Dairy products and ingredients—such as U.S. whey and milk proteins—are a delicious way to enjoy the wonderful nutrition naturally found in cow’s milk.

While protein is naturally found in a variety of animal and plant foods, there is a wide variance in protein quality. U.S. dairy proteins stand out as a high quality, complete source of protein containing all the essential amino acids. Whey protein is also the leading source of the amino acid leucine, which is important for healthy aging by playing a central role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis.

The majority of proteins sourced from plants are incomplete, generally lacking one or more essential amino acid and/or having them in lower quantities in relation to the body’s need, thus requiring ingestion of proper combinations of complimentary sources to ensure complete EAA intake.¹ This may be an especially important consideration for vulnerable populations such as infants/children and the elderly.

So, what does the science say about how much protein is enough? When is the best time for consumption? What are the environmental considerations? A health professional focused webinar is available if you want to know the answer to any of these and more:

• Join the National Dairy Council’s complementary webinar, “Protein: Plant? Animal? Health? Planet?” on June 11 as Don Layman, PhD explores these topics. To bring the research to the table, registered dietitian, award-winning cookbook author and NDC Ambassador, Toby Amidor, MS, RDN, CDN, FAND will discuss how plant and animal foods complement each other within healthy eating patterns and provide delicious tips on how to celebrate a plant-based, dairy-enhanced approach to eating.
• Further explore how U.S. dairy proteins are a smart choice for health in this interactive flipbook.

Visit ThinkUSAdairy.org/nutrition for more information on U.S. dairy protein, nutrition and innovation.

¹ Hoffman JR and Falvo MJ. J Sports Sci Med 2004; 3(3):118-130, PMC3905294