For many dads, back-to-school comes with early mornings, packed lunches, after-school pickup, homework, and practices. The daily race to get everyone out the door on time, mixed with juggling life demands, makes healthy eating challenging. Despite this, the busy back-to-school season also brings an opportunity to play an active role in building healthy habits at home.

Need more protein, but don’t have more time?

Back-to-school season means early mornings, packed schedules, practices, homework, and everything in between. Here are some of my family’s favorite ways to add dairy protein throughout the day.

As a mom of three, I know that the first week of school can be crazy and stressful. As a dietitian, I know how important it is to prioritize balanced meals, but it can be hard to make it happen. I’ve found that having a meal plan is a great way to set myself up for success that first week of school and beyond.

This National Ice Cream Month, share a scoop with someone you love and know this: healthy eating is sweetest when balance is an option on the menu. Try the Victory Swirl Ice Cream Bowl and see if it’s worth the hype!

Meals with dairy offer a refreshing twist with nutrition. Do you struggle to find motivation to cook dinner when summer temps are at their peak? Standing over a hot stove at the end of the hot day isn’t the most appealing activity. Even when the temp registers 99°F in the afternoons, serving a nutritious and balanced meal is still important. Lean into recipes that call for simple ingredients that require little to no cooking yet are still good sources of key nutrients like protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

Creative, vibrant boards with dairy foods are popular for celebrations, graduations, holidays, and casual entertaining alike. Charcuterie is good, but boards with an emphasis on including dairy (as I like to affectionately call "charcut-dairy") are even better. Adding dairy makes boards creamier, more colorful, and even more crave-worthy. This dairy-forward twist on traditional charcuterie highlights the versatility of dairy foods through dips, artisan cheeses, yogurt-based spreads, and pairings perfect for entertaining.

Some of us tend to think of milk as food rather than a thirst-quencher. But biologically speaking, milk is about 87% water. What makes it a hydration powerhouse, however, isn't just the fluid volume – it's the "matrix" of nutrients that comes with it.

Dairy drinks have numerous benefits. Over the years, you’ve probably heard quite a few different messages about what type of milk is best. On top of that, there are so many options available at the grocery store these days — it can be confusing and overwhelming to choose the best milk to buy for yourself and your family.

Dairy products are packed with protein that can fuel you through any day, even sick days. March is National Nutrition Month. The theme is “Discover the Power of Nutrition.” “Power” can be related to the sustained energy and satiety when foods rich in three key nutrients at meals are used. Fiber and healthy fats are two of those, but protein is the third.

When it comes to building balanced, affordable, and family-friendly meals, dairy foods like cheese and Greek yogurt can do a lot of the heavy lifting. They add high-quality protein, essential nutrients, and rich flavor, making it easier to put nutritious meals on the table without complicated ingredients.

Between work, running errands, and that workout class, you finally collapse in the kitchen. You open the refrigerator and don’t see anything you can throw together quickly for a meal, but then you remember the delicious, elevated snack plate you saw on social media today that you could totally scrounge together without any cooking.

Cold and flu season often brings more than sniffles, and it can leave many of us feeling tired, run down, and off our routine. While sleep, stress management, and handwashing matter, what you eat also plays an important role in supporting immune health and everyday energy. Incorporating nutrient-rich foods, including dairy, can help support both immune function and steady energy during the winter months.

Planning for meals and snacks for postpartum ahead of delivery is important. While your instinct may be to just “see how we feel when the baby is here,” hormone fluctuations and lack of sleep in early postpartum are no joke! A little planning ahead goes a long way.

The window of opportunity for building strong bones is surprisingly short. Approximately 40% to 60% of an individual's total bone mass is built during adolescence. This period is a crucial time for bone "banking," where the body deposits calcium to build density and strength that will need to last a lifetime. What our teens eat now directly influences how strong their skeletal foundation will be in the future.

Traditional milk-washing calls for straining everything through a cheesecloth-lined bowl. For a simpler approach, grab the same pour-over coffee filters you use for your morning brew. Set one in a pour-over cone, place it over a jar or bottle, and let gravity do the work. It still takes time, but the setup is tidier, and perfect for crafting cocktails and mocktails at home.

The holidays is a season built on comfort and connection, and the last thing anyone wants is stress about the food on their plate. If lactose has caused you to have tummy troubles in the past, that doesn’t mean you have to skip the creamy, nostalgic dishes you love! With a few simple swaps, you can enjoy the great holiday spread and still feel good afterward!

Struggling with lactose intolerance? Discover easy tips and real dairy options like lactose-free milk and aged cheeses to enjoy creamy, comforting meals without discomfort.

The holidays are here! Between hosting, travel, and jam-packed calendars, high stress can throw off your sleep, making everything feel a little less festive. When you're stressed, falling and staying asleep becomes harder. But poor sleep can also worsen stress, making us reach for less-than-ideal foods. It’s a vicious cycle but better sleep-friendly nutrition can help break it!

You don’t have to choose between comfort food and digestive comfort. If you’re managing lactose intolerance, the good news is that creamy, satisfying dishes can still be part of your menu — with just a few simple swaps that make all the difference.

For anyone with lactose intolerance, comfort foods that often feature creamy milk and cheese can sometimes come with a little discomfort. You don’t have to give up creamy, cozy meals! Oftentimes, dairy products that have no or low lactose can be used as a simple swap, leaving you without tummy troubles and enjoying those special meals fully.