Experts have urged Nigerian students to consume more milk to better aid their brain abilities.
The experts who spoke in Lagos recently during an event organised by FrieslandCampina WAMCO to mark World Milk Day, stated that consumption of adequate milk was essential in healthy living and growth.
Dr. Elo Ukatu of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja worried that Nigerians are not very fond of consuming milk.
Fat-free milk is well known as a great source of protein, vitamin D, and phosphorus. But calcium also affects how our bodies regulate energy, says Naomi Neufeld, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist and author of KidShape: A Practical Prescription for Raising Healthy, Fit Children.
"Calcium plays an important role in the body's production of insulin," she says. "Unless there is true lactose intolerance, it should be a nonnegotiable part of a student's diet."
Turn up the appeal To make milk tempting, just add chocolate or strawberry syrup: Experts say there is very little caffeine in chocolate milk, and it contains about the same amount of sugar found in fruit juices. "Just make sure you're factoring that sugar into your child's overall eating plan," says Neufeld.
She, therefore, called for adequate milk consumption among young people.
The World Milk Day, which was initiated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2001 in order to boost milk and dairy products consumption, is marked every June 1.
