“Consuming 3-A-Day of Dairy – 3 daily servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt – is an easy way for families to get a powerful punch of nutrients to help build stronger bones, healthy bodies and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. In addition, a growing body of research suggests that enjoying 3 servings of dairy a day as part of a nutrient-rich, balanced diet may help maintain a healthy weight.”
Furthermore, research shows that on average, Americans are only getting half of the recommended 3 servings of dairy they need each day.
Now, I’m not one to go boasting about being below average, but let’s just say that when it comes to dairy consumption, I am – more accurately, I was – definitely below average. So when I had the opportunity to host this Boston-area blogger meet-up event, I jumped at the chance to learn more about how to incorporate these important elements into my diet and my family’s diets as well.
If you’re at all like me, and I bet that you are – then you know that mornings can be hectic. Beyond hectic. I have a four-month-old infant to feed, a preschooler and a husband to get out the door every morning. In getting them ready, I strive to get them to eat something healthy before they go. Even before getting involved with the 3-A-Day of Dairy folks, I definitely incorporated milk, cheese and yogurt into our breakfast/morning routine. My preschooler starts off the morning with a cup of milk. Some mornings she’ll have cereal with milk and some mornings its yogurt mixed with raisins or fresh fruit. Some mornings she’s cranky and not into sitting down for breakfast. On mornings such as these, I’ll hand her a stick of string cheese and a cereal bar and she is good to go.
As far as I’m concerned, getting three servings a day of dairy into your kids isn’t the biggest challenge. The bigger challenge, at least in my house, is getting the adults to do so as well! My husband isn’t the biggest breakfast eater, and truth be told, he’s usually rushing around checking e-mail and trying to find a clean shirt in the morning. Sitting down to eat breakfast doesn’t fit into the equation, so I try to make sure I’ve got something I can hand him on his way out the door that he can eat on the fly. As for me, I’m trying to orchestrate the morning routine, so something on the fly works for me as well. Creating a breakfast on-the-go isn’t hard in and of itself and here are some ways I make it work:
- Smoothies – We are huge fans of “to go” mugs in our house. It takes literally under five minutes to throw some low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt, ice and fresh or frozen fruit into a blender and whirl away.
- Coffee or Tea – Speaking of those “to go” cups – you know we’re all constantly on–the- go, so I find myself pouring my mug of coffee or tea into a “to go” cup when I need to leave the house. And into that coffee or tea is always a serving of fat-free milk.
- Breakfast Burrito – Many mornings, I’ll heat up a wheat tortilla in a skillet. Next, I’ll scramble an egg with a bit of fat-free milk, shredded mozzarella and a handful of finely chopped veggies. After rolling up the tortilla, I’ll wrap it in foil et voila! A super yummy, take-it-with-you breakfast.
That is how we fit dairy into our busy morning routine. I’d love to hear how you fit dairy into your own busy morning routine.
