Have you vowed to lose weight this year? If so, There is a new approach – one that doesn’t mean depriving yourself or following the latest fad diet. Emerging research suggests that including calcium-rich dairy products to your weight-loss plan does more than just keep your bones healthy, it may be a key to your healthy weight-loss strategy. Studies indicate that calcium may make it easier to lose weight.

A calcium-rich eating plan, especially one that includes at least three servings of dairy a day, seems to provide the nutritional support you need for healthy effective weight loss. In fact, research suggests that milk may help promote the loss of body fat while maintaining more muscle, which is important when dieting. Dropping dairy foods as a calorie-cutting tactic is not only bad for bones, it could make it even harder to lose weight.

So try “milking your diet” instead. That means 24 ounces in 24 hours.  Umpqua has a Dairy has a wide selection of great tasting lowfat and skim products available for you to get your 24 ounces in, every day to get the calcium your body needs.

For an old fashioned healthy snack try a cup Umpqua Lowfat Cottage Cheese or top that taco with our delicious Umpqua Lite Sour Cream.

For research related to weight loss, calcium and dairy products, go to http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/healthyweight/science.asp.