Katie Clark - The Dairy Group

Published by The Childs World
1980 Lookout Drive Mankato, MN 56003-1705
800-599-READ www.childsworld.com

Acknowledgments
The Childs World: Mary Berendes, Publishing Director
Red Line Editorial: Editorial direction
The Design Lab: Design
Amnet: Production
Photographs : Front cover: mexrix/Shutterstock Images; FoodIcons;
Shutterstock Images; mexrix/Shutterstock Images, 3, 8, 15; Shutterstock
Images, 3, 9; Dudarev Mikhail/Shutterstock Images, 4; choosemyplate.
gov, 5; FoodIcons, 6, 8; BrandX Images, 7, 11; Somchai Som/
Shutterstock Images, 10; Kids in Motion, 13; Sergey Nivens/
Shutterstock Images, 14; Thomas_EyeDesign/iStockPhoto, 16;
El Nariz/Shutterstock Images, 17, 23; ComStock, 18; Morgan Lane
Photography/Shutterstock Images, 19; margouillat photo/Shutterstock
Images, 21

About the Author

Katie Clark has been making up stories
since she was a little girl. Now that shes
grown she spends her time reading,
writing, and playing make-believe with
her daughters. Katies writing for children
has appeared in numerous publications,
including books and magazines.

Copyright 2014 by The Childs World
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1623236021
LCCN: 2013931362

Printed in the United States of America
Mankato, MN
July, 2013
PA02178

Table of Contents

Hands-on Activity:
Create Your Own Yogurt Flavor

chapter one

What Is Dairy?

Have you ever seen a dairy farm? Maybe you see
rolling hills dotted with cows. Perhaps the barns
are filled with large, loud machines. The machines
might be hooked to large jugs filled with milk.
Getting the milk and making dairy foods are not
easy. Living on a farm keeps you busy. You have
to feed the animals, milk the cows, and keep the
animals healthy. So what good is all of that work?
What is the big deal about dairy?

Milk is used in many ways. Many people pour it
over their breakfast cereal. Some people drink milk,
and others use it for cooking or baking. You can use
milk to make other foods, too. Yogurt, cheese, and
butter are all made with milk.

i Cows provide the milk used to
make dairy foods.

j Opposite page: Use the MyPlate
diagram to make healthy
eating choices.

Milk is a dairy food. Dairy is one of the
main food groups on MyPlate. It is one of the
building blocks of a healthy diet. Dairy provides
nutrients we all need to
be healthy. The MyPlate
guidelines show us how
to eat to grow strong and
healthy. Kids ages four to
eight should eat or drink
2 1/2 cups of dairy every
day. Kids between nine
and 13 years old need
3 cups of dairy every day.

Milk is not the only
popular dairy food.
Yogurt and cheese are
also favorites. Yogurt is
full of minerals such as

k Its important to drink or eat
2 1/2 to 3 cups of dairy foods
every day.

j Opposite page: Milk is a
healthy drink that goes with
breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

calcium and potassium. These help keep the body
healthy. Yogurt is a food made from milk. To make
yogurt, the milk is heated. When the milk is hot,
bacteria are added to turn the sugars in the milk
to acid. This makes the milk thicken and gives it a
tangy flavor. Now it is yogurt! Flavors can be added
when the yogurt is set. Vanilla and fruit flavors such
as strawberry and blueberry are popular, but plain
yogurt is good, too.

Another food that comes from milk is cheese.
Cheese is full of
protein . Protein
gives you strong
muscles. It takes 10
pounds of milk to
make 1 pound of
cheese. The milk is
poured into a giant

h Yogurt is a tangy treat for
breakfast or a snack.

h Cheese is a dairy food that is
packed with protein.

Hardworking Dairy Cows

Every year, over nine million
cows are milked in America.
One cow can make up to four
hundred glasses of milk a
day! Farmers use machines
to extract the milk from cows
on a dairy farm. After the
cows are milked, the milk is
pasteurized . This means it
is boiled to kill bad bacteria.
Did you know that dairy cows
are not the only animals used
for their milk? Other milking
animals include goats, sheep,
buffalo, camels, and reindeer.

tub. It is heated and boiled until it begins to
get chunky. It is stirred as it thickens. Then it is
left to harden. Once the cheese is hard, all of the
extra milk and water is drained away. Now the
cheese can be cut into wheels or blocks for cutting
and shredding.

Milk, yogurt, and cheese are three of the most
popular dairy products. Others include dessert foods
such as pudding and ice cream. Although some foods
are made from milk, they lose too much calcium
during the cooking process. These foods are not
considered dairy products anymore. Cream cheese
and butter are two foods made from milk that have
no calcium.

chapter two

How Is Dairy
Good for You?

Dairy is good for the body. MyPlate says
kids ages four to 13 need 2 1/2 to 3 cups
of dairy every day. Why is dairy so good
for us? It is full of the vitamins and
minerals kids need.

Dairy is full of calcium. Calcium is a
mineral that makes strong bones. When
bones are weak, they can break. That hurts!
Calcium also helps your blood clot when
you get bruises or scrapes. This means it
helps your body stop bleeding. It also makes
your heart strong. Eat and drink lots of

h Milk contains calcium that helps
your bones grow strong.

j Opposite page: The calcium and
potassium in dairy foods keep