Dairy Products Play an Important Role in Maternal Nutrition

Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway Foods (www.lifeway.net) invited me to a screening of the documentary “No Woman No Cry,” which took place early this week in Chicago. Directed by supermodel Christy Turlington Burns, the film shares the powerful stories of at-risk pregnant women in four parts of the world, including a remote Maasai tribe in Tanzania, a slum of Bangladesh, a post-abortion care ward in Guatemala and a prenatal clinic in the United States. Clips can be viewed here www.everymothercounts.org/film.

Turlington Burns explains in the film that after delivering her first child, she suffered a serious complication that threatened her life.  Recognizing her good fortune in having an educated birth team who immediately took action to manage the situation, she decided to become an advocate for maternal health.

Did you know that hundreds of thousands of women die each year during childbirth—and that 90% of these deaths are preventable with the right care? This care includes everything from proper nutrition to access to medical facilities. (And, of course, proper nutrition includes consuming high-quality protein, like that found in dairy products.)

Lifeway Foods has partnered with Every Mother Counts (EMC), an advocacy and mobilization campaign founded by Turlington Burns to increase education and support for maternal mortality reduction globally.  The company’s popular blueberry kefir sports the EMC logo, and for every bottle purchased, a financial donation is made to EMC. Further, there’s an on-pack contest driving consumers to the website for further education on the cause.

Dairy products such as kefir play an important role in preparing a woman’s body for pregnancy and ensuring good health for her and her baby during pregnancy and after. Dairy processors are fortunate to be selling a powerhouse food that can benefit all life stages. Let’s make sure this gets communicated in marketing materials.