Dairy products are an excellent source of nutrients, including calcium, protein, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins A and D. In addition to helping build strong bones, eating lowfat dairy products can help reduce your risk of hypertension and certain cancers, and can play a role in better weight management, too!    
(Source: National Dairy Council)

Nutrient Content of Selected Dairy Foods

Selected nutritional information for some common dairy products is shown below. More detailed nutrient content for these and a variety of other dairy products can be found on the Nutrient Data Laboratory website, listed in the Resources section that follows.

*Lactose content provided for lowfat yogurt; lactose content of whole milk and nonfat yogurt might differ slightly from this range.     (Source: National Dairy Council, Newer Knowledge of Dairy Foods)
 

The following resources provide more information on dairy nutrition.

National Dairy Council
Offers a wealth of dairy nutrition-related information targeted towards health professionals, media, and consumers. Newer Knowledge of Dairy Foods provides information on the characteristics, nutrient content, and health benefits of various dairy products and users can also access research from the National Dairy Council on topics such as Calcium and Weight Management and Lactose Intolerance.

Nutrition Explorations
Dairy Management, Inc.
With sections targeted towards kids, educators, parents, and school foodservice, this site is all about making good nutrition a fun part of kids' lives. The site offers fun nutrition-related activities for kids, tips for parents on how to stock a healthy kitchen, activities and materials for teachers to use in the classroom, and articles and other resources for sprucing up school menus.

Good For You Cheese
American Dairy Association
Part of the Cheese Guide on ILoveCheese.com, this section includes several articles on cheese and nutrition, frequently asked questions on Cheese & Your Diet, Calcium, and Cheese & Lactose Intolerance, and tips for fitting cheese into a healthy diet.

Got Milk?
National Milk Processor Promotion Board
In addition to being the home of the milk mustache, with celebrity pictures and free milk-related downloads, this site offers a collection of milk recipes and several articles on milk and nutrition.

Milk Matters Calcium Education Campaign
National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
Milk Matters is a nationwide campaign dedicated to increasing calcium consumption among America's children and teens. Milk Matters focuses on educating people about the importance of calcium for building strong and healthy bones.

Osteoporosis Clinical Center & Research Program
The Center, located at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, provides clinical evaluation and treatment of persons with osteoporosis and related bone disorders. Their website offers information about osteoporosis and related diseases and the procedures used to treat them. The Education page covers osteoporosis risk factors, prevention steps such as good nutrition and exercise, diagnosis, medication, and tips on preventing falls.

National Osteoporosis Foundation
This site offers comprehensive information about osteoporosis, including risk factors, symptoms, prevalence among men and women, tips on prevention, and approved medications for the prevention and/or treatment of the disease.

American Dietetic Association
ADA's dynamic website contains a wealth of nutrition information for consumers and the media, featuring approximately 3,000 pages of content from news releases and consumer tips to Nutrition Fact Sheets, consumer FAQs and the Good Nutrition Reading List. Consumers seeking the services of a registered dietitian can use the "Find a Nutrition Professional" feature on ADA's website. In addition, the site offers links to many other nutrition-oriented sites.

Nutrient Data Laboratory
Agricultural Research Service
The Nutrient Database search available on this site allows users to look up the nutrient content of 6,220 different foods. The detailed report on each food item includes calories, grams of protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and fat, as well as amounts of minerals, such as calcium and iron, and over a dozen different vitamins.