Clover - Frequently asked dairy questions

YOUR HEALTH

Frequently Asked Dairy Questions:

To help you make sure you and your family put the best into your bodies we have complied all your most frequently asked health and nutrition questions about dairy and your lifestyle.

Question: Isn’t dairy fattening?

Answer: If you eat too much of any foodstuff you can gain weight. However, low fat and fat free dairy products such as low fat and fat free milk, skimmed milk powder, low fat and fat free cottage cheese and yoghurt, low and medium fat cheese as well as low fat flavoured milk are available and good choices and substitutes if you are watching the scale. There is quite a significant difference in the fat and energy (kilojoules) content between the full cream products and their low fat / fat free equivalents. When excluding dairy from the diet, lots of valuable nutrients are excluded as well, especially calcium. It can be difficult to obtain enough calcium through the diet without the consumption of dairy. Therefore it is not recommended to exclude milk and milk products from the diet. Milk and milk products are nutrient dense foods, providing lots of essential nutrients (such as vitamins and minerals) needed by the body, in high amounts relative to its energy content.

Fad Diets: Beware. The cabbage soup, the low-carbohydrate, and high-protein diet, and other so-called fad diets are not recommended for losing weight. Fad diets usually overemphasize one particular food or type of food, contradicting the guidelines for good nutrition, which recommend eating a variety of foods from the Food Guide Pyramid. These diets may work at first because they cut calories, but they rarely have a permanent effect.

Question: Why are dairy products such as milk and yoghurt so important in the diet?

Answer: Most dairy products are good sources of high quality protein and contain various vitamins and minerals. These include:

vitamin A
riboflavin (vitamin B2)
vitamin B6
vitamin B12
calcium
magnesium
phosphorus
potassium
also, vitamin D, thiamin (vitamin B1) folic acid and niacin.

Dairy products are essentially nutrient dense foods, providing lots of essential nutrients in high amounts relative to its energy content. Some of these nutrients may even exert special health effects regarding the prevention of certain life-threatening diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease and osteoporosis. Dairy is the most important source of calcium in the diets of most people. Very few other foods provide such a concentrated source of calcium that is as readily available for absorption and utilisation by the body as milk and milk products.

	Question: What colorant is used in cheese?
	Answer: Natural colorants such as annato are used. These colorants are natural and from the seeds of the annato bush (Bixa Orellana) and safe to use.

Question: How does cheese compare with milk with regard to its nutrient content?

Answer: Cheese provides most of the nutrients that milk does to the diet - just in a more concentrated form. Some cheeses are more “concentrated” in nutrients than others – depending on the type of cheese.

Generally, a portion of cheese (especially the hard, ripened types) is considered to be 30 g while a portion of milk is 250ml (one glass). A 30 g cheese portion is still as nutrient dense as a glass of milk, although it does not contain equal amounts of the same nutrients.

Usually the hard, ripened types such as parmesan are more “concentrated” than the softer kinds of cheese. Cheese contains high quality protein.

The protein and fat content in most ripened cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan, gouda and emmenthal are approximately 10 times the amount thereof as in milk.

However, the fat content may vary according to the type of milk being used (full cream or low fat) as well as determined by legislation. Most of the carbohydrates (lactose) in ripened cheeses are removed together with the whey during the manufacturing process of the cheese. Only small amounts will still be present. Although the manufacturing processes may influence the content of minerals present in cheese, cheese usually is a good and concentrated source of some important minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. Some water-soluble vitamins get lost in the whey, but may still be present in significant high amounts such as vitamin B2 and vitamin B12, while others such as vitamin B1, vitamin B6 and folic acid are present in smaller amounts. The fat-soluble vitamins do not get lost and cheese manufactured from full cream milk is a good source of vitamin A.

Question: What happens when cheese is heated?

Answer: Cheese is a very delicate dairy product, and is very sensitive to heat. Hard cheeses, such as Cheddar, softens and melts when it is heated at low temperatures, but becomes tough and rubbery when it is exposed to high temperatures. Emmental cheese, like Mozzarella, has excellent melting properties, and can be exposed to high temperatures with great success, creating a stringy soft melted cheese. Emmental is the essential ingredient in the traditional Swiss fondue.

	Question: Mouldy cheese – can I use it?
	Answer: When mould forms on the outside of cheese, carefully cut off the moulded areas. The rest of the cheese can still be used.

	Question: Does cheese contain any preservatives or stabilisers, such as gelatine?
	Answer: Natural cheese such as Gouda or Cheddar generally contains no preservatives or stabilisers. Processed cheese may however, contain preservatives and/or stabilisers. The salt and/or process usually help preserves the cheese.

Question: Are there colorants, preservatives and stabilisers in fermented products?

Answer: These ingredients must be indicated on the packaging in the ingredient list when they are present in the product. Most fermented products do contain some or all of these ingredients (it depends on the type of final product). Law and specific regulations control the use of these ingredients. Generally speaking, the use of these ingredients within the limits prescribed by regulations is safe and does not pose any health hazard. Some individuals may have specific problems with some ingredients i.e. allergenic, religious or others. Normally these individuals are quite aware of their problem and check ingredient lists on packaging very carefully.

Question: What is A & B cultures?

Answer: Traditionally yoghurt cultures consist of 2 specific bacteria, namely Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. But other similar cultures can also be used. A and B refer to other culture bacteria, namely Acidophilus and Bifidus. These cultures are sometimes used in conjunction with the 2 traditional cultures. Generally speaking they have the same main benefits as the traditional cultures. Products containing these additional cultures normally have a logo with the A and B on the packaging.

	Question: What is lactose?
	Answer: Lactose is the sugar found in milk. The sugar consists of glucose and galactose. Lactose gives milk a slightly sweet taste. Lactose is also the carbohydrate in milk.

Question: What is lactose intolerance?

Answer: Lactose intolerance is the occurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms like cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhoea and/or nausea, resulting from incomplete digestion of lactose (milk sugar), caused by a deficiency of the enzyme lactase that digests the sugar in milk. Self-diagnosis of lactose intolerance is not advised because it could lead to unnecessary dietary restrictions and possible nutritional shortcomings – you may even suffer from a serious intestinal condition that can only be diagnosed by a medical professional.

Question: What kind of dairy products can I eat if I am lactose intolerant?

Answer: Matured cheeses such as cheddar and fermented products with live active cultures such as yoghurt which normally contain less lactose (the cultures also help with the digestion of the lactose), are usually tolerated well and may serve as an important source of calcium and other nutrients.

Other dairy products that might also generally be well tolerated because of small amounts of lactose include cream cheese, cottage cheese, Tussers cheese, Lichten Blanc cheese, Mozzarella, Robiola and Provolone. Individuals with lactose intolerance differ in their ability to tolerate lactose. Most lactose intolerant adults can consume some lactose without symptoms. Symptoms may also be less if dairy is consumed together with meals.

For lactose intolerant individuals it is recommended to drink milk in small amounts (one cup or less) and as part of a meal. Most people with a reduced ability to digest lactose may still be able to consume normal amounts of milk and dairy products but they may experience symptoms when consuming excessive amounts. The amount will vary from person to person.

	Question: What does 2% or low fat milk mean?
	Answer: 2% means that the fat content has been reduced from 3.35% (the general fat content of normal full cream) to a 2% fat content. Low fat milk also contains less fat than full cream milk. The amount of fat allowed in low fat milk is determined by legislation. In South Africa it can range from 0,5 – 2,5%.

	Question: Is there a difference in the calcium content of full cream milk and skimmed milk?
	Answer: There is a slight difference in the calcium content. Skimmed milk contains slightly more calcium than full cream milk. After the removal of the fat or cream part of the milk, some of the nutrients such as calcium get slightly more “concentrated” and therefore there might be slightly more calcium in skimmed milk than in full cream milk.

Question: From a health perspective, which might be the best to consume with coffee and/or tea: full cream milk or tea/coffee creamer?

Answer: Coffee or tea creamers contain high levels of saturated and trans fatty acids and can therefore contribute to high cholesterol levels. For example when used in coffee or tea, 1 heaped teaspoon of creamer (approximately 5 grams) containing approximately 1,8 grams of fat (the total fat content of different creamers may differ substantially), may consist of approximately 1,6 grams of saturated fat with the rest of the fat being mainly mono-unsaturated. 25 grams (25 ml) of full cream milk (a possible portion for milk when used in coffee or tea but not necessarily with the same whitening effect as the teaspoon of creamer) may contain approximately 0,8 grams of fat of which approximately 0,5 grams is saturated while the residual fat is mono- and polyunsaturated. It also contains approximately 3 milligrams cholesterol.

25 ml Skim milk contains approximately 0,05-0,13 grams of fat of which approximately 0,03-0,08 grams are saturated fat and the residual mono- and polyunsaturated fat. It also contains approximately 0,5 milligrams of cholesterol.

Question: What is the main difference between full cream milk and skimmed (fat free) milk?

Answer: The main nutritional difference between whole milk (full cream milk), semi-skimmed milk (2% fat milk) and skimmed milk (fat free milk), is in the fat content, the fat-soluble vitamin content (vitamins A and D), cholesterol content and also the amount of energy (kilojoules) it contains per unit. Vitamins A and D are important fat-soluble nutrients derived from the fat or cream part of the milk, therefore only full cream milk naturally contains vitamin A and vitamin D. When removing the fat (cream) from milk, the fat-soluble vitamins that occur in the fat (cream) of the milk, get lost as well. Because of the absence of cream, skimmed milk contains no vitamins A and D unless fortified.

Some of the other nutrients present in low fat and skimmed milk (the minerals and water-soluble vitamins such as the B-vitamins) are more or less the same than full cream milk or become slightly more such as calcium, for example. Skimmed milk is slightly more “concentrated” than full cream milk after the removal of the fat content (cream). Therefore, the remaining nutrient content is usually slightly more "concentrated".

Hard facts:

Full cream milk contains approximately:

3,3 g fat/100 ml;
31 RE vitamin A/100 ml;
0,03 ug vitamin D/100 ml;
14 mg cholesterol/100 ml;
260 kJ energy/100 ml.

2% fat milk contains approximately:

2g fat/100 ml;
23 RE vitamin A/100 ml;
0,01 ug vitamin D/100 ml;
8 g cholesterol/100 ml;
210 kJ energy/100 ml.

Skimmed milk contains approximately:

0,5 g fat/100 ml;
0 RE vitamin A/100 ml;
0 ug vitamin D/100 ml;
3 mg cholesterol/100 ml;
160 kJ energy/100 ml.