Abstract
As a staple food and dense source of nutrients, milk and alternatives play an important role in nutrient adequacy. The aims of this study were to quantify the consumption of milk and alternatives within Canadian self-selected diets and determine their contribution to intakes of nutrients and energy. First, 24-h dietary recalls from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey—Nutrition were used to assess 1-d food and nutrient intakes among Canadian adults ≥19 y (n = 13,616). Foods were classified as milk and alternatives according to the 2007 Canada’s Food Guide. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate daily servings of milk and alternatives by different age groups and demographic characteristics. Population ratios were used to discern their contribution to total intakes of nutrients and energy. Mean daily servings (±SE) were highest for milk (0.60 ± 0.02) and cheese (0.42 ± 0.01), intermediate for frozen dairy (0.16 ± 0.01) and yoghurt (0.14 ± 0.01), and lowest for soy and other dairy (<0.03). Intakes were lowest among Canadians 51 + y (1.3 ± 0.03), females (1.25 ± 0.03), non-Caucasians (1.06 ± 0.05), those with less than a secondary education (1.19 ± 0.05), and British Columbians (1.17 ± 0.05). Milk and alternatives contributed >20% to total intakes of calcium (52.62 ± 0.46%), vitamin D (38.53 ± 0.78%), saturated fat (28.84 ± 0.51%), vitamin B12 (27.73 ± 0.57%), vitamin A (26.16 ± 0.58%), phosphorus (24.76 ± 0.35%), and riboflavin (24.43 ± 0.37%), of which milk was the top source. Milk and alternatives contribute substantially to nutrient intakes and thus warrant further attention in terms of mitigating nutrient inadequacy among the Canadian population.
Highlights
Dairy is a dense source of essential nutrients, ranging from vitamins and minerals to high-quality protein
The aims of this study were to quantify the consumption of milk and alternatives within the self-selected diets of Canadian adults, as well as their contribution to total intakes of nutrients and energy based on data from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)—Nutrition
This study found that adults 51+ y consume fewer servings of milk and alternatives compared to those 19–50 y, despite the higher number of servings recommended
Summary
Dairy is a dense source of essential nutrients, ranging from vitamins and minerals to high-quality protein. It is important to quantify the consumption and contribution of dairy to nutrient intakes as a means of implementing proper policies to ensure the overall health of Canadians. Over the past two decades, the intake of fluid milk has been declining concurrently with a rise in the consumption of solid dairy foods, such as Nutrients 2019, 11, 1948; doi:10.3390/nu11081948 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients. Nutrients 2019, 11, 1948 cheese and yoghurt [3] These changes can be attributed to the large proportion of elderly people in the Canadian population, a demographic known to consume fewer beverages such as milk [4,5]. Shifts in dairy consumption can be caused by changing dietary preferences and the increasing popularity of plant-based alternatives, such as soy, coconut, and almond beverages [4,6]
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