I am sure I am not the only one who has heard chocolate milk being promoted as a good option for kids, a way to get them drinking milk and increasing their calcium and vitamin D intake. I’ve also heard it makes for a great after-workout recovery drink.
But lately flavored milk has been receiving more criticism. After a quick review of the facts as given by the Canadian Nutrient File, it can be seen that chocolate milk has about 22 extra grams of sugar (per 250 mL) than regular milk, which equals almost 90 extra calories. Knowing this, is it still worth serving children flavoured milk, or should we concentrate on increasing consumption of plain milk?
Last week the Los Angeles Unified School District decided to take a stand against childhood obesity, becoming the United States’ largest school system to stop serving sugar-laden flavored milk.
Meanwhile grade 4 students in Edmonton are spreading the word of how much sugar is contained in sweetened milk. Their anti-chocolate milk videos and blog have received a lot of attention from the likes of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, and the CBC. The videos are a lot of fun, so check them out!
So what is the take home message? Everything in moderation. Save the chocolate milk for a weekend treat and lets applaud LA for removing it from their daily school lunches.
