
If you read my menu plans, you may have noticed that I complain about being out of milk a lot. My kids are big milk drinkers, plus we use it for cereal, cooking, etc, and any more than two gallons in the fridge takes up too much space, so it feels like I'm always running to the store for more. So, when we were invited to a Got Milk? function over the summer at Port Discovery, we went, sampled milk from several different local dairies, and had a milk mustache photo taken. The chocolate milk was the best, and sure it was chocolate, but I didn't feel like I was compromising my diet by drinking it, or that I'd have to pass on a treat later in the day.
So I was a little dismayed to get an email from the folks at the Got Milk? campaign, telling me how some schools are trying to remove chocolate milk from their food offerings, to improve the nutritional quality of their meals. While I applaud the schools for trying to make the food the kids have access to healthier, I can think of at least a dozen different things that would be better to remove instead of chocolate milk. My kids are good milk drinkers and quite often choose plain milk over chocolate, but plenty of parents report that their kids don't like milk unless it's flavored. Having a chocolate milk drinker, in my opinion, is better than having a No Milk drinker, or a child who reaches for soda or junky juice instead.
Out of curiosity, I brought up the issue on Facebook and received the following comments:
**I don't consider chocolate that doesn't have high-fructose corn syrup in it to be junk food, but that's just me!--Julie
**I won't drink milk if it isn't chocolate so I would never buy it and I'm an adult. If it takes a little chocolate to get my kids to drink milk, I'm good with that.--Erin
**Similar to our culture in general, they need to loosen up and let kids be kids. Chocolate milk isn't going to make or break their diets.--Jaclyn
So I was a little dismayed to get an email from the folks at the Got Milk? campaign, telling me how some schools are trying to remove chocolate milk from their food offerings, to improve the nutritional quality of their meals. While I applaud the schools for trying to make the food the kids have access to healthier, I can think of at least a dozen different things that would be better to remove instead of chocolate milk. My kids are good milk drinkers and quite often choose plain milk over chocolate, but plenty of parents report that their kids don't like milk unless it's flavored. Having a chocolate milk drinker, in my opinion, is better than having a No Milk drinker, or a child who reaches for soda or junky juice instead.
Out of curiosity, I brought up the issue on Facebook and received the following comments:
**I don't consider chocolate that doesn't have high-fructose corn syrup in it to be junk food, but that's just me!--Julie
**I won't drink milk if it isn't chocolate so I would never buy it and I'm an adult. If it takes a little chocolate to get my kids to drink milk, I'm good with that.--Erin
**Similar to our culture in general, they need to loosen up and let kids be kids. Chocolate milk isn't going to make or break their diets.--Jaclyn
**Remove the pop machines and "fruit" drinks before the milk.--Melissa
**Pop should be removed, not chocolate milk.--Adrienne
On an online community I belong to, there's a debate going on about this very subject, and most parents are okay with chocolate milk being available in schools. If anything, we'd like to see more recess time, less fatty, salty or greasy foods served, and no access to soda during the day.
If you're interested, you can read more about the science behind milk and general health (and sign a petition) at RaiseYourHand4Milk.com, and you can watch this video, featuring celebs like Rebecca Romijn and Angie Harmon.
Opinions? How do you feel about chocolate milk in schools?
On an online community I belong to, there's a debate going on about this very subject, and most parents are okay with chocolate milk being available in schools. If anything, we'd like to see more recess time, less fatty, salty or greasy foods served, and no access to soda during the day.
If you're interested, you can read more about the science behind milk and general health (and sign a petition) at RaiseYourHand4Milk.com, and you can watch this video, featuring celebs like Rebecca Romijn and Angie Harmon.
Opinions? How do you feel about chocolate milk in schools?















