With each new year comes a wave of articles telling consumers the best way to conquer their resolutions. Of course, one of the most prominent resolution-related topics is weight management, and articles like this one from Women’s Health reach the masses with callouts for the best and worst diets. These types of conversations influence consumer perceptions and new product launches every year. In looking at diet trends for 2017, U.S. dairy ingredients can help deliver products that meet the latest consumer demands.

Now that 2016 has wrapped up, let’s review some of the most influential discussions about dairy products and ingredients from the year. In our own Dairy Spotlight archives, we highlighted a study from Nutrition and Metabolism. It emphasizes the importance of protein quality, reporting high-quality proteins have characteristics for improved muscle benefits. Also, a position paper on sports nutrition states all athletes should consume complete proteins for maximum results. Both studies conclude that dairy proteins are high-quality for their branched-chain amino acid content, including leucine.     

With a scoop (or a few), high-quality protein can be added to food and beverage formulations without interfering with intended tastes. Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, a sports nutritionist, developed an overnight oats recipe to demonstrate the ease and benefits of using U.S. whey protein to enhance the level of high-quality protein in applications.