The president of FINUT reiterates the importance of dairy products on World Milk Day
Proteins are one of the pillars of nutrition. The body needs to be facilitated through food because it can not generate them by itself. The quantity to be supplied varies according to the needs of each organism. Children in the growth phase, pregnant women or athletes are among the groups with the greatest need for them, although they are also necessary in cases like our elders, since it is an essential element for a good general functioning of our organism, at any age and in any situation.
When establishing the sources to obtain proteins, our food tradition has put at our disposal two large families of suppliers. On the one hand, there are proteins of vegetable origin and, on the other, those of animal origin. A complete diet should be one that meets the requirements of the body, favoring its optimal functioning and contributing to good general health.
In this sense, the combination of both plant and animal proteins has been the way in which the Mediterranean Diet has fulfilled our protein requirements. In this way, foods such as legumes or cereals coexist with lean meats, milk and dairy products. The proper protagonism of all these elements contributes to the fact that the whole has been endorsed as one of the healthiest diets in the world.
Importance of quality
To follow a Mediterranean Diet it is necessary to incorporate into our day to day all the food groups that it includes, following their frequency and quantity patterns. Milk, yoghurts and cheeses are one of the main suppliers of proteins, vitamins and minerals. As stated by the doctor in Biology, professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Granada and president of the Ibero-American Nutrition Foundation, FINUT, Ángel Gil, “milk and dairy products have a very high biological quality protein, that the use of its components is maximum “.
According to the also president of the Scientific Committee of the European Program Say yes to at least 3 dairy products per day, “the proteins of the milk are used in a 98 percent, while the proteins of vegetable origin are only used in a 60- 65 percent. ” For Ángel Gil, “milk, yoghurts and cheese stand out, also, for their high micronutrient density. The mineral content, such as calcium, phosphorus, selenium, copper or zinc, all of them essential, and the vitamins of group B, A and D, are an argument to take into account when including them in our diet. ” In addition, the presence of some nutrients, such as lactose, facilitates the absorption of some of them and modulates the intestinal microbiota.
As the maximum representative of FINUT and of the Scientific Committee of the European Program, Ángel Gil defends the presence of milk, yoghurts and cheeses as an accessible and easy way to take care of the contribution of proteins and micronutrients that our body needs.
Through the “Program for the promotion of milk and milk products within the framework of adequate dietary practices”, Inlac and the European Commission give a solid and joint response to the need to promote the presence of milk and milk products in the daily life of Spanish citizens, besides encouraging physical activity as a strategy against health problems related to food, overweight and obesity.
Source: Milk Interprofessional Organization
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