Chocolate milk- candy or food?

[TravelingGal]

There''s been a lot of coverage in the press lately about National Dairy Council''s campaign for chocolate milk. Their stance is that it''s better to drink choc milk than not drinking milk at all. Kids love it. Schools don''t want to serve it because of obesity issue. What''s your stance on chocolate milk?

The LA times article is below, as well as a opinion column from which I got the title for this thread.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-chocolate-milk17-2009nov17,0,6868728.story

http://open.salon.com/blog/samira_kawash/2009/11/12/chocolate_milk_indefensible

 

[KimberlyH]

You can get calcium from other sources, so if a child refuses to drink milk I would give them other calcium rich items instead; it''s not necessary to supplement w/ chocolate milk, which is a treat in my world.

 

[BeachRunner]

I think of chocolate milk as a treat. If you start the trend of adding a sweet to a healthy food, it can only lead to more trouble with getting your child to eat healthy.

I can''t imagine eating my Cheerios with chocolate soy milk everyday. ick

 

[E B]

Definitely a treat.

(It might not be an issue if this kid hates chocolate milk as much as I did/do, though.

)

 

[TravelingGal]

OK, here''s another question...

At what age would you give your kid his first choc milk?

 

[packrat]

I LOVE chocolate milk. I feel like a kid when I drink it but mmmmmmmm. Our school only had chocolate milk at lunch 2 times a year-Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe Easter. We didn''t get it at home very often but when we did it was a big deal. I could drink a gallon in a day I love it so much. It''s my favorite thing too, in the middle of the night if I wake up and am feeling totally parched. I rarely buy it anymore b/c the kids drink the heck out of it and then I don''t get any.

I don''t think it should be a replacement for white milk tho, so I agree with Kimberly. I never drank white milk when I was little unless I was forced to, or my gramma bribed me. In school I held my breath and chugged it b/c the teachers would check the carton. Blech.

 

[purrfectpear]

My doctor always said that once a child was old enough to be weaned, there really was no valid reason to drink milk at all (much less chocolate milk).

I would view chocolate milk as a treat, much like pudding or candy.

 

[Haven]

Date: 11/16/2009 11:27:35 PM
Author: purrfectpear
My doctor always said that once a child was old enough to be weaned, there really was no valid reason to drink milk at all (much less chocolate milk).

I would view chocolate milk as a treat, much like pudding or candy.

My husband tells me this all the time. He finds my milk drinking habit to be disgusting. I drink a gallon or two of skim milk a week, I really love it. I used to drink a full gallon every two days when I was in high school.

I think chocolate milk is definitely a treat.

 

[oobiecoo]

Food! My schools always had regular, chocolate, and strawberry milk available with lunches and I always got the chocolate. I don''t think it really matters as long as the kid eats pretty healthfully otherwise.

 

[neatfreak]

It's a treat. I look at it in the same vein as soda. My kids won't get it all the time but if we go out to a restaurant or for a birthday part they can have it. I would let a younger child have this as a treat in the same way an older child might get soda as a treat.

But not an everyday treat for sure.

As to age-certainly not before they are old enough to ask for it.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 11/16/2009 10:49:42 PM
Author: EBree
Definitely a treat.

(It might not be an issue if this kid hates chocolate milk as much as I did/do, though.

)

Ditto! And I hated/still hate chocolate milk, too! (I also hate chocolate ice cream and most chocolate cake and I always have!) When I was a kid I always wanted to like chocolate milk because it''s so fun to squeeze the chocolate in and stir it up, but of course I never wanted it once I made it.

 

[iluvcarats]

For my son it is a food. He is active, growing,and skinny. He is not a great eater. I''m always trying to maximize his calories. He gets a horizen chocolate milk in his lunch everday. You can pack as healthy a lunch as you want, but you''ll never know if it ends up in the garbage or not. I would not equate it with soda. Soda does not have any calcium, vitamin D, or protein.

 

[swingirl]

Food!! Adding sugar to milk doesn't take away from everything milk is.

Chocolate milk (2%) 158 calories
White milk (2%) 122 calories
Whole milk 150 calories

Not that much of a difference in 1 cup. And my generation was brought up on full glasses of whole milk at least twice a day. Very few fat kids in my day.

Oh, and we were offered whole chocolate milk for lunches.

And how could anyone consider any type of milk with 8 grams of protein in the same category as soda???

 

[Dreamer_D]

I like to have about 1/4cup chocolate in a 1.5 cup glass of milk. Tastes better and the sugar is negligable. I wish they made choc milk with that same proportion! I don''t really like the taste of milk and drink it more for health, esp. when I was preggo, so the extra little chocolate helps.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 11/17/2009 1:00:18 AM
Author: swingirl
Food!! Adding sugar to milk doesn''t take away from everything milk is.

Chocolate milk (2%) 158 calories
White milk (2%) 122 calories
Whole milk 150 calories

Not that much of a difference in 1 cup. And my generation was brought up on full glasses of whole milk at least twice a day. Very few fat kids in my day.

Oh, and we were offered whole chocolate milk for lunches.

And how could anyone consider any type of milk with 8 grams of protein in the same category as soda???

Good points!

TGal I will probably give him regular milk most of the time and add a little shot of chocolate for a little treat! I''d just prefer him to drink it plain if he will, why force more sugar on him if I don''t have to? Same reasons that he won''t have juice, we don''t keep it in the house anyways.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/17/2009 1:00:18 AM
Author: swingirl
And how could anyone consider any type of milk with 8 grams of protein in the same category as soda???

I admit it was a bad comparison. I meant it more as my kids won''t have it everyday but it won''t harm them to have it sometimes. The same thing we''ll do with soda. I agree with you that it certainly has more nutritional value than soda-it was a bad comparison.

And for me I don''t think the extra calories are a huge deal-but it''s the added sugar. A cup of regular choco milk has 18 extra grams of sugar-which is a lot for a little kid IMO.

Of course with toddlers and little kids you have to do what you have to do to get them to eat/drink and if chocolate milk is what works I certainly wouldn''t condemn that.

 

[Mara]

I *love* chocolate milk. Most places sell 1% chocolate milk, and it has calcium, is high in protein and low in calories. Yes it has sugar, but if you're going to indulge then there are far worse things out there. I drank a lot of chocolate milk when I got pregnant because not much tasted good.

For kids... I would def say treat. In fact for adults even. But if you choose between candy bar or chocolate shake or 1% choco milk...at least the milk has redeeming qualities.

 

[swingirl]

You are right. Toddlers don't need to even know what chocolate is. I was thinking more of school aged kids.

If you mix up your own chocolate milk you can make it look chocolate but not use very much syrup. The pre-mixed kind is way too sweet tasting for me anyway.

 

[TravelingGal]

I would rather choc milk than juice as a treat. If I thought about it a bit more, I probaby would vacillate. But it''s no secret around here that I am not a juice fan.

Having a kid who is a battle when it comes to eating, I can certainly understand the "it has calories and nutrients" stance. I''m just still trying to do the healthy food battle for while longer, is all.

 

[Mara]

I agree with you on juice TG. Really, people should be eating the fruit instead of drinking the juice. At least the fruit will have fiber (apple, pear) and yes it''s natural sugar but easier for your body to process than already processed sugars.

When I was little our school would serve chocolate milk and obesity rates were a lot lower. It''s not so much about the chocolate milk or even the juice but really that today''s kids are often more sedentary than we might have been 35 years ago. If you don''t burn off the sugar in some way with activity, it turns to fat. Schools should be concerned with more activity for kids than whether or not something like 1% choco milk is ok.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I''ll say food - what the heck. I think they can compromise by not using full fat milk or too much sugar in the mix. I drink chocolate milk all the time. Milk makes me feel better, but I have a hard time with the smell since my first pregnancy (not before that at all), but you just don''t need a ton of flavoring - or at least not a ton of sugar. I think it can be done, maybe with ovaltine, so that it''s not oversaturated with sugar.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I admit I don''t let my kids have it all that often - to me the smell makes me gag and as hypocritical as it makes me I don''t want them to be spoiled and they love milk and drink it every day, more than once. I also make it clear that milk is FOOD and not what you guzzle when you''re thirsty. Milk and water are my children''s only choices generally. I don''t give them juice, soda, koolaid etc. Although none of those are banned foods, i don''t buy them.

 

[crown1]

i love chocolate milk but never drink it. i think that it is sort of addicting. by that, i mean that you want more after you have some. my niece let her children drink it in place of white milk and pretty much when they wanted. the children then did not want to eat as it was filling. she refused to make the connection that it was filling them up and that was why they did not want to eat their regular meals after drinking the cm. i think it is fine for a treat used sparingly.

 

[swimmer]

Both! nom nom nom slurp!

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

I hate drinking white milk because it makes me feel sick, so I will drink chocolate that I make myself (with only enough chocolate to change the taste). It helps my reflux and I know I need the calcium since I''m pregnant. I usually just take a calcium supplement, but have issues with taking pills right now.

For the kids, chocolate milk is mostly a treat that they don''t get all of the time. The funny thing is that the older ones rarely ask for it. My 3 year old loves it, but is only allowed a little bit each week because it causes some digestive upsets.

My older daughter refuses to drink milk at all -- I think it''s because she had severe reflux as a baby. I''ve tried to get her to like chocolate milk at least, but she won''t have it. She''s supposed to take calcium supplements, too, but I''m pretty sure she doesn''t when she''s over at her dad''s.

 

[monarch64]

I was not a picky eater growing up, was raised on fresh fruits, veggies, lean meats, etc. Sugary cereals, juices, McDonald''s--my brother and I RARELY consumed that stuff and when we did it was a treat. I was allowed to get chocolate milk at school as a mid-morning treat and I do remember having it sometimes but I didn''t think it was that great.

My 21 month old niece has been fed the same things. She isn''t going to be a "I only eat chicken fingers/Mcnuggets and french fries" kid at all. She gets to try whatever she wants to try but for the most part she doesn''t care so much about the junk food. I''m sure her parents will allow her to have chocolate milk when she starts school (if they still offer it). It seems like they''re raising her to make good choices as far as diet.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I had choco milk as a kid with my school lunches - I had the choice of chocolate or white, but I have always loathed white milk, I think it tasted absolutely disgusting. I wasn''t a chubby kid, either (that came in high school, hah). I was a healthy kid and never even got sick (I had perfect attendance until 8th grade, only missing once for chicken pox), so I really think that the option of chocolate milk with an otherwise healthy lunch is not the terrible thing they are trying to make it out to be.

That said, my kiddo won''t be getting it too terribly often - I want it to be viewed as a treat, not a replacement for water, white milk, or whole juice.

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 11/16/2009 11:30:32 PM
Author: Haven

Date: 11/16/2009 11:27:35 PM

Author: purrfectpear

My doctor always said that once a child was old enough to be weaned, there really was no valid reason to drink milk at all (much less chocolate milk).

I would view chocolate milk as a treat, much like pudding or candy.

My husband tells me this all the time. He finds my milk drinking habit to be disgusting. I drink a gallon or two of skim milk a week, I really love it. I used to drink a full gallon every two days when I was in high school.

I think chocolate milk is definitely a treat.

I have a skim milk habit as well. We go through 2 gallons a week between the two of us. DH never believes me when I say I can taste the difference between different brands of milk but I finally proved it with a blind taste test.

I agree with the treat thing too. I viewed it that way as a kid and when I babysit for my friend''s kids she will drop them off with a small container of chocolate milk as a treat if they are good. I get the impression she doesn''t make a habit of letting them drink it regularly.

 

[October2008bride]

I love chocolate milk and actually just had one! I really never thought it was that bad for me - it fills me up and only has a small amount of calories more than regular milk.

I know this is bad on many levels, but I often have it as a ''meal'' when I can''t have anything else.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 11/17/2009 10:34:31 AM
Author: Clairitek

Date: 11/16/2009 11:30:32 PM
Author: Haven

Date: 11/16/2009 11:27:35 PM

Author: purrfectpear

My doctor always said that once a child was old enough to be weaned, there really was no valid reason to drink milk at all (much less chocolate milk).

I would view chocolate milk as a treat, much like pudding or candy.

My husband tells me this all the time. He finds my milk drinking habit to be disgusting. I drink a gallon or two of skim milk a week, I really love it. I used to drink a full gallon every two days when I was in high school.

I think chocolate milk is definitely a treat.

I have a skim milk habit as well. We go through 2 gallons a week between the two of us. DH never believes me when I say I can taste the difference between different brands of milk but I finally proved it with a blind taste test.

I agree with the treat thing too. I viewed it that way as a kid and when I babysit for my friend''s kids she will drop them off with a small container of chocolate milk as a treat if they are good. I get the impression she doesn''t make a habit of letting them drink it regularly.

Ok, this SO reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite. Muahahahaha!