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Health |
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Dairy products are a major part of our diet. They provide items that are indispensable for good health, calcium, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. We are going to show you why dairy products are indispensable in our diet.
Have a nice surf … |
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CHOLESTEROL |
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Fat and health, what about cholesterol? |
The reproaches made in terms of butter, unfortunately, often overshadow its nutritional qualities. It is often accused of "making you fat", "containing cholesterol" and
"too rich in saturated fatty acids that increase cholesterol and
favour cardiovascular diseases”.
But we now know that reality is a little more complex than that: if excess fatty acid can increase cholesterol (cholesterol rate), each fatty acid does not have the same impact and opinions on some fatty acids are in the process
of changing, especially for myristic acid which increase the amount of
good cholesterol (HDL). |
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Butter contains from 240 to 280 mg of cholesterol per 100g and cream 100mg. They contribute to about 6% of the cholesterol consumed in France. But, especially with persons in good health, dietary intake of cholesterol has little influence on cholesterol levels. Indeed, cholesterol in the organism comes from two sources: 2/3 is synthesised by the liver and only 1/3 is obtained through food (300 to 400 mg per day per person, of which a portion is not absorbed). In addition, there is a regulation system: when intake goes down, hepatic synthesis goes up and inversely.
Here, genetics seems to play a major role. If some people increase their cholesterol level (or their LDL/HDL) after consuming dairy fat, others do not change it at all and others even decrease it!
A study published in 2004 in the reputable British Journal of Nutrition concludes that there is no link between the consumption of dairy fat and the risk of having a first myocardial infarction. On the contrary, the fact of consuming this (within reasonable amounts of course) has even a beneficial impact on several cardiovascular risk factors!
Also note that the French are the biggest consumers of butter (8 kg per year) in Europe and yet, according to WHO, their cardiovascular mortality rate is the lowest in the world.
And if diet plays a role in terms of the heart, the traditional French-style dietary model with a varied dietary intake with 3 meals a day, based on friendliness, pleasure and flavour seems to be success for them. |
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What is cholesterol used for? |
Cholesterol is indispensable for life. It serves to build and maintain the membranes that surround the cells, is necessary to synthesise some hormones, especially sexual ones, contributes in producing biliary acids that play a role in digesting fat. In addition, it contributes in the biosynthesis of vitamin D.
Furthermore, butter contains liposoluble vitamins (fat soluble). In considerable quantities, vitamin A, important for growth, resistance to infection, vision…. And vitamin D which encourages the assimilation and attachment of calcium on bones.
(according to the CERIN review, May 2005) |
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Some answers to preconceived notions |
No! Excessive consumption of fat of animal origin does indeed encourage the production of cholesterol. But is too much cholesterol that is detrimental, not cholesterol itself. Stress, tobacco, lack of physical activity, and also heredity are preponderant risk factors. |
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There are no bad fats. Only consumption that is not adapted in terms of quantity and quality. And don't forget that lipids (fat) in milk are part of the largest sources of vitamins A and D. |
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The butyric fat (milk fat) content cannot be less than 80%
Extra fine butter: made exclusively from pasteurised cream, that has not been frozen, deep frozen or de-acidified. Its manufacture began no later than 72 hours after the milk was collected or from cream and 48 hours after milk skimming.
Churned butter: this name only applies to butters that have been manufactured exclusively with a butter churn during the entire production cycle.
Salted butter: salt content exceeding 3%
Half-salted butter : salt content from 0.8 to 3% In order to enhance the flavour and taste qualities of these butters, they can be salted with sea salt and even better with Guérande salt. |
Very simple: use a half butter half oil mixture. Why doesn't that burn? Nobody knows, but it truly does not burn.
Traditional: clarify the butter. Very easy to do, even if it requires 2 min of attention; this is the method recommended by chefs. It consists in carefully melting the butter and skimming off the white parts (casein residue) floating on the surface or, even more simple, use a Chinese cone. |
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If you put a pat of butter on your green beans or on your puree, mix well. Avoid putting the food back on the burner to cook. In this way, you'll retain all of the butter's good taste.
In a soup, don't hesitate to add a pat of butter. Heated by the soup, it will enhance the soup with its flavour and will serve as a binder. |
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Colour your roast in a saucepan with a little butter before baking in the oven: it will be even more juicy.
Butter is nice, when it melts, it lets you know that it is just hot enough to cook with. When it is whispering, it is time to add the piece of food to be braised. And don't let it burn, you'll lose all of the advantages that cooking with butter offers. |
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Calcium |
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What is calcium used for? |
Basic constituent of bone, this mineral is indispensable in building the skeleton and in maintaining your bone capital all throughout life.
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If 99% of the calcium is located in the skeleton, the remaining 1%, present in the cells and extra-cellular fluids, including blood, is nevertheless vital. It plays an essential role in blood pressure, by participating in the prevention of high blood pressure, and in decreasing the risk of kidney stones
Of course dairy calcium intervenes as a pair with phosphorus in teeth constitution and solidity. With saliva, associated with dairy protein, calcium slows down tooth substance loss and accelerates remineralisation. |
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How does it work in the body? |
Since the body does not know how to make it, it must come entirely from food intake.
But this serves no purpose if it is incorrectly assimilated and if it is eliminated by the organism without having played its role. It must first be assimilated by the intestine, this is absorbability, and then be attached to the bones. |
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Dairy calcium is recognised as the reference calcium. It is particularly well absorbed, especially thanks to the presence of certain nutrients in milk: protein, lactose (milk sugar), vitamin D (for non-skimmed products). The calcium/phosphorus ratio is very good since it exceeds 1, which is indispensable for calcium to be retained by the bone. Finally, most dairy products contain a large quantity of it.
On the average, in the French diet, dairy products provide 70% of the calcium, the rest comes from vegetables (16%), water (7%), cereal products (4%), and meat and fish (3%). Without dairy products, it is difficult to satisfy your needs in calcium.
If the dietary intake of calcium is neglected, the organism dips into its reserves especially in the skeleton which over the long term will become fragile. In children, a lack of calcium can lead to less growth, in adolescence, bones that are not as solid and then later, as an adult, an increased risk of osteoporosis and therefore less resistance to fractures. |
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What are the body's needs in calcium? |
| Recommended allowances are: (in milligrams per day) |
| Children 1 - 3 years old
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500 |
| Children 4 - 6 years old |
700 |
| Children 7 - 9 years old |
900 |
| Adolescent 10 - 19 years old |
1200 |
Women over the age of 55
And men over the age of 65 |
1200 |
Pregnant or breast-feeding women |
1000 |
All dairy products to not provide the same amounts of calcium, that's why it is recommended to vary them. For example, there are 300g of calcium in:
1 bowl of 250 ml of whole, semi-skimmed or skimmed milk
2 yoghurts
30g of emmental
80g of camembert
40g of blue cheese
300g of cottage cheese
Each day, the body eliminates 500 mg of bone calcium. The National Health and Nutrition Programme recommends eating 3 dairy products a day,
and even 4 for children and adolescents. |
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What foods contain a lot of calcium? |
| Dairy products, some vegetables, or fruits. |
For example: 1 bowl of milk is the same as 1Kg of oranges, 850g of green cabbage, 120g of almonds
Are fruits and vegetables enough to meet our needs in calcium?
No, these foods can supplement the allowance in calcium for dairy products but cannot replace them. They contain much less calcium and furthermore, assimilation of calcium from vegetables is much lower, due to the oxalic acid or sodium phytate content, and the fibres also reduce calcium absorption.
Can soya juice replace milk?
No, it contains up to 8 times less calcium than milk. And even if it is enriched with calcium, this addition won't be assimilated as well due to the lack of vitamin D and the presence of sodium phytate, which risks making it insoluble. |
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Answers to frequently-asked questions |
This is a basic constituent of bone, it is indispensable in building the skeleton and in maintaining bone capital all throughout life. It also plays a role in blood pressure, blood clotting, muscular and heart activity, nerve impulse transmission, etc…. |
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Since the body cannot make it, calcium must be obtained through food intake. But this serves no purpose if it is incorrectly assimilated and if it is eliminated by the organism without having played its role. It must first be assimilated at an intestinal level, this is absorbability, and then be attached by the bones. |
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Dairy calcium is recognised as the reference calcium. It is particularly well absorbed, especially thanks to the presence of certain nutrients that are present in milk: protein, lactose (milk sugar), vitamin D (for non-skimmed dairy products). The calcium/phosphorus ratio is very good because it exceeds 1, allowing the bone to retain the calcium. Finally, dairy products contain a large quantity of it. |
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For the reasons mentioned in the previous question, it is well affixed to the skeleton. It reaches a record absorption rate of 30 to 35%, compared to 5 to 13% for spinach and watercress, 23% for enriched soya juice. The more calcium is absorbed, the more it is attached to the bone. |
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Bone is a living tissue that is constantly being reshaped, allowing the skeleton to be renewed 3 to 4 times in a lifetime. Every day it loses calcium, which is why a regular supply is needed. Dairy products have the particularity of having the same composition in terms of the combination of minerals and nutrients as bone does. It participates in an optimal manner in the regenerating mechanism. |
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Indeed, the organism loses cells every day. The calcium in dairy products, associated with the action of their proteins, is indispensable for cellular renewal. |
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Yes, it increases calcium fixation on the bone and makes it possible to form a high amount of bone capital during childhood and adolescence. This action is a powerful way to prevent bone disease in adulthood. |
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Various studies have made it possible to reveal positive relationships between dairy calcium intake and weight regulation, the fight against high blood pressure, prevention of colon cancer, against the formation of kidney stones, and the prevention of tooth cavities…. |
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LAÏTA
60, avenue du Baron Lacrosse
ZI de Kergaradec
F-29806 Brest Cedex 9 |
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Tel: 33 (0) 2 98 42 54 25
Fax: 33 (0) 2 98 42 46 10
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