When I was in elementary school, it was a major “treat” (as in special occasion) to drink chocolate milk with lunch or at snack time. This week the dairy industry (with support from the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and The American Dietetic Association and others) put forth a huge media extravaganza pushing milk…. including chocolate milk. What does this mean for schools? Although many school districts had previously banned chocolate milk from menus, kids everywhere are eating up the dairy industry’s recommendation and demanding the flavored milk once again.
Let’s consider the chocolate milk challenge. The dietary guidelines for Americans recommend that children age 9 and older consume 3 cups of low-fat or fat free (skim) milk products everyday (or an equivalent amount of another dairy product). If kids pick chocolate milk over unflavored low fat milk they will still get calcium and vitamin D. It is also true that bone density peaks during the teenage years and children often don’t consume enough calcium. (Some health officials suggest that if a child doesn’t get a serving of milk at school they will be more likely to fall short of his or her daily recommended intake of calcium). But is chocolate milk worth the calories and additional sugar? With the rise in childhood obesity perhaps low fat unflavored milk should be promoted. Educating children on the benefits of skim or 1 % plain low fat milk might be a much better choice. I don’t think we should assume that children will stop drinking unflavored low fat milk, unless of course they are offered a more flavorful option!
There are also so many other ways for children to increase the amount of calcium in their diets. How about snacking on almonds or including collards greens in the veggie rotation at dinner? Low fat yogurt sprinked with almonds is another great choice. When my children were young I packed their lunches for school. “What kind of vegetable do you want with lunch?” I asked with enthusiasm. Of course they would also have a colorful fruit included as well. They learned the meaning of balance and healthy eating while enjoying lunch at school.
So while we can debate whether the food industry has had a hand in promoting chocolate milk to children in schools, let’s remember that we are getting further and further away from childhood nutrition basics. Perhaps we should continue to educate our youngsters and provide nutritious food choices. Let’s consider offering low fat chocolate milk one day per week in the lunch room, and provide more raw vegetable choices at schools. If you have a young child, ask them to help you pack their lunch. Together you can make some terrific and healthy choices!
