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Include Milk with Meals
Include milk or calcium-fortified soymilk as a beverage at meals.
Switch gradually to fat-free or 1% milk
If you, or any of your children who are older than 2 years of age, usually drink whole milk, switch gradually to fat-free milk, to lower saturated fat and calories. Try reduced fat (2%), then low-fat (1%), and finally fat-free (skim).
Add fat-free or low-fat milk to semi-homemade foods
Add fat-free or low-fat milk instead of water to oatmeal and hot cereals.
For dessert, make pudding with fat-free or low-fat milk.
Use fat-free or low-fat milk when making condensed cream soups (such as cream of tomato).
Use yogurt
Have fat-free or low-fat yogurt as a snack.
Make a dip for fruits or vegetables from low-fat yogurt.
Make fruit-yogurt smoothies in the blender.
Try cut-up fruit with flavored low-fat yogurt for a quick dessert.
KEEP IT SAFE
Avoid raw milk (unpasteurized) milk or any products made from unpasteurized milk.
Chill perishable food promptly and defrost foods properly.
Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food and leftovers as soon as possible.
Discard food if food has been left at temperatures between 40° and 140° F for more than two hours, even though it may look and smell good.
Separate raw, cooked, and ready-to-eat foods.
LACTOSE INTOLERANT?
If you avoid milk because of lactose intolerance, the best way to get the health benefits of dairy products is to choose low lactose alternatives within the Dairy Group. These include cheese, yogurt, or lactose-free milk, or calcium-fortified soy milk. You can also take a lactase pill or add lactase drops to dairy foods before consuming dairy.
FOOD ALLERGIES?
If you avoid milk due to a food allergy, choose non-dairy calcium sources such as:
Calcium-fortified juices, cereals, breads, *rice milk, *almond milk, or calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage).
*Note: these milk alternatives are not WIC approved.
Canned fish (sardines, salmon with bones) soybeans and other soy products (tofu made with calcium sulfate, soy yogurt, tempeh), other beans (including kidney, white, red, and chickpeas), and some leafy greens (collard and turnip greens, kale, bok choy). The amount of calcium that can be absorbed from these foods varies.