Delightful Dairy

(CARLSBAD, CA) - Throw your preconceived notions about dairy foods out the window! If you’ve been avoiding milk, yogurt and cheese in an effort to control your weight and keep your body healthy, it’s time to rethink your diet.

Dairy products are making a big comeback as recent research extols their virtues. Let’s start with weight. A study performed by researchers at the University of Tennessee and published in the October 2004 issue of “Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter” observed greater weight loss in participants who consumed dairy products as part of their daily diet than those who took either a calcium supplement or placebo pill. (Interestingly, the group taking the calcium supplement lost more than the participants who took the placebo but less than participants who got their calcium from dairy products.)

In addition, as reported in “Obesity Research,” study participants who consumed 1,200 to 1,300 milligrams of calcium a day from dairy products (approximately two 8-ounce glasses of milk and one 8-ounce serving of plain yogurt) lost more abdominal fat than those who consumed the same amount of calcium from a mix of supplements and dairy foods.

Why does dairy make a difference? Experts believe that dairy products block production of the hormone calcitriol, which directs fat cells to conserve their energy stores and slows the fat-burning process.

But the fun doesn’t stop with weight. Dairy products are also credited with easing arthritis, decreasing the risk of colorectal cancer, relieving pre-menstrual symptoms, protecting against insulin resistance and, of course, building healthy bones.

An Israeli study indicates that yogurt may act as an effective anti-inflammatory for arthritis sufferers. A French study found that people who ate the most yogurt had half as many pre-cancerous colon polyps than individuals who ate no yogurt. Taiwan research shows a positive relationship between yogurt and peptic ulcers, chronic gastritis and possibly stomach cancer. Researchers believe the active cultures in yogurt suppress H. pylon infections by lowering bacteria concentrations.

In addition, calcium reduces PMS symptoms according to a study published in the “American Journal of Obstetrics, which found that participants who received calcium reported significant reductions in monthly pain, food cravings, mood swings and water retention. A review of diet data collected from more than 3,000 adults ages 18 to 30 also revealed a correlation between dairy consumption and the onset of insulin resistance syndrome, a precursor to type 2 diabetes. Overweight subjects who ate 35 or more servings of dairy per week were 72 percent less likely to develop insulin resistance than those who consumed 10 servings or less per week.

Unfortunately, 75 percent of women don’t meet their calcium needs, according to the American Dietetic Association. With the plethora of sugary soft drinks, children often do not get adequate calcium either. So the next time you’re in the grocery store, suggests Judi Sheppard Missett, Jazzercise CEO, don’t breeze through the dairy aisle. Pick up some low- or non-fat milk, yogurt and cheese to round out your diet!

Weight bearing exercise is also important for building and maintaining bone density.  Try the following standing leg lift to strengthen your leg and hip muscles while improving balance and posture. 

Begin by standing next to a chair or other stable surface.  Stand tall with your heels together and your toes turned out slightly in a “V” shape. Place your left hand on the chair for balance.  Shift your weight onto your left foot and extend your right leg out in front of you, keeping your knee turned outward. 

Next lift your right leg up and across your body, reaching your foot toward the chair.  Keep your leg turned out as you do this, so the inside of your foot faces upward and you work your inner thigh muscles.  Pause briefly before lowering your leg to the floor.  Try to keep your hips still and your upper body lifted tall as you move.  Repeat 10 to 15 times before changing to the other leg.   

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 6,800 instructors teaching 30,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information on Jazzercise go to jazzercise.com or call (800)FIT-IS-IT or (760)476-1750.

Courtesy of Jazzercise, Inc. - jazzercise.com