The Magic of Moo Juice

Continued from our Retreat & Renew Daily Tip.

Nature’s number-one source of bone-building calcium, dairy products aren’t just essential for keeping your skeleton strong. Here, three recently discovered ways that dairy might enhance your health:

More Diet Success. Upping your dairy intake may lead to greater weight loss when dieting, according to a 2010 study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Over the course of two years, study members who consumed 580 mg of calcium from food sources daily lost about 12 pounds. Those who averaged about 150 mg of dairy calcium per day, meanwhile, lost only seven pounds.

Better Diabetes Defense. Found in milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter, a compound called trans-palmitoleic acid may cut your risk of type 2 diabetes, a 2010 report from the Annals of Internal Medicine shows.

Less Fat, More Muscle. In a 2010 study from Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, women who downed two glasses a milk after their strength-training sessions gained more muscle and lost more fat (compared to those who drank sugar-based energy drinks).

To boost the benefits of dairy, choose organic products instead of the conventional variety. Possibly richer in heart-healthy fats, organic dairy comes from cows that are never treated with antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones (substances linked to increased cancer incidence in some studies).