10 Tips to Help You Eat and Drink More Fat-free or low-fat Dairy Foods

The Dairy Group includes milk, yogurt, cheese, and fortified soymilk. They provide calcium, vitamin D, potassium, protein, and other nutrients needed for good health throughout life. Choices should be lowfat or fat-free—to cut calories and saturated fat. How much is needed? Older children, teens, and adults need 3 cups a day, while children 4 to 8 years old need 2½ cups, and children 2 to 3 years old need 2 cups.
Here is 10 tips to help you eat and drink more fat-free dairy foods:

1. Drink Fat-free or low-fat milk.
2. Choose mild or yogurt more often than cheese.
3. Use fat-free or low-fat mild on cereal and oatmeal. Top fruit salads and baked potatoes with low-fat yogurt instead of sour cream.
4. Try different brands of reduced-fat or low-fat cheese
5. Regular cream cheese, cream, and butter are not part of the dairy food group. They are high in saturated fat and have little or no calcium.
6. When recipes such as dips call for sour cream, substitute plain yogurt.
7. Choose sweet dairy foods with care. They can contain a lot of added sugars which are empty calories.
8. Get you calcium along with your morning caffeine boost. Make coffee with fat-free or low-fat milk.
9. If you can not drink milk, try lactose-free milk, drink smaller amount of milk at a time and try soymilk
10. Try to set an example for your kids

How often do you try to get a low-fat or fat-free dairy products?