Yogurt Fills the Bill as Low-Calorie Dairy Ingredient

Very low-calorie diets present a bit of a logistical problem for individuals who are also concerned about good bone health.

While dairy foods are viewed as the best dietary source of calcium--a vital component in bone mass maintenance--they are typically perceived by dieters as too high in fat to be worth their calcium merit.

This aversion to dairy products may be responsible for the escalating rise in osteoporosis in this country, which is the underlying cause of the nation’s 1.3 million bone fractures each year. Of those, 250,000 are fractures of the hip, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

But the results of a study, conducted at the University of San Diego and published last year in the British medical journal Lancet, may underscore the importance of dietary calcium in reducing risk for osteoporosis and influence calorie-counters who may be avoiding rich sources of the mineral in an attempt to lose fat.

At a Dairy Council of California nutrition press conference in Costa Mesa recently, Dr. Troy Holbrook, assistant adjunct professor of community and family medicine at UCSD, described calcium as estrogen’s pre-menopausal equal in preventing hip fractures. Her 14-year study of calcium intake by men and women in Rancho Bernardo was the source of this data.

It has been known for some time that women suffer from the bone-thinning disease at a disproportionately higher rate than men. And the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that osteoporosis afflicts more than 24 million Americans each year, more than half of all women in this country older than 45 and 90% of those older than 75.

In its classical manifestation, osteoporosis is seen as “a gradual, but increasing number of vertebral fractures as the spine begins to collapse on itself,” said Holbrook. “When the process has progressed far enough, you see a decrease in height and the classic spinal hump.”

But hip fractures also are common and occur at very high rates among elderly white women in this country. Holbrook estimated that by the age of 80, some white women have a 1% to 2% annual risk of fracturing their hip. The estimated cost of hip fracture treatment alone was $6.1 billion a year in 1984, Holbrook said, and as many as one third to one half of those who suffer hip fractures never return to a functional level of activity.

As recently as 1987, however, despite all this knowledge, a low-calcium diet was still considered only a “proposed risk factor” for osteoporosis, said Holbrook, which might explain a nationwide reluctance to meet the requirement through dietary sources.

Holbrook’s research undertook to establish low calcium intake as a known risk factor. This would place it among other established hazards including being female, being white, being thin relative to fat, consuming alcohol and certain drugs and being a sufferer of rheumatoid arthritis.

Because calcium is withdrawn from the bones (where it is stored) when dietary intake is too low, decreased calcium intake was always a strong candidate for the risk factor list. The theory was that if during youth, calcium intake is increased, a heavier, more dense skeleton might develop. This could protect against fractures later in life, researchers surmised.

While there is still considerable debate over the effects of increasing calcium in the diet of post-menopausal women--whether or not it can prevent, or at best, retard bone loss without estrogen supplementation--studies have indicated with some certainty that added calcium is of benefit to pre-menopausal women.

The UCSD research verified this, reporting that risk could be reduced by as much as half.

Based on what the participants in the Holbrook study said they ate during a 24-hour recall period, she observed a distinct difference in the occurance of hip fractures between the low calcium consumers and the high. In both the men and the women, the chances of having a hip fracture declined as the intake of calcium went up. Her conclusion: Adequate dietary calcium intake is a valuable measurement of risk factor for osteoporosis later in life.

“When we did this comparison, the only difference that we saw nutritionally between the hip fracture group and the non-hip fracture group was their intake of calcium,” Holbrook stated. “No other dietary nutrient made any difference in men or women. The average level of calcium intake was much lower in those who got hip fractures,” she explained, adding that the study was based on dietary intake and not supplementation.

A Good Place to Start

From this, Holbook concluded that it is possible to obtain the Recommended Dietary Allowance of 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day from low-fat dairy sources as well as some others such as fish by making simple changes in eating habits. Adding nonfat or low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese to an otherwise balanced diet is a good place to start.

“It’s not impossible, (to meet the RDA for calcium),” Holbrook said. “You don’t need to supplement, unless you have some other kind of health problem.”

In addition to replacing other mealtime beverages with milk and substituting yogurt for ice cream or other high-fat desserts, try using nonfat yogurt in place of mayonnaise when making creamy salad dressings, sandwich fillings and main dish, fruit or vegetable salads. Plain nonfat yogurt stands in nicely for sour cream when topping baked potatoes or when preparing dips, sauces and stroganoffs. It provides more calcium, and far fewer grams of fat, cholesterol and calories.

One cup of milk provides about 300 milligrams of calcium. Some comparable servings of other calcium-rich, but low-fat foods are: one cup fruit-flavored low-fat yogurt, one-half cup ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 ounces part-skim mozzarella, one-half cup tofu processed with calcium sulfate and three ounces sardines.

CRUNCHY WALDORF TUNA SALAD

1 (9 1/4-ounce) can water-pack tuna

1 large apple, cored and chopped

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup raisins

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1/4 cup reduced calorie mayonnaise

Leaf lettuce

1/2 cup reduced calorie Cheddar or Jack cheese, optional

Drain and flake tuna, then combine in bowl with apple, celery, nuts and raisins. Set aside.

Combine yogurt and mayonnaise in small bowl. Add to tuna mixture and toss gently to thoroughly combine. Cover and chill before serving. Arrange lettuce on serving plates, top with cheese and spoon on salad. Makes 4 servings.

GINGER FRUIT BOWL

1 medium orange

1 medium apple

1 medium peach

1/2 cup strawberries

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup lemon or vanilla low-fat yogurt

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Lettuce cups

Working over small bowl, peel and section orange. Reserve orange juice and place orange sections in mixing bowl. Core apple and coarsely chop, then add to orange sections in bowl. Peel and thinly slice peach and add to bowl. Remove hulls from strawberries, cut into halves and add to bowl. Sprinkle lemon juice over fruit and toss gently.

Add yogurt, sugar and ginger to bowl with reserved orange juice. Stir until mixed. Arrange lettuce cups on 4 salad plates and evenly divide fruit mixture among plates. Pour dressing over salads. Makes 4 servings.

CREAMY VEGETABLE POTPOURRI

1/2 small head cabbage

1/4 small head cauliflower

1 small zucchini

1 stalk celery

1 small carrot

1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1/4 cup reduced calorie creamy cucumber dressing

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Dash hot pepper sauce

Cut cabbage into quarters and shred. Cut cauliflower into florets. Slice if desired. Cut zucchini lengthwise in half, then cut into slices to form half-circles. Thinly slice celery. Shred carrot. Toss together cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini, celery and carrot.

Stir together yogurt, dressing, poppy seeds and hot pepper sauce in small mixing bowl. Pour over vegetables and toss until well coated. Makes 6 servings.

BASIL AND PEPPER POTATO SALAD

1 pound potatoes

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

2 tablespoons snipped parsley or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon crushed and dried

1 tablespoon sliced green onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

1/2 cup frozen green peas

1/2 cup chopped sweet red or green pepper

Cook potatoes in boiling water to cover 25 to 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Peel, if desired, then cube potatoes.

Combine yogurt, parsley, basil, green onion, salt and pepper. Add potatoes, peas and pepper and stir lightly to coat. Cover and chill several hours before serving. Makes 4 or 5 servings.

HAM LASAGNA

4 ounces lasagna noodles

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach

1 cup nonfat milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon instant minced onion

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 cup diced fully cooked ham

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crumbled

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup part-skim ricotta or low-fat cottage cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles in boiling water 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook spinach according to package directions. Drain well and set aside.

Combine milk, cornstarch and onion in small saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Spread 2 tablespoons sauce evenly over bottom of 10x6-inch baking dish.

Stir ham and Italian seasoning into remaining sauce. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles in dish. Spread with 1/3 sauce. Arrange spinach on top, sprinkle with Parmesan and 1/3 sauce. Top with ricotta and half of mozzarella cheese. Place remaining noodles on top of cheese. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella. Bake uncovered, at 375 degrees 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

TURKEY-MUSHROOM STROGANOFF

4 ounces wide noodles

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Paprika or snipped parsley, optional

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, cook ground turkey, mushrooms and onion over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink and onion is tender but not brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in water, chicken bouillon, thyme, garlic and nutmeg.

Stir flour into yogurt until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Pour over turkey mixture and cook and stir 1 minute longer. Serve over hot cooked noodles and sprinkle with paprika or parsley. Makes 4 servings.

RASPBERRY YOGURT MOUSSE

1 1/2 cups unsweetened, frozen raspberries, thawed

1/4 cup apricot nectar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup fresh raspberries, optional

4 sprigs mint, optional

Puree thawed frozen raspberries in blender. Place in medium bowl and set aside. Pour nectar in small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin on top. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes until softened. Cook over low heat until gelatin is dissolved. Gradually beat gelatin mixture into puree. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes or until consistency of beaten egg whites.

Using hand-held electric mixer on low speed, beat mixture about 30 seconds until fluffy. Fold in yogurt, then transfer mousse to 3-cup mold or 4 individual serving dishes. Chill several hours until firm. Remove from mold and garnish with fresh raspberries and mint. Makes 4 servings.