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Dairy: Why is it Important?

Dairy foods are recommended as part of a balanced diet. Many people do not consider dairy products an important component needed for overall health. Here are important facts to consider before making a decision whether or not stop drinking milk. Milk provides (9) nine essential nutrients and they are:

Protein: Builds and repairs muscles, it is an energy source used during physical activity. Recent studies have shown that drinking milk after an endurance workout may help reduce muscle damage and improve muscle recovery, which in turn may help the body perform better during its next workout.

Calcium: Helps to grow healthy bones and teeth, avoid osteoporosis and is needed for muscle function, nerve function, and blood clotting.

Vitamin D: Needed for calcium and phosphorus absorption to make bones stronger and reduce the risk of bone fracture. It helps the immune system fight chronic diseases and certain cancers.

Potassium: Helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure and is needed for muscle and nerve function.

Phosphorus: It provides energy in the body's cells. Main function is the formation of bones and teeth. Phosphorus works with the B vitamins in kidney function, muscle contraction; normal heart beat and nerve signaling.

Vitamin B12: Keep nerve cells and red blood cells healthy, and assists in making DNA.

Riboflavin: It helps to convert food into energy.

Niacin: It is required for the function of many enzymes and to use the energy in carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Niacin is needed for DNA repair and for the normal use of calcium in the body.

Vitamin A: Aids in normal vision, keeps skin healthy, helps the immune system, and promotes normal growth.

These are some of many other nutrients in milk. For example, fats in milk are another important component for a child’s brain development.

The dairy group includes milk, yogurt and cheese. Other process foods such as cream cheese, cream, and butter are not included due to a reduction or lose of calcium content and other nutrients, and they are high in fat.

There are some people that cannot tolerate lactose, the sugar in milk, or casein, the protein in milk. As an alternative to milk, lactose intolerant people can choose hard cheese and yogurt, canned fish with bones, soy products, and leafy greens such as collard greens, turnip greens, kale, and bok choy. It is important to eat the foods rather than the use of calcium supplements since other nutrients in foods play an important part in the use and absorption of calcium.  
 
Dairy foods in MyPlate recommends eating between 2 and 3 cups of milk or milk products every day depending on age, sex, and level of physical activity. Go to myplate.gov to create your personal plan.

Source: Healthy Dairy Choices for my Plate - http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1181

The Affordable Care Act: When Scams Follow the News

May 10, 2013
by Tracey Thomas
Attorney, Division of Marketing Practices, FTC

The Affordable Care Act is in the news lately. And one thing we’ve learned at the Federal Trade Commission is that scams often follow the news. Natural disaster? Charity scams will follow. Implementation of a major new law affecting millions of people? Scammers will be there.
To cut through some of the clutter in the environment with all the articles and discussion of the Act, here’s one key fact to hold onto that can help spot and avoid scams:

You can’t sign up yet.
Enrollment in the new Health Insurance Marketplace doesn’t start until October 1, 2013. Anyone who claims to be able to sign you up sooner is trying to scam you. Please report them.

We’ve heard from consumers and from other federal agencies that scammers are trying to convince people to act now. Scammers always want to get your money before you have time to stop and think. So remember that date: October 1, 2013. That’s the first time anyone, anywhere can sign up for health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. 

And please: if you see someone trying to enroll people for health insurance under the Act before October 1, 2013, say something. We can only investigate the scams we know about, so every report helps us find and stop the bad guys. Thanks in advance!

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/affordable-care-act-when-scams-follow-news#.UY0yYmpXDWg.email

Conditioning Your Air Conditioner

As summer approaches, it is important to make sure that your air conditioning unit is ready to handle the summer workload. Click here for a list of things you can do to help keep your AC in good working condition.

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