Undeniably Delicious with Robots and Cows
by Christina Meyer-Jax, Tastemaker in Residence
When delicious and nutritious meet, it’s a match made in heaven! We are wired to enjoy the delights of food and at the same time our bodies demand nutrients to keep us running.
As a dietitian and nutritionist, I am often asked what are the best “bang” for your nutrition buck type foods? Oh and in addition I want them to taste good!
As a midwestern girl at heart one of my answers to this question is dairy foods! I’ve often said, “a day without cheese, is not living my best day.”
There is always ongoing debate around foods and food groups, but the fact that milk, yogurt, and cheese are nutrient rich is undeniable. It’s a balanced source of carbohydrates, high quality proteins, and fats. It’s also a top source of critical micronutrients for health such as: calcium, vitamin D, and potassium.
From a culinary perspective the attributes of dairy provide key components for a rich, creamy mouthfeel and protein to help give our favorite foods structure.
But what about sustainability? How we grow and produce our food is ultimately vital to our personal health. It’s impossible to separate planetary and human health as we are all connected. So how does dairy fit with these criteria?
My husband was raised on a dairy farm, so I saw first-hand the attention to producing sustainably focused food. But that was a small operation dairy farm and to be fair over 15 years ago. Fast forward to last month and I had the opportunity to attend a modern dairy operation farm tour just outside of Chicago (yes, farming an hour away from the windy city) sponsored by Midwest Dairy.
Lenkaitis Dairy Farm Owners
At the Lenkaitis Dairy Farm in St. Charles, Illinois I was able to see the marriage of modern technology with traditional best practices. Their ~75 cows are allowed to roam and manage their daily activities with the use of GPS and robotic equipment that allows freedom for the cows to feed and milk on their schedule. It also frees up the farmer to concentrate more on individual care of the animals and sustainability practices.
It was incredible to learn that dairy farmers today use 90% less land to make a gallon on milk than they did in the 1940’s. In addition, the carbon footprint of a glass of milk is 2/3 of what it was 70 years ago, yet it’s providing the same level of nutrients.
In all agriculture there needs to be a continuous drive towards the best in sustainable practices, or we will simply exhaust our planet and its resources. I know this is a constant conversation I have when choosing and recommending foods to my clients.
It was awesome to see the Lenkaitis Dairy farm in action to make delicious, nutritious, and sustainable all part of the winning combination of true food enjoyment.
With nutrient rich harvest produce in full swing I’ve created this Fall Harvest Arugula and Ricotta Pizza recipe that mixes the best of the season with the creamy goodness of cheese. That my friends, is living my best day!
Disclaimer: Christina Meyer-Jax was invited to attend the event that was sponsored Midwest Dairy. Her writing and opinions are her own. #partner #sponsoredevent
