OK Nutrition guru's; what do you think about banning chocolate milk from school lunches?

Heh--You should ask my students this one! We did an entire unit on persuasive writing based around this topic. It included counting the number of times Rinny drinks or mentions choco milk in one of her so-called "training" videos (eleven!). The kids fell about 50/50 on the issue. (Of course, this being Asia, at least half don't/can't drink milk anyway.) The con side won and chocolate milk/soymilk continues to be a non-item in our cafeteria. Kids are allowed to bring it from home for snack or lunch, though; some do, especially my more active kids who are often involved in multiple sports in the same season.

Personally, I think if we're talking a US public school cafeteria, there's probably a lot worse in the school lunches and in those some kids bring from home, but it's best off as a treat at home, if only for dental health reasons--that's a lot of sugar to sit in a kid's mouth all day. I don't think anyone gives a hoot about sodium here--we're all sweating constantly so a bit of extra is probably useful for an active kid.

Edited by Hot Runner 2014-05-21 6:47 PM

I find the whole thing ridiculous. We want the schools to offer hot lunch, but then ban all kinds of things because of what the politicians decide they shouldn't eat, yet they themselves have a treat at least now and then. when I was in school, we had chocolate milk on Friday's only - that was great! let them have a tgif day too. why do we expect so much more from our over managed, sleep somewhere different every night, must never have free time, be perfect, robot kids then we expect from ourselves?

honestly the whole new school dietary guidelines that are being enacted because of the 2010 law make me scratch my head because they don't seem to be rooted in common sense (yes, I said the dreaded CS word)...when you have students who bring a healthy lunch from home that is determined to not fit the "criteria" because its missing a starch, so their lunch in thrown out and replaced by cruddy cafeteria food, I have issues...the chocolate milk is just another example

when you see kids who are athletic being sent home with letters cautioning them about they being overweight because their BMI exceeds the norm (like mine has my whole life, not that you can tell), I have issues

but when you see people like Jamie Oliver (I think) who tried to actually help school districts out by coming up with health food alternatives that kids might actually like, and is met with huge resistance (I think in this instance it was the LA Unified School District), it emphasizes that (at least in my mind), this is more about control rather than about actual healthy eating

School nutrition is a messed up thing, my wife works in a elementary school, which unfortunately is about half free and reduces lunch, a very poor school. A large portion of the students’ families are mostly migrant Hispanics living in low income housing and working poor paying jobs. Some of these kids this might be the only meal they eat all day, most receive breakfast too, and get pre packs meals for the weekends.

The problem is that these kids are getting poor nutritional foods. I have received boxes from the cafeteria that I used for moving; the kids are eating urcrustables a crust less peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They eat Super nacho’s which is the tortilla chips and a big pump of the neon orange canned cheese; some schools classify pizza as a vegetable.

I have two kids and as expected they eat “crap” but we try to limit it, I am not going to have a battle about them wanting spaghetti o’s. Sometimes is just not worth the hassle. The nutritional guide lines are supplied to us by the USDA, the USDA’s goal is to promote and help agriculture; they aren’t vested in anyone’s health other than the financial health of agriculture. These aren’t the experts we should be looking at for nutritional guide lines.
The proof is in the stats we have an obesity epidemic in this county, and a whole lot of associated health issues, diabetes, and heart disease. The rates have climbed since the 60’s (BMI > 30 14.5%) to 2008 (BMI > 30 40.3%) have almost tripled. In 1980 the rate was 16.4%, and in the 80’s the USDA messed it up steering us doe the high carb path. The latest guidelines recommend 50-70% of your daily intake should be complex carbs, 10-15% protein and 15-30% in Fats.

This is highly likely to be the reason to the rise in obesity, diabetes, etc. The two usually go hand in hand and the term diabesity has been used as a result, stating most diabetes will become obese or most obese will become diabetic. Diabetes is a hormonal issue your body can’t produce enough insulin to regulate blood glucose. Insulin is only used in the regulation of glucose, you reduce the high levels of glucose from carbohydrates and you relieve the load on the pancreases. It is what you eat the notion a calorie is a calorie is not accurate. You have to look at the source of the information, and the track record of this “healthy diet” is more harmful then helpful, it isn’t working.
The change won’t happen at the top, the government is horrible about admitting fault and reacting to solve actual problem, it has to happen locally in grassroots type of movements. Kids will be picky eaters, and as I stated above this might be the only food a kid gets, but we have to be smart about it, read food labels, and see they add sugar to tons of things, why? Sugar might be one of the worst things you can add to something. I am not saying sugar us inherently bad, but in the quantity people consume it is horrible.




http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity_adult_07_08/obesity_adu...

looks like the Governor has said he won't sign the bill

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-chocolate-milk-ban-0516-...

Why do they need to drink chocolate milk when they can just drink plain old white milk? I don't get it. It's unnecessary. Even with changes in school lunch program, the food is crap.

Not to get all psychological, but what kids should do is not the same as what they will likely do.

I have seen first hand and in the research what happens when chocolate milk is banned... they do not switch to plain milk.

Same thing happened when California banned candy in school under the governator, the candy black marketeers were walking around with more cash than the weed dealers.

We caught the first wave by identifying the non-athletes walking around with extra school duffle bags... they were filled with Costco sized boxes of candy.

I have 4 elementary aged children, so I get it. I remember when my oldest son was really picky and wouldn't eat the healthful foods I put on his plate. I went to my pediatrician with this (typical first time parent worries). He said to keep serving him the good stuff. He wouldn't starve. It's not in our nature to let ourselves starve if there is food available or right in front of us. Eventually he started eating tiny portions of vegetables and other foods. Today he is my best eater of the 4.

If you remove the chocolate milk and serve only white milk or water, you think kids will just sit there dehydrated day after day? Maybe in the beginning. If they are thirsty, they will get the white milk if it is the only option available. I haven't read studies about how this plays out in the schools, and it sounds like you are knowledgable about this. I don't think the schools give it long enough. It needs to be in place for years. Sure, the kids will skip the milk in the beginning, but over time it may become the new normal. Change doesn't happen overnight. Of course, parents would complain about the absence of chocolate milk, which is just asinine.

Ok, my word choice was poor. I think serving children tons of added sugar for lunch in the form of chocolate milk is counterproductive to learning. We all know how the body reacts to sugar. These kids aren't out running around. They're sitting at desks. I think we can do better.

I think most people disagree with me, and that's ok. The chocolate milk has been there for a long time. I won't send my children to school with my $ to buy it. My kids take refillable water bottles to lunch and drink water all day.

Except, this is not a hypothetical.
There are schools that have banned chocolate milk for years.

Milk consumption goes down, and it doesn't rebound.

This isn't my prediction, it is the trend.

Now, there are plenty of kids that don't follow the trend, but not enough to change the bottom line stats.


School officials have to balance taking care of those whose parents don't take care of business (let them drink chocolate milk - it may be the most nutritious things that they have all day) with the complaints of parents that have no tolerance for parenting styles other than their own.

Is there a documentary about school lunches yet? Lol Most people know they are bad and yet our society and politicians still allow this. Classic debate topic, which is rather unfortunate. Being that food is the one thing we NEED to put in our bodies, it is foolish to not try for better options.