Milk offers 13 essential nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc, and protein, making it one of the most nutrient-dense beverages and ingredients in your fridge. These nutrients are essential to a healthy immune system and are needed for people of all ages to grow and maintain stronger bodies and minds. In honor of World Milk Day, here are 10 ways to reap the benefits of dairy milk in addition to drinking it by the glass.
Make Delicious Food and Drinks for World Milk Day
- Overnight oats: Greek yogurt and milk add essential dairy nutrients and creaminess to this nutritious breakfast option that “cooks itself”. Customize with your favorite fruit like berries or apples.
- Smoothies: Smoothies are an easy way to incorporate more vegetables, fruit, and dairy into your day. In addition to fruit and mild-tasting vegetables like spinach and riced cauliflower, using milk as the liquid base will help ensure you are getting not one, but three food groups into your glass.
- Scrambled eggs: Milk is the secret ingredient to fluffy scrambled eggs. Use one tablespoon for every egg or egg white.
- Baked goods: Milk not only elevates the nutrition of your homemade muffins, cakes, and brownies, but also the flavor, texture, and moistness.
- Homemade sauces, dressings, and dips: Store-bought condiments are often high in added sugar and artificial ingredients while lacking in the nutrition department. Make your own creamy and nutritious sauces, dressings, and dips at home using low-fat or fat-free milk as the base.
- Cooking grains: Besides stovetop oatmeal, milk can add a creamy boost to savory grain dishes like rice, millet, or farro served alongside vegetables and a lean protein at dinner.
- Coffee: Milk is a great complement to your morning cup of joe that helps remove bitter notes. Add it steamed, frothed, or cold straight out to the fridge.
- Ice cream: This creamy cold dessert with benefits is made with milk, making it a calcium and protein-rich treat.
- Soups: Warm up on cold days with tomato soup, cream of broccoli soup, or clam chowder, all made extra creamy and nutritious thanks to a milk base.
- Homemade quark: While it sounds ambitious, making your own quark at home requires only two ingredients: whole milk and cultured buttermilk. Reap the benefits of milk nutrients in this creamy, thick, Greek yogurt-like snack or breakfast.
For even more ways to celebrate National Milk Month, visit The Dairy Alliance recipe page.
Mia Syn, MS, RDN is a nationally recognized nutrition expert based out of Charleston, South Carolina, a Health Advisory Board Member at Forbes and Verywell, and founder of Nutrition By Mia. She holds a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from Columbia University and has been featured by dozens of major media outlets including Cosmopolitan, SHAPE, The Doctor’s, EXTRA, and was named one of the top registered dietitians to follow on Instagram by Women’s Health Magazine.