By COURTNEY BRANT Daily American
Somerset—
What's your New Year's resolution? Is it to lose weight, eat healthier or discover deliciously healthy foods? There is a solution that will fulfill all three of these resolutions: dairy.

When you add dairy to your diet, you are more likely to be healthier and have enough energy to exercise and lose weight.

The human body needs dairy products to stay functional.  Bones are the main part of your body that needs dairy products. Whether you are 5, 15, or 25, your skeletal structure uses the abundant amount of calcium in milk to strengthen the bones and help formulate new bone material. Without the calcium, the bones will deteriorate and the chances of being diagnosed with the fast-growing disease known as osteoporosis rise.

Throughout the year, remember that if you want a healthier body for the rest of your New Year's, you need the help of milk and its nutrients to keep your body functional.

When you're planning on exercising, remember that a refuel drink is crucial to putting back nutrients into your body and repairing your body before the next work out. Rather than picking a sports drink that has ingredients very few people can understand, grab a bottle of chocolate milk.

Chocolate milk is made up of nine essential nutrients that keep your body healthy and rejuvenated for the next day of exercise. These nutrients are calcium, potassium, protein, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorus. These nutrients replenish your body so that you can be ready for your next run, jog, or game.

Chocolate milk is the ultimate refuel drink to keep you pushing yourself so that you can obtain your New Year's resolution.

There are many healthy food choices with dairy that will help you lose weight and taste great. Whether you want a snack or a meal, there is a dairy product for everything. One choice could be as simple as a parfait. Parfaits have yogurt, fruit and granola. Such a simple snack is packed with the nutrients of yogurt, the energy of fruit, and the fiber of the granola.

When you are ready for a meal, cauliflower cheese soup is a deliciously healthy meal that the whole family will enjoy.

As you decide what your New Year's resolution will be, remember that if it is to have a healthy body, to eat healthy, or to exercise more, dairy products are key to obtaining all three.

Have a Very Dairy New Year! 



CAULIFLOWER CHEESE SOUP

1 cup water

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 can cream of potato soup, undiluted

2 cups milk

1 can whole kernel corn, drained