I'm having a lot of trouble getting enough dairy each day. I don't really do cottage cheese & I could take or leave yogurt. Any creative ideas? I know ff pudding can count, but I also know that shouldn't be all my dairy for the day! Thanks in advance!

Do you eat cereal? have it with milk. Save a one point treat (like a cookie) for later in the day, with one of your two milks. Buy the WW smoothies, which are delicious, only 2 points, and if you make it with one milk (8 oz skim) it counts as BOTH milks, at only 3 points. Throw into the vanilla 1 cup of blue or strawberries; 1/2 banana; 1/2 cup pineapple, or 1/2 mango. All 1 point additions. Add 1/2 banana to the chocolate, or 1 tsp. instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbls hot water (good in the vanilla too). Endless possibilities...

I don't know if you are a coffee hound like me... but a latte will easily use up your milk requirements for the day.

You can also get orange juice that is fortified with Calcium. As long as it gives you 30% of your RDA for calcium, it counts as a milk and a fruit!

Try this if you want to disguise the yogurt and have a yummy dessert:

Mix 1 package of orange sugar free jello with 3/4 cup boiling water. Add 3/4 cup cold water. Chill for 30 minutes then stir in 1 cup of vanilla yogurt. Tastes like an Orange Creamscile and only has 3 points for the entire recipe.

You can experiment with the combinations: strawberry with white chocolate yogurt, cherry with vanilla...make up your own combinations.

Actually, it counts as calcium but it decidedly does not count as a milk. The reason it doesn't count as a milk is because it does not have the milk proteins and milk sugars that we need as vital nutrients, which are different from the other proteins and carbs we get. Calcium, in an of itself if is a necessary (required) nutrient, but WW does not count calcium fortified juice as a milk. If you have the week 1 book handy, turn to the chart on page 15 for a list of calcium rich foods. Only those marked w/ an ASTERISK count as a milk serving.

That having been said, you can also get your calcium from fortified cereals -- Total; Special K, and others now have 100% of the RDA of Ca. BUT, I hasten to add, it will not have the same effect on your weight loss as drinking milk or yogurt. Research has shown that we lose weight more efficiently and keep it off longer if we derive our calcium from DAIRY products, and don't rely on supplements... Supplements are just that -- to be used as supplements, when you CAN'T get the real McCoy....

Yogurt, dairy shakes, the WW Smoothies; liquid canned meal replacements/nutrition supplements... cottage cheese.... all count. Good luck!

Thanks for your info. I called the WW 800 number and they said it DOES COUNT AS MILK if you have the fortified juice. Which is what my leader tells our group. It is the calcium we want from the milk more than anything to help prevent osteo! One of those gray areas....

Well, you'll get different answers depending on who answers the phone. Yes, you need the calcium, but you still need the dairy. It's not only ABOUT THE CALCIUM. There is protein in milk that you get from no other source, and THAT protein, coupled with the calcium is what helps weight loss and weight maintenance. Good luck in your journey. Mother's milk is milk not fortified juice. ya know? :-)

http://www.cartoonbank.com/cartoon_c...Only=&s_topic=

and this...

http://www.cartoonbank.com/cartoon_c...Only=&s_topic=

Have you tried the yogurt to go, frozen? I don't really like yogurt, but this is great when you freeze it.

Another thing is laughing cow spreadable cheese. The light version is 2 wedges for 1 point, it's great on bagels or toast or even on sandwiches. I'm not sure how much calcium there is, though.

Jeanne

Laughing Cow light is only 16% calcium for 2 wedges--not quite enough to "count." But if you had another "not quite" serving elsewhere, they'd add up.

Imaleader,
this concept that we need dairy products to lose weight is a totally new one on me. I thought weight loss was about energy out > energy in, and all the other stuff (eat your 5 fruits and veggies, get some milk, get enough protein) was to ensure a balanced diet and ensure good nutritional status/overall health for other aspects of body function. Is there research on this issue?

It strikes me as difficult to believe we specifically require milk proteins and milk sugars to lose weight--indeed, some cultures do not use cow's milk at all, as their population does not have the enzymes necessary to digest it. A leading pediatric researcher at Johns Hopkins has, for years, been on a campaign to eliminate cow's milk from the human diet. We are the only species that consumes milk from another species.

And really, aren't proteins all broken down into their component amino acids and rearranged as we need them, suggesting one could get one's proteins just about any way as long as all the essential amino acids are represented? And all carbohydrates, no matter how derived, are metabolized the same way and rearranged into glucose for use and glycogen for storage.

I am not trying to be argumentative here, because I know that, as a leader, you have access to materials and explanatory background for the program that is not provided to members. Can you share some more of the information on the importance of dairy products?

IMALEADER, mothers milk may not be fortified juice, but some babies cannot tolerate it and are on soy milk or rice milk and they do just fine. As to the WW Week One book, at the 800 number they said new foods are developed all the time and so the information is not always published until they have been on the market for sometime. The focus on milk is for healthy bones from the calcium. As we know, some people are also lactose intolerant. From what you say, they wouldn't be able to lose weight!

Thanks for all the suggestions!! I will try several of them to see what works. And, it looks like we've started an interesting calcium/dairy discussion. Thanks for your feedback everyone. It's good to know this is a place for practical, helpful support!

The Viactive products, esp. the caramel or chocolate chews, are good sources as well, and will also give you Vitamin K too. 2 per day are a full day's worth of calcium and only 1 point, and they're yummy! I have one per day and then also have yogurt, but that's because the yogurt fills me up more than the chews do.

I have never heard anyone say that one "needs" the proteins in milk, and I read A LOT of stuff on health and healthful eating. However, that's not to say it's not true, I would just be very interested to learn the source.

Hello there -- especially to all you non-believers about milk (Yes, I know about the Johns Hopkins study -- and there are others proving we DO need dairy.. ) That having been said, I'm looking for the literature that tells the story. When I find it, I shall post it. In the meantime, stay on program, get in your calcium any way you can, and if milk doesn't gag you, drink it, eat it, or use it as a bath... :-) In the mean time, there's a new thread about important fatty acids being added to commercial infant formulas to more closely approximate mother's milk which is still the most important nutrient for our babies....

Oh my goodness. Human beings do not REQUIRE dairy. Air, yes, but dairy, I don't think so. The Dairy Council would like us to believe that we all need it, but it certainly isn't a necessity for life (or weight loss). I've even read conflicting reports as to how beneficial it even is in protecting against osteoporosis (citing that weight bearing exercise is a far better defense against the dreaded condition.) Anyways, I'm sure if you're looking for data, the "Got Milk" people would have tons of it.

http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/