Milk-dairy Myth Busting Quiz

Australians are consuming nearly twice the amount of saturated fat than the recommended intake. Currently Australians consume 14% of energy from saturated fat. The Heart Foundation recommendation is to reduce saturated fat to 7% of total energy.

False! This is another common myth but if you cut dairy out of your diet you may be missing out on important nutrients. In fact, some research suggests that those with an already low dairy intake may benefit from greater weight loss with
three serves of dairy a day (as part of a calorie controlled diet). Eating a balanced diet, which includes reduced fat dairy products, is the best way to go about losing weight sensibly. Source: Dairy Australia.

Although reduced fat and skim milk aren’t as creamy as full fat milk, this is not because they have been watered down. Fat reduced milks are always healthier because they contain less saturated fat (per 100g) and are a valuable source of calcium in our diet.

False! This is a very common myth but there is very little evidence to support this idea. What people often mistake for an increase in mucus at the back of the throat after drinking milk is just the texture of the milk itself. Avoiding milk certainly won’t get rid of your cold any quicker! We recommend consulting a Dietitian for personalised dietary advice if you are concerned. Source: Dairy Australia

Monounsaturated fats and Polyunsaturated fats are actually good for us and help to reduce our LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol levels (which in turn reduces your risk of heart disease) if you follow a healthy balanced diet low in saturated fat.

That’s right: Australia produced a staggering 349,400 tonnes of cheese in 2009-2010! (Source: Dairy Australia)
To make sure that you and your family are getting a balanced diet, it is fine to eat small portions of reduced fat cheese (1-2 slices) up to four times week.

It is recommended that you give reduced fat milk (and other reduced fat dairy products) to your children from the age of two years. It is best to wait until the age of five before introducing them to skim milk. If you are trying to get older kids drinking reduced fat milk, start by giving them half full cream and half reduced. Gradually reduce the quantity of full cream milk over time and they’ll never notice the difference! Milk is a really nutritious drink for kids of all ages: it is just a matter of the right milk at the right age.

True! As children move into adolescence, the time when they need the most calcium, they tend to drink less milk and more sugary soft drinks. Because milk is a nutritious food, parents should feel OK when encouraging children over two years of age to drink reduced fat flavoured milk rather than soft drinks. However, since most flavoured milk varieties contain added sugar; plain reduced fat milk is the preferred option.

In fact, most of our kids aren’t getting all the milk they need: 75% of Mums of 4-11 year olds, and an overwhelming 92% of Mums with teenagers, say that their kids aren’t getting their recommended two serves of milk a day. It is much better for kids to drink flavoured reduced fat milk than no milk at all. Source: Online poll, MotherInc, May 2006

Surprisingly, milk is the main contributor of unhealthy saturated fat to the Australian diet because it is consumed almost every day by nearly everybody. Nevertheless, milk is an important part of a healthy diet so don’t stop drinking it, just swap to a reduced or no fat variety. This simple swap can add up to a big reduction in the saturated fat in your family’s diet. For example, by choosing a ‘skinny’ cappuccino, or using reduced or no fat milk in your coffee or tea, you could remove a whopping one kilo of saturated fat from your diet in just one year (based on three cups a day).