By Patrick Baron

PONTIAC – A local dairy expert says people aren’t consuming as much dairy as they should on a daily basis.

Speaking with WJEZ’s Todd Wineburner, St. Louis District Dairy Council spokesperson Monica Nyman explained statistics show Americans need to add more dairy to their daily diets.

Listen to Todd Wineburner discuss dairy and why people need three servings every day with Monica Nyman:

“The Dietary Guidelines continue to recommend three servings of dairy each and every day,” Nyman said. “The Dietary Guidelines are scientifically-based nutrition recommendations for Americans. So three servings a day, but statistically most Americans are only getting two servings.”

Nyman explained there may be a few reasons people aren’t getting as much dairy as they should, namely because we have an almost overabundance of choices of what we can eat every day.

“One reason for that is just because either we don’t pay attention to what we’re eating and we have so many food options. It’s an overwhelming amount of options and opportunities,” said Nyman.

Nyman noted milk is heavily monitored by experts to ensure the product is healthy for consumers. Nyman said there is a number of local dairy farms in Livingston County that provide dairy products like milk to local stores. She said milk usually hits the shelves 48 hours after leaving the farms.

“Dairy does have nine essential nutrients. We talk about that all of the time,” Nyman explained. “Those are nutrients that our body needs every single day to function. It’s a great source of protein and in the nutrition world, protein has been found to keep us fuller for longer, more satisfied, and hopefully preventing people from overeating and snacking.”

Nyman said there are more than enough dairy options at the grocery store to meet a person’s taste and health preferences.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].