Giving up milk, yoghurt and cheese can have serious consequences — if you don't plan it right.

A cup of milk, a 200g tub of yoghurt and a slice of hard cheese — that’s all you need to eat each day to hit the two-and-a-half serves of dairy recommended by the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

As anyone who’s ever accidentally overdosed on Greek yoghurt can testify, dairy products are irresistibly delicious. They’re also rich sources of protein, vitamin and minerals (especially calcium), and eating them is linked to a lower disease risk — including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.

But according to the Australian Health Survey, only one in eight Aussie men meets his daily dairy target, and for women it’s even lower: a mere one in 14.

Why such a big gender difference? Sharon Natoli, accredited practicing dietitian and director at Food and Nutrition Australia, says one reason is that women are generally more concerned about their weight — and there’s a perception that, if you’re struggling to squeeze into your skinny jeans, dairy is the culprit.

But as the Dietary Guidelines point out, recent evidence suggests dairy consumption isn’t actually associated with weight change or an increased risk of obesity. (Note that “dairy consumption” implies consumption of the recommended serves — not downing an entire cheese platter by yourself.)

And in a cruel twist of fate, cutting back on dairy in an attempt to shed weight could actually make it harder to lose.

“Including dairy foods as part of a low-kilojoule diet has been shown to result in better weight loss than a low-kilojoule diet with low amounts of dairy foods,” Natoli tells Coach.

Other Australians fail to meet their dairy targets because they believe dairy products make them feel bloated or sluggish.

“More women report these types of feelings compared to men — two thirds of people with irritable bowel syndrome are women, for example,” Natoli says.

Going vegan

Veganism is so hot right now. Even if you’re not cutting out animal products altogether, plant-based “flexitarian” diets are becoming more and more popular.

By their nature, vegan and vegetarian diets include no or low amounts of dairy (no, those gross “vegan cheese” abominations don’t cut it), meaning it’s dangerously easy to miss out on vital nutrients — especially calcium, which can lead to weak bones if you don’t get enough in the long term.

The good news is that you can absolutely hit your nutrient targets if you go vegan — if you plan your diet right.

“Substitutes like soy milk, or other plant-based milk like almond or rice milk, need to be fortified with calcium to provide the same amount as that found in milk,” says Natoli, advising that you check the label to ensure extra calcium has been added.

She cautions that plant-based milks are usually more processed than cow’s milk — something to consider if you’re a vegan trying to cut back on your intake of processed foods.

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It’s also not like dairy products have a monopoly on calcium. According to the Dietary Guidelines, a serve of dairy has the same calcium level as 100g of almonds with skin, 60g of sardines canned in water, half a cup of canned pink salmon with bones, and 100g of firm tofu (again, check the label to be sure).

“Some not-so-obvious plant-based sources of calcium include amaranth, which has 120mg calcium per cup cooked; soy beans, 150mg per three-quarter cup cooked; kale, 96mg per half cup steamed; fresh and dried figs, 75mg for four fresh or two dried; and tahina and almond butter, 40mg per half tablespoon of each,” adds Natali.

Compare that to the 320mg of calcium in a cup of standard milk, or the 438mg in a cup of Pauls PhysiCAL milk, a dairy product endorsed by Natoli.

The calcium science wannabe vegans need to know

FYI, the calcium in dairy foods has a higher bioavailability (that is, it’s accessed and used more easily by your body) than the calcium in plants.

That’s due to the presence in dairy of factors that enhance absorption such as lactose and vitamin D, explains Natoli, whereas the calcium in plants has lower bioavailability due to the presence of inhibitors such as phytic acid and oxalic acid.

“Some vegetables are lower in these components than others, so understanding these types of issues becomes important when following a vegan diet,” Natoli says.

Don’t think that you can meet your calcium goals just by popping a supplement, either — pills are not a replacement for whole foods.

“Calcium is just one nutrient and the human body needs many nutrients for optimal health and wellbeing,” says Natoli.

“A supplement of a single nutrient is therefore not equivalent to eating whole foods, which are complex mixtures of not only vitamins and minerals, like calcium, but also provide protein, fibre, antioxidants and other substances that have health benefits.”

Ultimately, you need to do some research (which might mean consulting a dietitian) before you go vegan or cut back on dairy: be aware that you’ll have to meet your nutritional requirements from a more limited range of foods, and that you’ll have a harder time choosing when you’re shopping or eating out.

And that you’ll seriously tick off your friends if you keep harping on about your new vegan regime…

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