More than 80 percent of Taiwanese consume less than half of the recommended daily intake of dairy products, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday.
To mark World Milk Day yesterday, the HPA and the Council of Agriculture invited baseball star Lin Chih-sheng (林智勝) to promote the health benefits of milk and dairy products, and together they demonstrated how to make a nut and papaya milk smoothie.
HPA Director-General Wang Ying-wei (王英偉) said that milk is one of the best sources of calcium, as it also contains many other nutrients, and the administration recommends that people drink a cup (240ml) of milk every morning and evening, or consume other dairy products to ensure they consume enough calcium.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
Children, older adults and postmenopausal women, who are less able to retain calcium, should especially try to get enough calcium, he said.
Citing a national HPA health and nutrition survey from 2013 to 2016, HPA Community Health Division head Lo Su-ying (羅素英) said that more than 80 percent of Taiwanese consume less than one serving of dairy foods per day, while the recommended daily intake is at least two servings.
The survey also showed that inadequate calcium consumption is a common problem, as most people aged seven or older only consume about 30 to 50 percent of the recommended daily amount, she said.
Nutritionist Yang Che-hsiung (楊哲雄) said that two cups of milk per day would only account for half of the adult daily recommendation of 1,000mg of calcium.
People should also try to consume cheese, nuts, leafy green vegetables and other foods rich in calcium, Yang said.
Calcium is essential for building bones and maintaining bone mass and condition, and allows blood to clot, muscles to contract and enables cell signaling, Lo said, adding that calcium absorption from dairy products is higher than many other foods.
Lo said that people who are lactose sensitive can choose dairy products low in lactose, such as yogurt or cheese, and vegans or people who are lactose intolerant should consume more nuts, leafy green vegetables or tofu.
Department of Animal Industry Deputy Director Wang Chung-shu (王忠恕) said that the government has actively promoted certification labels for agricultural products, such as the milk certification label, the traceable agricultural product label and the Certified Agricultural Standards label, so consumers can feel reassured about the quality of the food they purchase.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was