From building strong bones and being rich in calcium, it has been proven that dairy also helps in controlling your weight.
Calcium, in milk and dairy products plays an important role in the ability to maintain a healthy body weight and controls overweight and obesity.
Studies show that people who ate dairy products lost more weight than those who didn’t eat any.
How?
Experts back up the role of calcium in weight loss with many possible explanations
- Dietary calcium helps in regulating metabolism
- Dairy sources of calcium accelerate fat loss
However, more research is still needed to highlight the mechanism behind it.
How much is recommended?
Three servings of dairy products are recommended per day, where a serving of dairy consists of:
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup of yogurt/laban
- 2 slices of cheese
- 2 tablespoons of Labneh
Good to know
An increase in calcium intake equivalent to 2 dairy servings per day reduces the risk of being overweight by almost 70%.
Now that Calcium in dairy is shown to help maintain a healthy weight, you should bear in mind that you should choose wisely from the range of dairy products.
What Dairy products are right for you?
Low-fat Dairy Products! Low-fat dairy keeps all its nutritional value even after the fat is removed. It contains all the essential nutrients of the full-fat dairy with the exception of saturated fats which are unhealthy for the heart and arteries.
Benefits of low-fat dairy products
- Fights high blood pressure: Choosing low-fat dairy products decreases hypertension (high blood pressure) risk by 54%
- Help reduces the risk of high cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases: Because they are lower in saturated fat, they help protect the heart and the vessels
- Prevents osteoporosis: Low-fat dairy products contain almost the same amount of calcium in the full-fat version, therefore it maintains bone density
- Helps control caloric intake and maintains a healthy body weight: Choosing low-fat alternatives of dairy products helps reduce the fat and calorie content of the consumed food item
Check the calcium and calorie contents of various dairy products:
| Dairy Products | Quantity | Calcium Content (mg) | Calorie Content |
| Whole milk | 1 cup | 290 | 150 |
| Low-fat milk | 1 cup | 295 | 120 |
| Skimmed milk | 1 cup | 300 | 83 |
| Nestlé NESVITA® Pro-Bones Low Fat | 1 glass | 502 mg | 120 Kcal |
| Nestlé NESVITA® Pro-Bones 0 Fat | 1 glass | 502 mg | 88 Kcal |
| Yogurt, full fat | 1 cup | 274 | 140 |
| Yogurt, low fat | 1 cup | 274 | 125 |
| Labneh | 2 tbsp | 60 | 60 |
| White cheese | 30 g | 130-150 | 70 - 80 Kcal |
| Yellow cheese | 30 g | 200-220 | 110 - 140 Kcal |
