Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk

Friday, November 13, 2009

Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N

Some schools have recently eliminated chocolate milk from their school cafeterias. They claim that it is too high in sugar. I understand the concern with the childhood obesity epidemic, but when you look at the research it is obvious that flavored milk is not the problem. New research found that when chocolate milk was eliminated from schools, the milk consumption dropped by as much as 67% at those schools!

• All milk contains a unique combination of nutrients important for growth and development, including three of the five “nutrients of concern” – calcium, potassium and magnesium.
• Flavored milk is not a major source of added sugars in a child’s diet, providing less than 2 percent of total added sugar intake. Studies have shown that children who drink flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs, and do not consume more added sugar, fat or calories.
• Research has also shown that kids who drink flavored milk are not heavier than non-milk drinkers, so people who are looking for a culprit for childhood obesity, chocolate milk is not it.
• Low-fat chocolate milk is the most popular milk choice in schools and kids drink less milk (and get fewer nutrients) if it’s taken away.

Dairy farmers and milk processors have started a new campaign called Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk to increase awareness that chocolate milk can be and is part of a healthy diet for kids.

Read here about the Top 5 Reasons to Raise Your Hand for Flavored Milk

Check out www.raiseyourhand4milk.com for more info and to sign a petition.

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