D and 17% of the protein daily value consumed by Americans. Research shows that nutritious eating patterns that include low-fat and fat-free dairy foods are linked to a reduced risk of some of the most prevalent chronic diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in adults.
So let’s say you deal with lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance can be a barrier to dairy consumption and can put people at risk of a few less than lovely side effects. The good news is that living with lactose intolerance doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite dairy foods.
Each person with lactose intolerance is able to tolerate varying degrees of lactose. It is all about understanding how much lactose is in the foods you love and how much you can handle at once. For example, there is lactose-free milk, like ultra-filtered milk, which is real milk with milk’s nutrients, just without the lactose. So, if you are sensitive to lactose, find your balance.
Grilled Mediterranean Pizza
Ingredients
4 Naan Breads
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
3 Tbsp. Zaatar
1 large roma tomato
4 oz mozzarella cheese
1/8 c. Parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Grill naan for 3 minutes per side
2. Brush olive oil evenly on all pieces
3. Sprinkle on zaatar evenly on all pieces
4. Dice tomatoes and top naan
5. Roughly pull apart mozzarella cheese in small stringy pieces
6. Place on a piece of aluminum foil
7. Let cheese melt and bubble, roughly 5-7 minutes
