Dairy products fit into the fourth link of the nutrition pyramid, being the main dietary source of calcium in our diet.

They are foods that are considered for daily consumption, as are fruits and vegetables; cereals and their derivatives; the tubers, fresh legumes, and olive oil.

Because of their nutritional value, dairy products are important for all age groups, especially for children, young people, the elderly and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Dairy: how many nutrients do they contribute to our body?

What foods does this group include? 

In the dairy group, we find milk and its derivatives, such as cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, curd and other fermented milk such as kefir.

It is worth mentioning that butter and cream, although obtained from milk, from a nutritional point of view, are not included in this group since they are considered dairy fats.

What nutrients does dairy provide? 

Dairy products are considered a very complete food group, since, in addition to calcium, they provide water, proteins, fats, sugars, vitamins, and minerals. Although the proportion of these components varies depending on the type of dairy.

For example, water is the main component in the case of milk, as it accounts for approximately 80%. While the amount is much less in cheeses, especially in the cured ones, since the latter contains much more fat and protein.

Laura González, head of health and nutrition at Nestlé,   breaks down each of the nutrients that these foods provide us:

• Proteins: The proteins contained in dairy products are of high biological value, a type of protein similar to those of meat, fish or even similar to those in eggs.
• Fats: They are mainly fats of animal origin and, therefore, saturated fats. For example, in the case of whole milk, of the 3.5 grams of fat per 100 milliliters of milk, two-thirds of this fat is saturated.
• Lactose: Lactose is a natural sugar that milk has. Its quantity is variable. For example, it is higher in milk than in cured cheeses and in yogurts, since the latter have undergone fermentation.
• Minerals: The mineral that stands out the most is calcium. Milk provides about 120 milligrams of calcium per hundred milliliters of milk. The cheeses tend to have more calcium, especially if they are cured, due to the smaller proportion with water.
• Vitamins: Dairy products provide vitamins such as  A and  D in whole dairy products and in cheeses, especially in cured ones. These vitamins are absent in skimmed milk unless they are added after the production process.

How many dairies are recommended to take per day? 

The calcium is not only important for health but plays a key role in many processes in our body like kidney filtration, the nerve conduction or muscle function. 

It is recommended, approximately, to take between 2 and 4 rations of dairy products a day according to the age and the physiological state of the person.

To know roughly what a dairy ration is, equivalences are used depending on the calcium content of these foods. For example, a serving of dairy products would be the same as drinking a 250 ml glass of milk or eating two yogurts.

However, in recent years, there is a lot of controversies related to dairy consumption, what are the current calcium recommendations that are being given? 

Traditional calcium recommendations range from 800 to 1200 milligrams a day depending on age. But now it is suggested that needs between 500 and 700 milligrams are met.