Just Say Yes to Chocolate Milk’s Healthy Side
When I was a child, my parents made me drink a glass of milk every morning with
breakfast. They said it was good for me and helped me have strong teeth and bones. The
problem was, I hated milk, especially with scrambled eggs. It tasted disgusting. So as soon as
my parents left the room, I tiptoed over to the sink and carefully poured my milk down the drain.
The result? I didn’t get those important nutrients and I definitely didn’t have strong teeth
because by the time I was seven years old, I had 22 cavities. An easier solution would have
been to give me chocolate milk. I love anything chocolate. If my parents would have simply
replaced the plain milk with chocolate milk, I would have drank it and gotten all of those
important nutrients. Chocolate milk should be served at school. It is just as nutritious as regular
milk and has been proven to have additional health benefits as well.
The average one serving container of chocolate milk contains the following nutrients:
Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin, Niacin, Thiamine, Pantothenic Acid,
Folate, Vitamin D, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, and Selenium (Dairy
Goodness). These important nutrients help children’s development in critical ways. They help
build bones and strong, healthy teeth; many aid in building and repairing body tissues; some
contribute to red blood cell formation and the maintenance of healthy skin. Finally, some of the
nutrients help with energy metabolism and are important factors in normal growth (Dairy
Goodness). If chocolate milk offers so much nutritional goodness, why would anyone want to
prevent children from drinking it? It simply does not make good healthy sense to take away the
opportunity to drink chocolate milk.
Another benefit of chocolate milk has recently been discovered by athletes around the
world. In particular, runners that participate in marathons have found that drinking a nice cool
glass of chocolate milk following a race helps to hydrate and reenergize them. Studies indicate
that carbohydrates in milk help replace lost glycogen stores, which are needed for peak
performance, while the protein can boost muscle growth and repair muscle damage. Finally,
chocolate milk contains sodium and potassium, key ingredients needed to replenish
electrolytes. Doug Cook, a Toronto-based dietitian who once worked with the Dairy Farmers of
Canada, says the advantage of chocolate milk over other sports drinks or even regular milk is
that it has a “golden ratio” of four times the carbohydrates for every gram of protein (1). This
means that no matter how you look at it, chocolate milk helps repair your body and keep it in top
condition.
So why the big debate? Opponents of chocolate milk insist that chocolate milk has too
much sugar. I contend that it is better to drink chocolate milk with a little bit of sugar and a lot of
nutritious vitamins and minerals than drink no milk at all and miss out on these essential
nutrients. Most concerning is that milk consumption has dropped between 20-25 gallons per
person every year since 1990. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reporting
that most children do not get enough calcium and other nutrients that are found in great
quantities in milk. Finally, more and more kids that do drink milk are drinking flavored milk—
more than 70 percent of it according to the Milk Processor Education Program. (ABC News) It
is obvious that some children, like myself, will not drink any milk at all if they are not offered
flavored milk. When you look at the amount of sugar versus nutritional value found in chocolate
milk compared to sodas or energy drinks, chocolate milk is still a good alternative for health
conscious parents. For example, chocolate milk has 25 grams of sugar per serving, but
includes 16 critical nutrients. Coca cola contains 26 grams of sugar and an energy drink such
as Gatorade Perform contains 17.5 grams of sugar (The Globe and Mail). Neither of these
drinks list any nutrients on their labels. Finally, you need to consider that all milk has naturally
occurring sugar. Regular milk contains 13 grams of sugar (WebMD). Therefore, chocolate milk
has 12 added grams of sugar but it contains the same 16 nutrients available in regular milk.
When you consider all of this, chocolate milk is both delicious and nutritious.
Help kids make healthy choices. Milk abounds in nutritional value not found in any other
single beverage. It’s great to encourage kids to drink good old fashioned plain milk, but if you
can’t get kids to drink milk at all unless it is flavored then provide them that option. It’s better to
let them have the extra sugar than to miss out on all of the extra nutritional value. I certainly
wish that I would have had the choice as a child.
Works Cited
"Chocolate milk post-workout: nutritious choice or big glass of hype?." The
Globe and Mail. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/fitness/chocolatemilk-post-workout-nutritious-choice-or-big-glass-of-hype/article4381413/>.
Elaine Magee, MPH, RDWebMD Expert Column. "Sugar Shockers: Foods
Surprisingly High in Sugar." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/sugar-shockers-foodssurprisingly-high-in-sugar>.
Neporent, Liz. "Chocolate Milk Debate Rages in Schools." ABC News. ABC News
Network, 12 Apr. 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
<http://abcnews.go.com/Health/chocolate-milk-debate-rages-schools-calciumimportant-calories/story?id=13359739>.
"Nutrients in Chocolate Milk All About Chocolate Milk Milk | Dairy
Goodness."Dairy Goodness RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.dairygoodness.ca/milk/all-about-chocolate-milk/nutrients-inchocolate-milk>.