more power for fighting Child obesity
It would sound like a joke if everyone weren't so up in arms about it. Taking a stand against chocolate milk? It's like canceling Christmas. What could possibly be wrong with something that brings children such joy?
A lot, according to some nutrition experts and school districts that are removing the brown liquid from lunchrooms. One 8-oz. serving of reduced-fat chocolate milk has nearly as many calories and sugar as a 12-oz. can of Coke. Encouraging students to regularly consume the drink, they say, is contributing to an already worrying childhood obesity crisis. (Read a brief history of school lunches.)
As chocolate milk opponents lobby state and federal officials, the dairy industry has responded with an estimated $1 million campaign dubbed "Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk." Launched in early November, the YouTube-intensive strategy is designed to highlight the drink's health benefits (vitamin D, calcium, potassium) and to counter the critics who have pegged it as nothing more than a sugar-laden snack drink.
While milk has been the keystone of America's school lunches since the federally subsidized program was established in 1946, the role of chocolate (and other flavored) milk has become a focus of late following a 2006 rule that required schools to establish comprehensive "wellness programs." Public school districts in Berkeley, Calif., and Boulder, Colo. ? two of America's more progressive towns ? have removed the drink from their list of daily offerings, opting for low-fat, organic white milk instead. That's a perfect way to force kids to shun milk completely, says the dairy industry.
"Flavored milk really fits two needs," says Ann Marie Krautheim, senior vice president of nutrition affairs for the National Dairy Council. "It meets kids' taste preferences, and it provides the nutrition that they don't get elsewhere."
Some nutrition experts reject such either/or simplification. "There's almost this threat, like "If you don't drink chocolate milk, then your children will not get the nutrition they need!" says Marlene Schwartz, deputy director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. For Schwartz, the dairy industry's campaign is one as concerned with market share as it is with nutrition. "The real issue is a food-industry segment saying, "We want to market our product to children. So we are going to add extra sugar that is completely unnecessary to improve the taste so that kids will drink more of our product." And since more than half of all flavored milk in the U.S. is sold to children in schools, she says, there's a lot to be lost if chocolate milk gets kicked out of the cafeteria. (Watch a TIME video on a bacon chocolate bar.)
Take Colorado's Boulder Valley School District, which removed chocolate milk from its lunchrooms this fall at the recommendation of Ann Cooper, the new director of nutrition services. That's about 30,000 students in 50 schools that are no longer stocking chocolate milk. Cooper is outspoken in her belief that school cafeterias need to be overhauled ? fresh ingredients, more fruits and vegetables, less sugary snacks. "I'm all for parents having chocolate milk with their kids at home once in a while, or on Sunday morning with waffles, but it doesn't have any place in schools on a daily basis," she says. If a child chooses chocolate milk instead of regular milk every single day for a year, she says, they'll gain about 3 lbs. because of the extra sugar and calories. "Over the course of a K-12 education, that can add up," says Cooper.
As a National Dairy Council video on YouTube points out, "Chocolate milk is the most popular milk choice among children, and it only has 60 more calories than white milk does." Only 60 more calories? "That sort of thing drives me crazy," says Schwartz. "People don't become obese overnight. You have too much sugar here and too much sugar there, and it adds up and adds up and sooner or later just becomes the norm."
Read more: U.S. Schools' War Against Chocolate Milk - TIME
more power for fighting Child obesity
We should wage an all-out war on chocolate milk, because it hasn't been around for very long and is definitely the cause of obesity. I mean, these past few years is when chocolate milk was first invented and obesity rates have skyrocketed since. When will these chocolate milk companies and chocolate milk-drinking kids learn? Christ. Without chocolate milk, obesity rates would be much, much lower than they were before. Chocolate milk is even worse than McDonalds! Did I mention I hate chocolate milk? Chocolate milk is the devil.
Just to play a little devil's advocate here:
I'm at that age where most of my family members and coworkers in my generation are raising children, infants, toddlers, school-age. It's very sad to see how many of them absolutely and totally refuse to consume any liquid unless it's loaded with sugar. Most of the people are ignorant to the fact that chocolate milk is loaded with sugar also, and just feeds their kids demands for constant sweets.
One coworker has a two year old, and she's to the point of finding new juices and other sweetened drinks because her kid doesn't drink enough liquid for her liking. I told her he'll drink when he's thirsty and he shouldn't be bribed with sugar (but what do I know - I dont have kids). Heaven forbid a kid drink water.
I see so few kids at proper weight anymore. Parents think chubby is normal now. I am personally all too aware of how bad eating from the beginning can mess up weight control for life.
That being said, it calling it a 'war on chocolate milk' is a bit of overkill...
You'll shoot your eye out.
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What helps people feel chubby is normal, is the fact all the clothing companies are making a lot bigger cuts. I see tons and tons and tons of tshirts come into work, and these things are nowhere near normal sizes.
Child obesity, the worst case I've seen in Wise County.. a 2 year old... 2 flippin years old, and weighed 78lbs... the parents should've been smacked... the kid was adorable, but the parents should be ashamed.
That is SO true!! My sister and I have both noted this - knowing full well we're not any small than the last time we went clothes shopping yet the 'sizes' are smaller.Originally Posted by steer
You'll shoot your eye out.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/elp6n/santa.jpg[/img]
to me it all comes down to taking responsibility for yourself and your kid. Granted our little boy he's pretty darn chubby *haha* but he's also tall for his age and will probably lose weight once he starts walking even more ..... Kylar drinks water or 2% milk all the time sometimes a little apple juice or sunny d, but he loves water and prefers it over anything else.
I just don't like parents *****ing over chocolate milk when I see kids in Kindergarten all the time who for snack their parents send them cookies/cakes/candy bars and a flippin coke to drink.....
This. It's not one specific item, such as chocolate milk. Its parents and how they instruct their children to eat/drink. And, of course, it's adults taking responsibility if they're the ones obese.
My son is a hefty lil boy, he eats but mostly he drinks and when he drinks it is normally 2% milk with a bit of strawberry in it (he calls it pink) of course he drinks other things almost everything is sugar free and/or diet. I see nothing wrong with him having his pink and I know that he is a larger than average kid but he is also taller than average. He comes from a larger big boned taller family on both sides and at his Peds appointments the Doc NEVER has said anything about his weight, I think that it is due to the Doc knowing that we are a larger family and that my son is VERY active.
I think the whole thing is, take out chocolate milk from cafeterias and you'll notice a rise in better health.
Child obesity has just gotten way out of hand, and some parents won't take a stand.
When I have a child, I will allow them to have chocolate/strawberry milk.
This is just an age when all kids want to do is sit around, watch tv, text, video games, and not get outside and play.
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