• Grate Scott! It’s Real California Cheese!
• Milk Mustache Mobile Get Moo-ving with Milk Tour
• Women's Health---Keep Your Bones Strong

Grate Scott! It’s Real California Cheese!

Los Angeles motorists are getting an eyeful of Real California Cheese. One of the largest billboards in the state recently sprouted on a Los Angeles office building to remind Californians the Golden State boasts nothing grater than delicious Real California Cheese. An estimated 250,000 people will see the 200-ft high billboard each day, which covers both sides of the office building. The image is printed on nearly transparent mesh vinyl, so office residents can peer out and wonder why everyone’s starting at them. The visual will be up from April through June.

Milk Mustache Mobile Get Moo-ving with Milk Tour

The Milk Mustache Mobile Get Moo-ving With Milk Tour kicks-off at the end of March in cities across the country. By the end of October the tour will complete 470 events in 120 cities nationwide. The goal this year is to educate Americans about the valuable combination of physical activity and nutrient-packed milk for people eager to get in shape, lose weight or stay fit. 

MMM events will have exciting new elements like an interactive sports cage and fitness assessments to determine strength, flexibility and body composition. We've added a new twist to one-on-one health consultants by asking fitness experts to assist registered dietitians in offering nutrition and fitness advice to participants. And, of course, we're bringing back a favorite-the milk mustache photo contest. With the active partnership of local dairy promotion groups and processors, each market can expect a media blitz in print, television and radio.

Women's Health -- Keep Your Bones Strong

Contrary to popular belief, osteoporosis is not a natural part of aging and can be prevented in most people. Research shows that building and maintaining strong bones is a lifelong process. The foundation for a lifetime of strong bones is built during the teen and young adult years. This represents your PEAK BONE MASS. This is the strongest your bones will ever be. The trick is to keep them that way the rest of your life. Whether you're 17 or 70, lifestyle choices you make CAN optimize your bone health. Take the following "test" to see if you're doing as much as you can to keep your bones at their strongest.

Test Your Bones

Strong bones depend on many things. To how many of the following questions would "yes" be your answer?
1. Are you female?
2. Has your mother or grandmother had osteoporosis or frequent bone fractures?
3. Has your period stopped for several months at any time other than during pregnancy or at menopause?
4. Do you diet to lose weight much of the time?
5. Do you do weight-bearing exercise (running, power walking, etc.) fewer than three times a week?
6. Do you think you are getting less Vitamin D than you need, either from milk or from sunlight?
7. Have you gone through menopause without taking estrogen replacement therapy?
8. Do you think you get less than the recommended amount of calcium from the foods you eat and drink every day?

The more you answered "yes," the more your bones are at risk. Some of these things you cannot change, but others you can -- for example, getting enough calcium form the foods you eat and drink every day or getting some weight-bearing exercise.

Remember, the best natural food sources of calcium are milk and dairy foods, which provide about 75% of the calcium in the American diet.

Information provided by Dairy Council of California at www.dairycouncilofca.org

This section was compiled
by Margo Souza