2. The Nutrients of Milk Products and Health
Essential nutrients
A healthy diet’s strength depends on variety and moderation. By mainly eating foods from each of the four food groups in Canada’s Food Guide, you get all of the nutrients your body needs to work at its full potential.
Containing 16 essential nutrients, milk is certainly one food that should not be overlooked. Its many nutrients are all equally important:
1. PANTOTHENIC ACID Helps turn foods into energy your body can use.
2. FOLIC ACID Participates in the formation of red blood cells and genetic material
3. CALCIUM Necessary for strong healthy bones and teeth. Contributes to heart beat, muscle contraction, proper nerve functioning, and normal blood clotting. To find out more on the role calcium plays, click here.
4. MAGNESIUM Contributes to the health of bones and teeth; helps convert food into energy, and builds body tissue.
5. NIACIN (Vitamin B3) Essential for growth and development, as well as for a healthy nervous system and digestive tract.
6. PHOSPHORUS Helps build strong healthy bones and teeth, and contributes to the overall proper functioning of your body.
7. POTASSIUM Essential for maintaining your body's vital fluid balance. Important for the proper functioning of nerves and muscles.
8. PROTEINS Contribute to the building and repairing of body tissues, including bones. Help build antibodies that fight infections.
9. RIBOFLAVIN (Vitamin B2) Promotes healthy skin, eyes, and nerves. Helps convert food into energy.
10. SELENIUM Acts like an antioxidant, thereby contributing to the protection of the cells. Contributes to the proper functioning of the immune system and is essential to the metabolism of thyroid gland.
11. THIAMIN (Vitamin B1) Turns carbohydrates into energy. Maintains a healthy appetite and helps normal growth.
12. VITAMIN A Promotes healthy skin, eyes, and night vision. Essential for healthy bones and teeth.
13. VITAMIN B6 Helps protein build body tissue. Contributes to the production of red blood cells and antibodies to fight infections.
14. VITAMIN B12 Contributes to the health of red blood cells and to the maintenance of a healthy nervous system and digestive tract.
15. VITAMIN D Maximizes calcium and phosphorus absorption upon which strong bones and healthy teeth depend. To find out more on the advantages of Vitamin D from milk, click here.
16. ZINC Converts food into energy. Plays an important role in tissue repair and growth.
