More than you might think.

Dairy milk is a whole food that is jam packed with 15 essential nutrients that all play a role in healthy growth and development. Whether you’re drinking skim, 1%, 2%, homogenized or chocolate, the nutritional value stays the same aside from fat content or added sugars for flavoured milks. Here is a brief description of what each vitamin and mineral can do:

Vitamin A: Key for cell division and growth, a healthy immune system, reproductive issues, tooth and bone development, and can help with night vision!

Vitamin B6: Helps the body turn food into energy, aids in the immune system functionality, and may improve mood and brain health.

Vitamin B12: Essential for making red blood cells, nerve function and creating DNA.

Calcium: Builds and maintains strong bones and teeth, and helps in muscle contraction – including helping the heart beat! 

Vitamin D: Aids in the absorption of Calcium and phosphorus, may regulate mood as well as improve resistance to certain diseases. 

Magnesium: Can help fight depression, lower blood pressure, has anti-inflammatory benefits, and keeps bones and teeth strong.

Niacin (B3): Boosts brain function, improves skin quality, may reduce symptoms of arthritis, treats high cholesterol and is used by the body to turn food into energy. 

Pantothenic acid (B5): Like all B vitamins, this helps the body convert the protein, carbohydrates, and fats into energy, aids in the proper functioning of the nervous system and liver, and maintains a healthy digestive tract. 

Phosphorous: Needed to build and repair bones and teeth, plays an important role in how the body uses carbohydrates and fats, and filtres waste. 

Potassium: Helps move nutrients into cells and waste products out of cells, regulate fluid balance, muscle contractions and nerve function. 

Protein: Plays important role in the body’s immune system, helps repair and build muscle tissues, coordinates bodily functions, and contains essential amino acids.

Riboflavin (B2): Helps bodies break down proteins and carbs and turns them into energy, and helps with red blood cell production.

Selenium: Plays a crucial role in metabolism and thyroid function and helps protect your body from damage caused by oxidative stress.

Thiamin (B1): Aids in muscle contraction and conduction of nerve signals, also helps the body turn carbohydrates into energy. 

Zinc: Needed for the immune system to work properly, plays a role in cell division and growth, wound healing, and the breakdown of carbs.

Because of the way the human body works, certain vitamins and minerals need to be taken together to be effective. Milk is an excellent source of many of these. The nutritious elements milk contains makes it an important addition to a healthy diet, as well as an effective thirst quencher.
Here at Dairy Central, we are proud to carry hundreds of Canadian and American dairy products. For our full list of products, see here.