GAA players Grace Walsh, Cian Lynch and Con O’Callaghan are this year’s sports stars appointed as Milk Ambassadors for the ‘Everything starts with milk’ initiative, a European Milk Forum campaign which educates Irish consumers on the nutritional benefits of milk and its potential role in post-exercise recovery.

All Stars Camogie Player of the Year nominee, Grace Walsh is joining the campaign in between rotas as a clinical nurse at St Vincent’s hospital. Grace has shared her delight at being selected as an ambassador of the campaign stating – “I’m so pleased to be selected as a campaign ambassador for Everything Starts with Milk. The campaign’s ability to educate people on the importance of diet and nutrition to perform their best is so important, not just for athletes but for young people starting to establish their own health goals – whether it’s for training at school or to feel fitter and more confident.”

The pan-European campaign is being implemented to highlight the nutrients naturally provided by milk and their contribution to a number of important roles in health, as well as their applications in post-workout recovery.

Grace will be taking part in events and providing professional insight of her training throughout the year. She shared how she aims to use her ambassadorship to represent positive role models in sport saying –

“This year I hope to bring insight into how I take my health as seriously as my physical training when I’m off the pitch. Strength and ability to play camogie at a top level takes practise and hard work, so having a diet that supplies sufficient energy; and is rich in proteins, minerals and vitamins is important. It helps me to keep my energy levels up during a match and aid my recovery afterwards.”

Milk is an excellent choice post-performance, as it is rich in protein – an important nutrient which assists muscle growth and maintenance; and provides a natural carbohydrate source to help start the refuelling of energy stores.

Limerick hurler Cian Lynch shared how he continues to maintain his healthy diet and hurling skills off the pitch, which keeps him mentally and physically in shape for the next foreseeable game, saying – “I enjoy finding ways to integrate training into my day like playing road hurling or doing drills in the garden.

Cian adds – “The important thing for me is a healthy balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein, minerals such as calcium and vitamin-based foods. I choose milk as my drink of choice to provide a range of nutrients to help keep my body in good condition; and to support hydration after I train.”

As well as being an affordable, natural, versatile, and widely available choice, milk also provides a range of vitamins and minerals.

A glass of milk offers a source of electrolytes (e.g. potassium) in a fluid form to assist rehydration and provides several vitamins and minerals that contribute to important roles for health including calcium, phosphorous, and protein to support bone health, iodine to contribute to normal cognitive (brain) function, vitamin B2 to assist with energy release, and vitamin B12 to support normal functioning of the immune system*.

The National Dairy Council and the EU welcome Dublin County footballer, Con O’Callaghan to join this year’s campaign. His passion for his sport makes him an excellent role model for the campaign and he looks forward to using his ambassadorship to encourage young people to eat well and take part in sport saying –

“I’m delighted to be working with a campaign that encourages people to make healthy choices and inspire them to find ways to stay active. This campaign is valuable to anyone who wants to know more about the nutritional benefits of milk, which is so accessible to everyone, and how it can be part of a balanced diet for fuelling and recovery around training and in day-to-day life.”

The National Dairy Council and the EU are also delighted to welcome boxer Kellie Harrington back as a campaign supporter.

Speaking about the launch of the final year of the ‘Everything Starts with Milk’ campaign Jeanne Spillane, Marketing Manager at the National Dairy Council said, “We are delighted to welcome Grace, Cian, Con and Kellie on board as our ambassadors for this year’s European Milk campaign. National Dairy Council and the EU has a keen focus on education and outreach to create awareness of the nutritional benefits of milk, therefore we will be looking forward to taking part in a series of virtual events such as Irish Runners’ fitness webinars, and hopefully in person training events for young people later in the year. It aims to be an active year ahead, which we can’t wait to deliver.”

For more information about Everything Starts with Milk follow us on Twitter @ndc_ie

For futher information contact:
Cathy Currran, Communications Manager, National Dairy Council
+353 1 290 2518 | pr@ndc.ie