Got _____ ?

                       MELLK... ( Midwestern )

                              MAHLK... ( Valley Girl )

                                        MUKE... ( British )

                                  MILK... (The rest of the world ) 

No matter how you say it, drink it, or have it with- it's delicious. 

So, it has been ages since I last posted- in fact too long. Nearly 6 months!! Anyway, now that I have finished up school I do intend to get back on track. So lets get to it.

A new TV show came across my radar tonight on ABC called "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution." The premise is to analyze food service in metropolitan school districts, identify issues, eliminate "processed crap", and create awareness for students and parents. In this particular episode he takes the time to discuss milk- especially flavored milk. He speaks up at a school meeting and criticizes them for serving chocolate milk, and even fills an entire school bus up with sugar to demonstrate how much sugar kids get from drinking milk. "Over 20 grams!!!"

Time to drop in my 2 cents:

1. If you don't want your kids to drink chocolate milk- don't drink it! Kids aren't forced to drink chocolate milk, but they do prefer it over the plain milk next to it in the lunch line. 


2. Pop, soda and other soft drinks are the #1 source of sugar in a child's diet! In fact, what Mr. Oliver seemed to forget is that over half of those "20g" of sugar, are naturally occurring sugars in milk. Lactose, for example, is a sugar!  


3. Flavored or not- according to the American Dietetic Association - children who drink milk consume more nutrients and have a lower BMI (body mass index) than their peers that don't drink milk at all! 


4. 8oz. of flavored milk has as much... 

Vitamin A as 2 hard boiled eggs!

Potassium as 1 banana!

Calcium as 10 cups of raw spinach! 

Phosphorus as 1 cup of red kidney beans!
Vitamin D as 3/4 oz. of cooked salmon!

Riboflavin as 1/3 cup of whole almonds!

5. Chocolate milk may not be the BEST decision when it comes to a daily consumption for students, when compared to plain milk. However- lets not eliminate it from our diets! Studies show that chocolate milk is the best drink for athletes to have, especially after a workout. Its a powerhouse of nutrients, and a great food to have at all times of the day. 

So my point: do drink milk - do research - do not believe everything on TV - 

*Oh one other thing that was kind of funny was this Oliver guy had a problem with milkshakes. So- he takes strawberries, yogurt and ice and blends it together... and argues with a restaurant owner on how this is a "milkshake." Sorry buddy, but look it up any other place, and you've gotta have ice-cream, milk and fruit/chocolate... you just made a smoothie. 

** The actions he took with the school district resulted in him eventually being disallowed to enter the school and he even attempted to enter the school, but was escorted out by police. 

***A healthy diet is important, and all things must be eaten in moderation- no matter how "healthy" or "unhealthy" they are. 

CHECK THIS OUT:

http://www.whymilk.com/pdfs/Flavored-Milk-Top-5-Reasons.pdf 

-THAT'S ALL FOLKS.