Weight Loss: Abs Diet Dairy Foods  

Dairy: The Great White Help

Dairy products play a key role in the Abs Diet--as snacks, drinks, and as important ingredients in smoothies. They're your greatest source of calcium--the mineral more and more studies point to as a key weight-loss ingredient--and pack a potent protein punch as well. Think of the dairy section as fat-loss central. If you play the percentages.

Low-fat milk: Horizon Organic. Cow antibiotics are for sick cows. Go organic.

Chocolate milk: Choose Horizon Organic Reduced-Fat in stow-and-go boxes. They don't require refrigeration, so you can take a healthy source of calcium and protein with you anywhere.

Eggs: Eggland's Best omega-3 fortified eggs provide an extra shot of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Reduced-fat yogurt: Stonyfield Farm 100 Percent organic has just-right creamy texture.

Shredded cheeses: Sargento Reduced Fat shredded cheese blends offers the best taste for the least fat. Plus, they melt evenly, unlike most other reduced-fat cheese.

Part-skim ricotta cheese: Get the big tub. It doesn't expire quickly, and you'll finish it long before it threatens to go bad. Ricotta is a great natural source of whey protein, one of nature's premium muscle-builders.

String cheese: Sorrento Stringsters has 8 grams of muscle-building protein per stick, plus more calcium than other brands.

Cottage cheese: Cottage cheese is a stealth-sodium food; choose Friendship All-Natural Low-Fat No Salt Added and save the salt for something else.

Pudding cups: Swiss Miss. Ordinarily, you should watch out for added sugar. But no-sugar-added pudding is just nasty. This one only has 25 grams of sugary carbs, which won't kill you or blow the diet. As long as you just eat one. Occasionally.

Back-up smoothie: Stonyfield Farm has no high-fructose corn syrup, which can't be said for many other bottled smoothies.

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