Chocolate milk unhealthy?
MichelleSilverleaf
Posts: 2,027 Member
So I usually like Yoni Freedhoff's info and blog and read it semi-frequently. He's a big proponent of getting junk food out of schools which I can understand and sports drinks out of school sports but he's really against chocolate milk as well. Apparently he's not the only one. It just seemed a strange position but maybe it's just me? Was curious what others' thought was on the subject.
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When I hear people critique chocolate milk as a healthy choice for school lunches, it's usually related to the sugar content. Perhaps that is the case here?
Most chocolate milk has some kind of added sweetener (just milk and unsweetened chocolate wouldn't be palatable to most people). There seems to be a lot of attention to the percentage of sweetened beverages in the average child's diet right now, so I think some of that would be coming into play as well.
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I can understand that, I think that is the angle he approaches it but he quoted the Canada Food Guide describing chocolate milk as being to milk what apple pie was to apples. Which seems a little on the extreme side to me. I mean yeah I imagine it has higher sugar than white milk, but if I had to pick juice or milk I think I'd vote on the latter. I definitely agree that kids can have too many sugary drinks in their diet, but it just seems like demonizing chocolate milk is a little overkill. This is the most recent article he shared on it: http://www.weightymatters.ca/2018/06/where-hell-is-canadas-new-food-guide.html0
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MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »I can understand that, I think that is the angle he approaches it but he quoted the Canada Food Guide describing chocolate milk as being to milk what apple pie was to apples. Which seems a little on the extreme side to me. I mean yeah I imagine it has higher sugar than white milk, but if I had to pick juice or milk I think I'd vote on the latter. I definitely agree that kids can have too many sugary drinks in their diet, but it just seems like demonizing chocolate milk is a little overkill. This is the most recent article he shared on it: http://www.weightymatters.ca/2018/06/where-hell-is-canadas-new-food-guide.html
Yeah, I would think for most children, when consumed in normal quantities, the nutrients in chocolate milk would be a positive.
You're not subtracting stuff (like fiber is subtracted from juice), you're adding some chocolate and some sugar. The link you shared contains the claim that it has more sugar than Coca-Cola, but Coca-Cola typically is just carbohydrates, while the chocolate milk is also going to have protein, calcium, and other vitamins. I think this comes down to how negative your feelings are about sugar overall. In the context of a balanced diet, I don't think sugar is something that children have to be shielded from.
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But with that said, what's wrong with white lowfat milk for schools? We didn't have chocolate milk or juice in the school cafeteria when I was growing up. Not till High School.
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"I also know this because even McDonald's appreciates that chocolate milk, with more calories and sugar drop per drop than Coca-Cola" I think this is the base of the mindset.
I have mixed feelings. I think chocolate milk is alot "healthier" in the sense that it is a more well rounded food (than soda or juice) - has protein and fat as well. I like all my macros
. With that said, I don't think juice or soda is evil and should be outlawed either.
I have mixed feelings about these items being removed from schools. I think the rising childhood obesity rates drive these decisions, and I understand that. But there are still those super active little kids who struggle to sit still and eat a whole meal, chocolate milk might be beneficial to them? Plus, whats life without chocolate milk when you are a kid. Poor kids
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It's policy driven by aesthetics and emotion as opposed to evidence and reason. Policy based on individual pet peeves isn't likely going to go well. Seems to be a great deal of projection going on as well.
What is the calorie difference between chocolate milk and milk?1 -
It may not be just the chocolate milk. It may be another instance of governmental parenting where the concern is that the child doesn't need the additional sugar because they are afraid he/she is consuming too much at home already. I am not saying it is true or not but I have definitely seen the shift away from trusting parents. I can remember a family vacation being called educational if a parent deemed it so. That changed toward the end of my HS years. After that you were required to be in school unless you were sick and a doctors note was needed after a certain number of days or it was unapproved.0
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cmriverside wrote: »But with that said, what's wrong with white lowfat milk for schools? We didn't have chocolate milk or juice in the school cafeteria when I was growing up. Not till High School.
Our county in Virginia offers 1% milk in plain, chocolate, and strawberry.
We also have a website where you can fund your kids' account, view all the nutritional data for everything they offer, view a photo of each item, and set up what your kid can and cannot purchase. I'm pretty happy with how it's set up. Parents can make the choice for themselves.10 -
It's policy driven by aesthetics and emotion as opposed to evidence and reason. Policy based on individual pet peeves isn't likely going to go well. Seems to be a great deal of projection going on as well.
What is the calorie difference between chocolate milk and milk?
One cup of whole milk has about 148 calories.
One cup of chocolate milk, same fat content, has about 209 calories.
(according to Google).2 -
The cals in our chocolate is 120, in strawberry 110, white is around 90.1
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janejellyroll wrote: »It's policy driven by aesthetics and emotion as opposed to evidence and reason. Policy based on individual pet peeves isn't likely going to go well. Seems to be a great deal of projection going on as well.
What is the calorie difference between chocolate milk and milk?
One cup of whole milk has about 148 calories.
One cup of chocolate milk, same fat content, has about 209 calories.
(according to Google).
Thank you - that would have been my guess ~40-50 cals. It seems to be similar to the "inserting shot of chocolate" is somehow deterring the benefits of what would otherwise be nebulously be considered "healthy".1 -
cmriverside wrote: »But with that said, what's wrong with white lowfat milk for schools? We didn't have chocolate milk or juice in the school cafeteria when I was growing up. Not till High School.
Our county in Virginia offers 1% milk in plain, chocolate, and strawberry.
We also have a website where you can fund your kids' account, view all the nutritional data for everything they offer, view a photo of each item, and set up what your kid can and cannot purchase. I'm pretty happy with how it's set up. Parents can make the choice for themselves.
This is pretty cool!
ETA I was kinda thinking I liked the idea of packed lunched so you knew what you kid was eating. But this is another solution. I guess I was raised on 4 packed lunches a week and we got to buy lunch one day a week. We chose very carefully which meal we wanted. I loved french toast day 2 -
It doesn't make logical sense to classify any food as healthy vs unhealthy without looking at that food in the context of the whole diet and activity level. For my 10 year old it wouldn't make sense because he's a bit heavy and not as active. For my active and tiny 8yo it would be perfectly fine.7
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mrsnattybulking wrote: »It doesn't make logical sense to classify any food as healthy vs unhealthy without looking at that food in the context of the whole diet and activity level. For my 10 year old it wouldn't make sense because he's a bit heavy and not as active. For my active and tiny 8yo it would be perfectly fine.
But if you did that you'd put the food police/nannies out of a job!!7 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »But with that said, what's wrong with white lowfat milk for schools? We didn't have chocolate milk or juice in the school cafeteria when I was growing up. Not till High School.
Our county in Virginia offers 1% milk in plain, chocolate, and strawberry.
We also have a website where you can fund your kids' account, view all the nutritional data for everything they offer, view a photo of each item, and set up what your kid can and cannot purchase. I'm pretty happy with how it's set up. Parents can make the choice for themselves.
This is pretty cool!
ETA I was kinda thinking I liked the idea of packed lunched so you knew what you kid was eating. But this is another solution. I guess I was raised on 4 packed lunches a week and we got to guy lunch one day a week. We chose very carefully which meal we wanted. I loved french toast day
I took my lunch most of the time too, except pizza day, and just bought milk, usually chocolate. But that was before the internet. I think this is a good solution as well. Each year, we have a open meeting where parents and kids can come in to taste and give feedback on entrees for the next year.1 -
I'd rather my kids have chocolate milk than juice or soda because it has more nutrition on the whole...but it is still a "sometimes" food in our house.1
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I remember reading a study that kids will choose and drink the chocolate milk if both are offered; if given only the choice of white milk, the kids either didn't take the white milk, or threw it out without drinking it. Let them have their chocolate milk!0
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Growing up, if I wouldn't have had the choice of chocolate milk with my lunch, I wouldn't have had anything to drink with my meals. Our options were white milk and chocolate milk. I still don't like the taste of plain white milk, never have.1
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MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »So I usually like Yoni Freedhoff's info and blog and read it semi-frequently. He's a big proponent of getting junk food out of schools which I can understand and sports drinks out of school sports but he's really against chocolate milk as well. Apparently he's not the only one. It just seemed a strange position but maybe it's just me? Was curious what others' thought was on the subject.
There is more sugar and more calories in chocolate than plain milk. That does not mean it is unhealthy. The nutrients of the milk are still there.
My dd has always hated plain milk. She will only drink a flavored milk. She has never been overweight or diabetic. Her teeth are fine. She has been underweight and needed more calories from things like whole milk. I don't see a reason not to give her flavored milk.
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janejellyroll wrote: »Yeah, I would think for most children, when consumed in normal quantities, the nutrients in chocolate milk would be a positive.
You're not subtracting stuff (like fiber is subtracted from juice), you're adding some chocolate and some sugar. The link you shared contains the claim that it has more sugar than Coca-Cola, but Coca-Cola typically is just carbohydrates, while the chocolate milk is also going to have protein, calcium, and other vitamins. I think this comes down to how negative your feelings are about sugar overall. In the context of a balanced diet, I don't think sugar is something that children have to be shielded from.
This, exactly. Milk has a lot of nutritional value especially for children. If you can get them drinking more of it by adding a bit of sugar, go for it.
But then again, I also let my kids eat sugary cereals for breakfast every day.
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BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Yeah, I would think for most children, when consumed in normal quantities, the nutrients in chocolate milk would be a positive.
You're not subtracting stuff (like fiber is subtracted from juice), you're adding some chocolate and some sugar. The link you shared contains the claim that it has more sugar than Coca-Cola, but Coca-Cola typically is just carbohydrates, while the chocolate milk is also going to have protein, calcium, and other vitamins. I think this comes down to how negative your feelings are about sugar overall. In the context of a balanced diet, I don't think sugar is something that children have to be shielded from.
This, exactly. Milk has a lot of nutritional value especially for children. If you can get them drinking more of it by adding a bit of sugar, go for it.
But then again, I also let my kids eat sugary cereals for breakfast every day.
My daughter likes the sugary cereal and eats it dry lol I'm a failure as a parent0 -
I've heard it said more than once that Chocolate milk is a pretty decent post workout drink. Like anything else, you can find a study that backs it up.
I'm not saying I buy it. But I do see where they are coming from as it has carbs, protein and fat.
https://bigthink.com/ned-dymoke/chocolate-milk-works-extremely-well-as-a-post-workout-drink-says-study
The link is there above to judge for yourself.0 -
It must be concerns about sugar. When I was a kid, if you were to get me to drink milk, it would have to be chocolate. Since most kids were skinny at the time, no one was concerned about that. I don't know what's behind the skyrocketing obesity in kids, but it's going to take a lot more than getting chocolate milk off the menu to fix it. To me, it's almost like throwing the baby out with the bath water, considering that most children won't get the nutrients from the milk without the chocolate.0
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Chocolate milk is delicious! My kids don't drink white milk. I buy chocolate as a sports recovery drink for my soccer player and as a special treat when my daughter is home from college.0
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cmriverside wrote: »But with that said, what's wrong with white lowfat milk for schools? We didn't have chocolate milk or juice in the school cafeteria when I was growing up. Not till High School.
Regular Milk was a once a week treat at my school
The rest of the week the jugs contained plain water0 -
I'm guessing that he's assuming the choice is between chocolate milk and white milk. For some kids, the choice is chocolate milk or no milk, because they just will not drink white milk. I'd rather see a kid drink chocolate milk than no milk, assuming the kid isn't allergic to milk or lactose intolerant. If it's the "chocolate" that's bothering him so much then put some other flavor in it.
As for chocolate milk in general, if it's part of an overall healthy diet, I don't see a problem. But then, I'm not a parent, so what do I know?0 -
I'm guessing that he's assuming the choice is between chocolate milk and white milk. For some kids, the choice is chocolate milk or no milk, because they just will not drink white milk. I'd rather see a kid drink chocolate milk than no milk, assuming the kid isn't allergic to milk or lactose intolerant. If it's the "chocolate" that's bothering him so much then put some other flavor in it.
As for chocolate milk in general, if it's part of an overall healthy diet, I don't see a problem. But then, I'm not a parent, so what do I know?
As someone who was a parent, if chocolate milk was the most unhealthy thing your kids ever eat or drink you are doing well.
My youngest is now 19, so they are largely programmed and executing their own code now.
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cmriverside wrote: »But with that said, what's wrong with white lowfat milk for schools? We didn't have chocolate milk or juice in the school cafeteria when I was growing up. Not till High School.
My kids get the option of white milk, strawberry milk, or chocolate milk everyday at their school. I was shocked when I found that out, especially with more moves toward healthier lunches in recent years. When I was in elementary school (in the 80s and early 90s) we had one day per week that was chocolate milk day and the rest of the week we only had 1% white milk (or you packed your lunch and your parent sent a thermos with milk, juice, or water). Thankfully, my son and youngest daughter choose white milk about half the time and chocolate the other half. My oldest daughter, however, drinks strawberry milk everyday at lunch. I figure, though, that it's okay since they drink nothing but water at home most of the time and they're all in healthy weight ranges. Still, there are tons of obese children in the school (probably 30% of the total enrollment of kids are obese) and those kids could probably benefit from having low-fat white milk or water as their only options.0 -
It may not be just the chocolate milk. It may be another instance of governmental parenting where the concern is that the child doesn't need the additional sugar because they are afraid he/she is consuming too much at home already. I am not saying it is true or not but I have definitely seen the shift away from trusting parents. I can remember a family vacation being called educational if a parent deemed it so. That changed toward the end of my HS years. After that you were required to be in school unless you were sick and a doctors note was needed after a certain number of days or it was unapproved.
I could write a novel on this topic as someone who is a licensed teacher (although currently a stay-at-home mom) and a parent. I tend to lean toward the "let parents decide what's best for their children" side of things, yet there's no doubt that childhood obesity is real and a problem, and there are some pretty crappy parents out there.
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My chocolate milk (which I ADORE) is 401 calories for 300ml. So It's a very rare treat these days - but man do I enjoy it! Puhoi Valley Belgian Chocolate
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