Did you know that July 16th is National Blue Cheese Day? I’m not even kidding… it’s actually a thing.
Of course, it’s not a REAL holiday. Most of those “national” days for this or that is some kind of marketing scheme. And this one’s no exception.
But I don’t need a holiday – real or fake – to celebrate cheese. As far as I’m concerned, EVERY DAY is Cheese Day.
And I’m inviting you to celebrate with me. Because new research is turning one of the biggest myths about dairy into… well… cheese crumbles.
It’s not just a “safe” part of your diet. It’s practically essential. In fact, full-fat dairy could help protect you from one of today’s leading killers.
Dairy does a body good
It’s hard to pinpoint precisely when dairy sprouted devil horns. When I was a kid, dairy foods were considered healthy and wholesome.
But these days, I half expect someone to knock the slice out of my hand as I bite into a piece of cheese.
The nags say dairy foods are “too calorie-dense” to be healthy. And they’ll insist they’re packed with “far too many fats” … especially the “bad saturated kind.” (Sound familiar?)
But if you’ve been reading your Healthier Talk, you know I’ve never bought into the mainstream fear-mongering about the natural saturated fats you find in meats and dairy. And if you swore off dairy because of fat fears, it may be time to put it back on your grocery list.
Because a new study confirms the truth about dairy. It actually IS a health food. And it is high time to polish up its halo and put it BACK on the menu. In fact, just about every type of dairy you can think of, INCLUDING the full-fat stuff, does a body good.
That means you can, once again, enjoy…
- a tall, cool glass of whole milk instead of sickly skim
- a big bowl of REAL yogurt not that watery and bland low-fat stuff
- a rich slice of any REAL cheese you desire (goodbye rubbery low-fat garbage)
The key, researchers say, is to get at least TWO of these dairy favorites every day. And be sure to make them the whole and full-fat versions too. Because that’s how you reap the MOST benefits.
For example, the study found dairy can cut your risk of metabolic syndrome by 24 percent. But the full-fat versions of your favorites could reduce that risk by 28 percent.
In contrast, if you choose only low-fat dairy, they found NO benefit at all.
Lower diabetes and hypertension risk
Now, remember, metabolic syndrome isn’t a single condition. It’s a whole ugly set of them. First, your belly starts to grow, followed by a rise in blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol.
Metabolic syndrome is a major risk factor for chronic diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. And it can even send you marching down the path towards death.
But as the new study shows, munching on some delicious dairy foods such as cheese, milk, and yogurt daily could help drive down your risk. In fact, the same new study finds two servings of dairy a day can also cut your risk of hypertension and diabetes by as much as 14 percent.
And again, the biggest protection is from the full-fat stuff. So go ahead and mark the calendar. Make every day a celebration of dairy not to help some marketing campaign, but to help save your own life.
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