Frequently Asked Questions

Lower fat dairy foods, including milk, generally have less calories and fat than regular dairy products, but give us just as much nutrition. In fact, a lot of the lower fat milks give us even more calcium than whole milk. You will also get a similar amount of the other bone friendly nutrients – like protein and phosphorus – from lower fat milk.

Drinking warm milk with sugar or honey before going to bed in the evening can help you sleep better. Drinking milk gives your body a boost of the amino-acid tryptophan. Sugar that is added to the milk causes the release of insulin that helps the tryptophan to enter the nervous system and to be transformed into serotonin, a substance that aids sleep.

Like fresh milk, long life milk is a rich source of ten essential nutrients including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, potassium, riboflavin, vitamins A and B12, magnesium, carbohydrate, protein and zinc.

Nutrient losses in long life milk are minimal, with very small decreases in thiamine, vitamins B12 and B6 and folate compared to fresh milk.

It should be easy for people with lactose intolerance to get enough calcium – as most people are able to eat hard cheese (which contains virtually no lactose) and yogurt (which has natural cultures that help lactose digestion). Research has shown that even small amounts of milk with a meal should be well tolerated by people with lactose intolerance.

Many people are self-diagnosing lactose intolerance. It is important to see a doctor for a proper diagnosis if you suspect you may be lactose intolerant.

Calcium is essential for building and maintaining bones. Adequate calcium is needed to help achieve optimal bone mass early in life and can help prevent bone loss later in life, reducing the risk of fractures.

Calcium combines with other minerals (like phosphorus) to form hard crystals that give bones their structure and strength. In fact, 99 per cent of our body’s calcium is found in our bones and teeth.

Our bodies can’t make calcium, so it must come from our diet. If your dietary calcium intake is too low, calcium is released from your bones into your bloodstream as needed. When this happens, you lose bone strength.

It is a common misconception that vegetables and nuts are a rich source of calcium. Whilst these foods are packed with other nutrients, research has shown that is difficult to rely on plant foods to meet daily calcium needs

Dairy foods (like milk, yogurt and cheese) are the richest source of calcium in the Australian diet. Three serves of dairy each day provides most people with their recommended calcium intake. A serve of dairy is equal to a 250mL glass of milk, a 200g tub of yogurt or two slices (40g) of cheese.

To get the same amount of calcium as one serve of dairy, you need to eat 32 Brussels sprouts, 21 cups of raw chopped spinach, 11 cups of diced sweet potato, 6 cups of shredded green cabbage, 5 cups of cooked broccoli or 1 cup of dry roasted almonds.

It is always best to get your nutrients from food. Food provides a range of nutrients in a natural food setting, rather than an artificial mix of one or more vitamins and minerals – and tastes good!

For example, while a calcium supplement provides calcium, a glass of milk provides calcium – as well as at least nine other nutrients (like protein, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and potassium which are all important for bone health).

Low fat diets are not recommended for children under 2 years of age. Babies and young children grow very rapidly and need the fat supplied in whole milk, cheese and yogurt, to give the energy they need for growth and development. Reduced-fat milk can be introduced after two years of age.

In general, dairy products that are gluten free include full cream milk, low fat milk, evaporated milk, powdered milk, buttermilk, condensed milk, fresh cream, plain ice-cream, block or processed cheese, cream or cottage cheese and some custards.

Some yogurts and dairy desserts can contain gluten from thickening agents.

Dairy products that most likely contain gluten are malted milk, some cheese spreads, and ice-cream in a cone.

It is always best to read the label or contact individual manufacturers to confirm the absence of gluten.

No! A common misconception is that milk is high in fat, but in fact it contains on average 3.8 per cent fat (3.8g fat per 100ml milk) – much less than some people think. Reduced-fat milk typically contains 1.4 per cent fat and skim milk has a tiny amount – less than 0.1 per cent fat.