Simple solution is to just pack his lunch. If you think strawberry milk is bad, you should see the food they often serve in schools (and what the kids selectively eat).

Personally even I like chocolate milk (but not strawberry - ick) and don't see an issue with it once in a while as a treat.

Anonymous wrote:Those of you who are suggesting that PP just send plain milk to school each day with her DC are missing the broader picture. This is a big nutritional concern that all of us should care about, in the same way that we are starting to wake up to the fact that much of the food served at schools for lunch and snack is basically crap.

Lunch has been crap since I went to school 25 years ago, and has only gotten worse. I just... brought my own lunch! I understand that not everyone can afford to make their own healthy lunch, but sheesh. People need to take responsibility for what their own kids eat! I don't think we're talking about kids that get the free lunches right here, so I don't have a lot of sympathy on an individual basis. Sure, long term we should strive to get the added sugar out and more healthy options in - I don't think many would disagree with that. But if you don't want your kid getting strawberry milk, don't let them!

Those of you who are suggesting that PP just send plain milk to school each day with her DC are missing the broader picture. This is a big nutritional concern that all of us should care about, in the same way that we are starting to wake up to the fact that much of the food served at schools for lunch and snack is basically crap.

The problem with flavored milk is that it contains a lot of ADDED sugar. And contrary to one PP's point about fruit containing NATURAL sugar -- these are not at all the same thing.

There is no reason to add sugar of any stripe (chocolate/ strawberry) to milk. The vast majority of children have been drinking milk in one way or another essentially since birth, and should not have to be trained to like it in an even sweeter form. Unless of course, you're in the beverage industry and you want to encourage an affinty for sweet beverages... colas, energy drinks, etc.

Anonymous wrote:G-d forbid a kid drinks flavored milk. Seriously, find something more important to worry about.

How fat are your kids?

Get off your lazy bum and pack his lunch in the morning. Problem solved.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:G-d forbid a kid drinks flavored milk. Seriously, find something more important to worry about.

Sure, artificial colors, flavors, sugar and saturated fat are not problems at all in our children's diet. Giant eye roll.

Why is it if a person expresses concern about a concerning issue, someone always comes out with the "find something important to worry about."

Stupidest, fucking retort ever.

This is a concerning issue? Strawberry milk? Are you fucking kidding me?

How about you regulate what YOUR kid does instead of trying to regulate what everyone else does.

You don't want your kid to have strawberry milk- great. Make it a rule and enforce it.

Anonymous wrote:G-d forbid a kid drinks flavored milk. Seriously, find something more important to worry about.

Sure, artificial colors, flavors, sugar and saturated fat are not problems at all in our children's diet. Giant eye roll.

Why is it if a person expresses concern about a concerning issue, someone always comes out with the "find something important to worry about."

Stupidest, fucking retort ever.

Strawberry milk contains 28 grams of sugar (6.5 teaspoons).

There is a nation wide movement to improve school foods. Better School Foods would be a good group to contact locally.

I totally agree with the "lighten up" poster. Childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. 20% of children aged 6-11 are obese. Lighten up indeed! and lets start with school milk!

Good nutrition habits are just as important as multiplication tables and deserve just as much attention from school budgets, administrators, and the like. I also don't believe it would negatively affect the schools budget in any way by only offering plain milk. Get involved in the PTA and influence that way.

And to whomever posted before about "flavored milk is better than soda". Soda has zero business being made available in school to students. If some freak parent wants to pack it in their kids lunch, fine. But I hope (and thought) that the days of having sodas sold in school was over. I graduated in 95, and even back then, the soda machines were turned off during the day. They were strictly for after school events and were not available for use during the day. And high school was the only school where I've ever seen sodas for sale at that.

Oh, and I mix calcium rich foods into other things as well. Cottage cheese is a great healthy replacement (cheaper too) for ricotta in stuffed shells, lasagna... It also makes super moist fluffy protein rich pancakes when you mix in. Pancakes are topped with fruit made into syrup with honey. Also can be added to scrambled eggs. And I make sure my kid knows the cottage cheese is in the food, so he understands that he likes things that are healthy.

Smoothie Popsicles made with fruit, yogurt, and honey taste 100 times better than food dye filled artificially flavored sugar popsicles too.

I do understand the concern - but I don't agree that in an era of crunched budgets in our school system, spending time and resources making sure that strawberry milk is not offered to your DC is the highest best use of resources. If you are that concerned, pack his lunch. If you think he shouldn't be choosing it, come up with a consequence for choosing it. Plain milk is offered, too.

G-d forbid a kid drinks flavored milk. Seriously, find something more important to worry about.

Ugh I was a nanny to a little boy that drank chocolate milk non-stop all day. And he was a pudgy little butterball that didn't have good nutrition habits otherwise as well (only wanted chicken nuggets and fries too). Children really need to be raised and get used to eating and enjoying healthy stuff. I as an adult love skim milk, brussel sprouts, liver... All things that most kids (and many adults) hate. I grew up with a persistant mother that gave me healthy choices and encouraged me to eat healthy, sugary things were merely a special treat. Kids that consume large amounts of sugary and fatty (bad fat) foods are on the fast track for obesity and all that goes along with it. Diabetes, heart disease... Which all put a strain on health care for us all. And it's just selfish for parents to babysit their kids with these foods rather than just making a little extra effort to help them find healthy choices they like.

My son hates milk btw, but loves loves loves low fat plain (sugar free) Greek yogurt mixed with fruit purée. He'll gets it for breakfast and an afternoon snack. Lunch often has cheese slices with fruit. He still gets his calcium on.

Doesn't every kid get free milk at school regardless if they buy or bring lunch?' I would rather them drink flavored milk than soda. I have seen few adults or kids addicted to flavored milk in the same way I have seen them addicted to soda.

If flavored milk is the only bad thing being served at lunch - and I doubt it is - I wouldn't worry too much about it. I would worry more about the overly processed crap being served with the milk that is making up the bulk of the meal.

BTW milk all by itself has sugar in it. Oh and so does fruit - sometimes lots of sugar. Should we ban fruit?