5. Overview of Milk Product Consumption
These days, no one would argue the benefits of a healthy diet. Milk, yogurt and cheese contain up to 16 nutrients essential for overall health from the first years of life. Unfortunately, a large majority of individuals don’t consume enough,1 thereby depriving themselves of a wide range of nutritional benefits.
And you - are you consuming enough milk products?
Many individuals underestimate the size of a serving of milk
product 
, unfortunately resulting in inadequate daily consumption. According to Statistics Canada, Canadians consume on average 1.3 servings of milk products compared to the recommended minimum of 2 daily servings.
One serving of milk product corresponds to:
- 250 ml (1 cup) of milk (whole, 2%, 1% or skim – plain, chocolate or flavoured)
- 175 g (3/4 cup) of yogurt
- 50 g (1 ½ oz) of firm cheese (e.g.: Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss).
Did you know?
Over the years, milk consumption has continued to decrease with the increase in popularity of juice and soft drinks. In 1998, average daily milk consumption in Canada was 190 ml per person, compared to 160 ml (2/3 cup) in 2008. As for cheese, average consumption was 28g per day, or close to half the serving recommended by Canada’s Food Guide. Even worse, the consumption of yogurt, which was at only 15 ml per day, quite far from the recommended 175 ml (3/4 cup).2
Source:
1. Canadian Community Health Survey – Nutrition. Statistics Canada, 2006.
2. Food statistics, 2008 – Statistics Canada.
