National Registered Dietitian Day

Today is National Registered Dietitian Day!  But what, exactly, does a registered dietitian do?

 A registered dietitian, or RD, is a versatile professional who helps families, communities, and individuals make their diet the healthiest (and best tasting!) it can be.

These are just some of the ways registered dietitians have made a difference in the lives of others:

Many people have pre-diabetes. Registered dietitians change lives by teaching them skills to avoid the disease.

A registered dietitian can work with public health, government, school and other local leaders to create wellness programs that promote healthful eating and physical activity for everyone in a community.

Registered dietitians assist marketing managers with making the connection between taste and health and work with food scientists to develop new products that will be successful in the marketplace.

Athletes at any level can improve their performance with the help of an RD.

A registered dietitian can teach anyone basic cooking skills to help them prepare nutritious food in a convenient way.

Click here to find out more or find a registered dietitian in Indiana!  

Nourishing the Nourishers: What Do Dairy Cows Eat?

By Jackie of Winners Drink Milk

Since it's National Nutrition Month, it's a good time to think about how what you are putting on your plate. However, good nutrition isn't just important for humans--it's also a huge part of keeping a dairy cow happy, sassy and healthy. Feeding a dairy cow isn't an accident--she doesn't just wander around a farm, eating whatever's laying around before sauntering into the milking parlor. Indiana has grazing and non-grazing dairies and both forms pay a great deal of attention of what is going in their cows' mouths. Grazing dairies seed and care for their pastures to make sure cows are getting good quality forage to eat, as well as rotating cows on and off pastures so the grass has time to rest and regrow after being munched on. Many grazing dairies will also supplement the cows' diets during winter with hay or grain.

   

Non-grazing dairies often feed something called a "total mixed ration" or TMR. This ration could contain grassy forages, grains, and vitamin and mineral supplements. The TMR is a way to make sure cows eat all the tasty bits, like the silage and ground corn, while still getting the vitamins and minerals she needs. It's basically like a casserole for cows and works the same way feeding green bean casserole to kids does--it tastes good and is all mixed together so little Sally eats her greens without really realizing it. So what's actually in the TMR? The specific ingredients vary from farm to farm, just like the dinner menu would vary from family to family but common ingredients include:

• Corn silage--a chopped up corn plant
• Hayledge--chopped and fermented hay
• Soybean meal--ground up soybeans
• Corn--corn kernels, either whole, ground or fermented
• Distiller's grains--essentially leftover corn, a byproduct of ethanol production
• Brewer's grains--leftover malt grains from beer production
• Wheatledge--chopped and fermented wheat
• Cotton seed--the seed leftover once the cotton fibers have been removed, a byproduct of cotton textile production
• Beet pulp--a byproduct of manufacturing sugar from sugar beets
• Vitamin and mineral supplements

There's an old saying that "an army marches on its stomach" and this holds true to dairy farming, too--a cow produces only as much milk as her diet allows. That's why farmers spend so much time crafting, mixing, feeding, testing and re-imagining their cows' diets.

3 Every Day

By Diane Ruyack of Winners Drink Milk

Start the New Year off with 3 tips for healthy eating especially 3 Every Day of Dairy may help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, hypertension, obesity, colon cancer, and metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that can lead to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Nutrient-rich foods give you the most vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for the fewest calories. To live well, build your daily eating plan on a variety of nutrient-rich foods such as:

•      Fat-free and low fat milk, cheese and yogurt

•      Brightly colored fruits and 100% fruit juices

•      Vibrant-colored vegetables

•      Whole, fortified and fiber-rich grain foods

•      Lean meats, skinless poultry, fish, eggs, beans and nuts

These tips can help you get your Food Group foods—fast:

•      Order a latte made with fat-free or low fat milk.

•      Make oatmeal or tomato soup with milk instead of water.

•      Stock up on cheese sticks, yogurt cups and yogurt drinks for calcium-rich snacks.

•      Top fruit with your favorite yogurt for a homemade parfait dessert.

•      At work keep some desk drawer stashes that will contribute nutrients and fiber to your daily diet.

•      Instant oatmeal packets in flavors such as cinnamon, apple, banana and blueberry.

•      Vegetable, bean, split pea or lentil soups in heat-and-serve cans or instant dry soup cups.

•      Small packs or cans of water-packed tuna and small cans of veggies (don’t forget the can opener!).

•      A jar of peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter and crackers.

•      Light microwave popcorn. Bonus: popcorn is a whole grain food.

•      Raisins, dried apricots and single-serve shelf-stable containers of peaches or pears packed in water or juice.

•      Single-serve containers of 100% fruit juice such as orange juice.

In addition, you may want to keep an insulated bag with string cheese, frozen yogurt and/or UHT chocolate milk for a great desk side snack. The New Year is a great time to make changes in what you eat. Remember it takes 21 days to change a habit so start now eating nutrient rich foods and cut out or reduce those foods that have little nutrients but a lot of calories.  You will feel better and your body will thank you by having more energy and hopefully less illnesses.

What Dairy Farmers Want You to Know About Dairy Farming

By Kimmi Devaney of American Dairy Association of Indiana, Inc.

 “Few other occupations require the passion and commitment that dairy farming does.  Time management and dedicated best management practices are essential for a sound and efficient operation. Managing an operation with enough scale to allow for individual time away for family members is critical for personal family involvement. However, a dairy quickly becomes a family venture as it allows for family members of all ages to be involved at a level that their age and development provides. It's easy to see why dairy farms are nearly all family farms because of the close ties they bring to families.” –Dave Forgey, Logansport, Indiana

“Dairy farmers work hard to make sure the animals are well taken care of and as a result produce nutritious dairy products for consumers.  We also strive to send a safe product to the consumer.  We love our animals!  Without them we would not be where we are today.  They give us a reason to get up every day and make sure they are healthy, fed right, and properly managed, so we can keep being a part of such a wonderful industry!” –Abbie Herr, Kendallville, Indiana

“I want the general public to realize the commitment we as dairy farmers have made to produce a safe, quality product in a responsible manner.” –Kerry Estes, Fountaintown, Indiana

“I want people to think about how hard the farmers work to make milk - and to remember that what your family drinks is the same yummy product that I am feeding to my children. I want them to come and visit to see how the cows have it better than me most days!” –Susan Troyer, Goshen, Indiana

“Nearly every activity that we do on the dairy is centered around one common goal:  To make the cows lives a little more comfortable.  We help to achieve this level of comfort in many ways, by providing:  a fresh balanced diet of hay, corn, vitamins and minerals every single day, fresh clean water to drink, a meticulously groomed bed of sand to sleep on, big fans to keep air fresh and cool, and a water sprinkler shower on hot days.” –Nathan Kuehnert, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Summertime is Smoothie Time!

By Deb Osza of Winners Drink Milk


Smoothies are quick, delicious and easy to make.  During the summer ease your busy schedule and cool off with a smoothie from your own kitchen. Try these recipes or create your own from the ingredients you have on hand.  Got milk?  Have yogurt or some fruit you need to use up?  Pop them together in the blender give them a whirl and enjoy a delicious and powerful punch of nutrients.  These recipes are great for breakfast, desserts or snacks.


Berry Blast Smoothie

Ingredients
 •1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
 •2 (6-ounce) containers fat-free blueberry yogurt
 •1/2 cup fat-free milk
 •1 tablespoon unsalted, natural almond butter
 •1 tablespoon honey

In a blender, add frozen raspberries, yogurt, milk, almond butter and honey. Cover and puree until smooth. Pour into two tall glasses and serve.

(Recipe courtesy of the American Dairy Association & Dairy Council)



Fresh Picked Peach Smoothie

Ingredients
• 3 medium or 2 large fresh peaches with skin, seed removed, sliced
• 2/3 cup low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a single layer on a plate, freeze the sliced peaches for at least 1 hour (or overnight). Add the frozen peach slices, milk, yogurt, honey and vanilla extract to a blender container. Cover and puree until smooth. Pour into 2 chilled glasses.

Note: Freeze any leftover smoothie in popsicle molds for frozen treats anytime.

Recipe by Jackie Newgent, RD, award-winning author of The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook



Mango Yogurt Smoothie

Ingredients
•4-7 ice cubes
•1 cup (8 ounces) plain fat-free yogurt
•3/4 cup mango slices in extra light syrup,* drained
•1 teaspoon sugar substitute (optional)
•mango slices for garnish (optional)

Place ice in bottom of blender. Add yogurt, mango and sugar substitute, if desired. Blend ingredients until smooth.

Pour into a tall glass and garnish with mango slices, if desired.

Serve immediately.

*Mango slices can be found in jars in your grocery store’s produce section.

Recipe created by 3-Every-Day™ of Dairy

By Ryan Hackman of Rose Acre Farms

Have you heard the recent news on eggs? Well, it is pretty eggciting! Recent updates from the American Heart Association no longer provide a specific recommendation on the number fo egg yolks a person can consume in a week! This only helps reinforce what egg lovers have known for years...eggs are one of nature's most nutritious choices for people of all ages. Rich in over 13 essential nutrients, such as selenium, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and riboflavin, it is no wonder eggs are making their way into more than just our Saturday morning omelet! 

Did you know that egg protein is the gold standard of proteins? That's right, one large egg contains six grams of proteins, making a dozen large eggs one of the best values for protein at current supermarket prices. Not only protein, but all eggs contain important amino acids and other valuable nutrients such a Lutein, which studies have shown may aid in the prevention of macular degeneration. But there's even more exciting news for the younger audience. For those who are expecting, Choline provided from eggs helps aid in fetal brain development, making, and because up to 97% of egg protein is in the form of readily available amino acids, it is the perfect choice for the active teenager or twenty something involved in sports or weight training to help build and maintain lean muscle mass. 

To learn more about what eggs have to offer and how other nutrition tips, visit www.enc-online.org

Celebrate National Nutrition Month with us!

By Liz Kelsay of The Indiana Soybean Alliance

As National Nutrition Month comes to an end what better way to celebrate than find a new recipe to make with or for your family. So, as you are planning your meals for this week or making you list for the grocery store be sure to check these out!

Ott, A. over at A Latte with Ott, A. just finished an Iron Chef Challenge using Indiana’s own Red Gold Tomatoes. Check out all the great recipes and a winner should be announced soon!

Leah over at Beyer Beware has “Hunk of Meat Monday’s” where you are sure to find a great recipe for the center of your table!

Gooseberry Patch had a “Recipe Round-Up” last week where over 130 recipes were shared. I would highly recommend the Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies, I made them over the weekend and they were great!

 Sarah from This Farm Family’s Life cooked up a Cheddar Potato Soup that looks awesome!

The Winners Drink Milk blog is celebrating National Nutrition Month by Eating Right with Color – Vegetable Frittata. 

To celebrate National Nutrition Month we are giving away another $50 gift card to your favorite grocery store! Just tell us what you would buy with the card if you won. You can tell us here, on Facebook and/or on twitter! Winner will be announced on Friday.