Agricultural News
Dairy fuels Olympian Elle Purrier St. Pierre
Wed, 04 Aug 2021 08:43:35 CDT
It's no secret that animal-based protein offers the quantity and quality of proteins needed for a healthy lifestyle but having someone in the public eye shed light on that is always exciting for the animal agriculture community. That's exactly what Elle Purrier is aiming to do.
FROM VERMONT TO TOKYO: PURRIER IS ON HER WAY
Elinor "Elle" Purrier St. Pierre grew up on a dairy farm in Montgomery, Vermont and has most recently captured attention after winning the women's 1500 meter race at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. Not only did she win the national title but she also broke the meet record and set a new personal best. This claimed her spot for the first time ever on the Olympic team.
Before she graduated from the University of New Hampshire, Purrier obtained the "farm kid" experience through her family's dairy farm. In 2018, she signed with New Balance, which would be an incredible step for anyone. This year, however, she has sponsored with Cabot Cheese to promote the community that's instilled hard work and diligence in her, while fueling her athletic goals. Purrier has over 60 thousand followers on Instagram and takes pride in showing off her family's herd along with sharing powerful facts about the dairy community, including the relationship between dairy farms and the environment.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Although not everyone has the follower base that Purrier has, it is still important to tell the story of dairy and its importance in a healthy diet. According to the United States Dairy Export Council, the protein found in dairy products help build and maintain muscle. It also plays a vital role in the body's structure, functions, and regulation of all tissues and organs. Diets that have a higher protein content will slow muscle loss, curb hunger, enable maintaining a healthy weight, build lean muscle (with exercise), and enhance exercise recovery.
Specifically, whey protein has a higher number of branched-chain amino acids and leucine, which is the amino acid with the ability to initiate new muscle synthesis. For athletes or any avid gym-goer, proteins found in dairy can aid in recovering faster after exercising. One of the most important ideas to highlight is that dairy proteins contain essential (sourced solely from food) and non-essential (synthesized by the body) amino acids the body needs. It's difficult to find this kind of nutrition with plant-based proteins since many are not considered complete sources because they don't contain all essential amino acids.
Aside from the common "milk contains 13 essential nutrients" line, knowing what dairy can do for the human body is crucial in explaining its necessity in people's lives. The lesson from Purrier is that there is always a time to promote the nutritional benefits of dairy. The industry thanks her and looks forward to seeing her at the Olympics!
All posts are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent the view of the?Animal Ag Alliance.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
