Healthy Hearts in Tots

The American Academy of Pediatrics released a new report recommending cholesterol screening in children and adolescents with a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease. Previously, most doctors did not start screening for cholesterol until adulthood. With the increase in childhood overweight and obesity rates, we have also seen increases in heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems that were previously rare in children.

The report also recommended specific changes in the diets of children, and dairy was one food specifically highlighted. For many years we have heard that children should go from formula at their first birthday to whole milk at least until their second birthday. Once they are past the age of 2, they can switch to reduced fat or fat free milk. The report recommends changing these guidelines.

Children who are at risk of obesity, high cholesterol, or heart disease are encouraged to drink reduced fat milk (2%) instead of whole milk between 1 and 2 years, and continue on reduced fat (2%), low fat (1%), or skim (fat free) milk the rest of their lives.

Milk provides numerous vitamins and minerals essential for growth such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin D, and riboflavin.

The Dietary Guidelines encourage the following intakes:

• Age 2-8: 2 cups (16 oz) per day of dairy
• Age 9+: 3 cups 24 oz) per day of dairy

All milks (whole, reduced fat, low fat, skim) provide the same vitamins and minerals, and the only difference is the fat and calories.

• Whole milk: 8 grams of fat, 150 calories
• Reduced fat milk (2%): 5 grams of fat, 120 calories
• Low fat milk (1%): 2 grams of fat, 100 calories
• Skim milk (nonfat or fat free): 0 grams of fat, 80 calories

Flavored milks are also nutritious, but of course contain more calories due to the added sugars. Milk straws are a great way to provide flavor without the added calories.

Labels: children, dairy, heart disease, Tara Gidus

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Raw Milk

I was reading a story in the paper today about raw milk and how the FDA is cracking down on the sale of raw milk to consumers. Currently 21 states prohibit the sale of raw milk for human consumption, and the FDA does not allow cross-border sales.

What makes it "raw"?
Raw milk is very simply unpasteurized milk. It does not mean it is organic (although it could be either organic or conventional), but simply not pasteurized. Proponents of raw milk think pasteurization strengthens the immune system and helps prevent digestive problems. They also think that pasteurization kills healthy proteins and enzymes. Raw milk proponents claim it can even treat or cure certain diseases.

Benefits of Pasteurization
French doctor and scientist Louis Pasteur invented the process of pasteurization more than a century ago. Pasteurization destroys harmful bacteria (e.coli, salmonella, listeria, etc.) that may be in the milk but does not destroy any proteins or enzymes that are healthy for us. By destroying the harmful bacteria, it extends the shelf life of the milk.

The National Dairy Council reports that less than 1% of outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States results from dairy products. The outbreaks that are a result of dairy products are from raw milk and raw milk products. Because of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance and other safety systems, the American milk and dairy products are among the safest and most highly regulated foods in the world.

Pasteurization 101
Pasteurization involves heating raw milk to a minimum temp of 145 degrees for 30 minutes or to 161 degrees or more for 15 seconds, followed by rapid cooling.

Bottom Line
Since there is not known difference in the nutritional status of raw vs pasteurized milk, and there is definite risk to drinking raw milk, I recommend sticking with the pasteurized.

Labels: dairy, milk, pasteurization, Tara Gidus

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Kids Love Flavored Milk

Milk does a body good. I grew up in Wisconsin and milk was a staple at every meal. I still love milk, but I confess I don't drink as much as I should. I get my calcium and protein from cheese and yogurt in addition to milk to get my three servings of dairy per day.

An interesting study came out in the April issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association on the benefits of milk drinking for children. The researchers found that children who drink milk consume more nutrients (have a healthier diet overall) and have a lower or comparable Body Mass Index (BMI) than children who don't drink milk. It did not matter whether the kids were drinking plain or flavored milk.

Milk is naturally nutrient rich. It has protein, which provides satiety for kids and adults alike. It also provides calcium, phosphorus, Vitamin D, potassium, riboflavin, Vitamin B12, and more.

Kids tend to like flavored milk better, who wouldn't? If you add sugar to something it always tastes better! This study found that the kids who drank flavored milk did not have a higher intake of sugar for the day than kids who drank the plain milk. That leads me to believe that the flavored milk drinkers were using their flavored milk as their sweet snack/sugary food and the plain milk drinkers were getting sugar from other places.

I am all for kids drinking milk. If they need it to be flavored to drink it, then flavor it. Maybe you have a compromise in your house that it is not always flavored, though. We used to get chocolate milk occasionally growing up, but it was definitely a treat. The other option is to use these new milk straws. They have only 15 calories and make the milk taste just as sweet at the other flavored milks (but you save a lot of sugar calories). See my blog post on milk straws for more information on these lower calorie, lower sugar alternatives for flavored milk.

For more information, visit www.3aday.org
Also check out www.nationaldairycouncil.org
Sipahh straws: www.sipahh.com

Photo courtesy of National Dairy Council

Labels: children, dairy, milk, Tara Gidus

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Milk Straws

Growing up in Wisconsin, we had milk served at every meal. I had milk on my cereal for breakfast and a glass of milk with lunch and dinner daily. Our family of four went through 3 gallons of milk each week. Every once in a while my Dad would sneak one of those gallons as chocolate milk past my mother. My dad and brother and I would have the chocolate milk gone in no time!

I saw a really cool new product that I just had to tell you about. Milk consumption has been declining for years, especially in the diets of children and adolescents. Surveys have found the children will drink more milk if it is flavored. The concern is that the flavoring adds more sugar and calories and is less nutritious.

MyPyramid recommends 2-3 cups of milk or other dairy on a daily basis. It is well documented that milk is a nutritional powerhouse of nutrients, including an excellent source of calcium, vitamin D, protein, riboflavin, potassium, phosphorus, and others.

At my conference last week I saw these new "Sipahh" straws that are only 15 calories with 2 grams of sugar. You basically put the straw into an 8-ounce glass of milk and as you drink the milk it tastes sweet and has the flavor of the straw. The straws come in chocolate, strawberry, banana, and cookies and cream.

I could not believe that they were only 15 calories. They use a blend of sugar and splenda to keep the calories down. If your kids aren't drinking enough milk or ask for chocolate milk all the time instead of regular milk, give these straws a try. Hopefully the end result will be your kids drinking more milk (and they work for adults, too!) without all of the added sugar.

For more information on Sipahh, visit www.sipahh.com
Logo courtesy of www.sipahh.com

Labels: calcium, children, dairy, milk, Tara Gidus

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