Why Milk

Milk is among the most nutritious choices that kids can make at home or at school. It's is a natural, nutrient-packed food that is a "good" or "excellent" source of nine essential nutrients, including calcium, protein, potassium, phosphorous, vitamins A, D and B12, riboflavin and niacin - nutrients that growing children need for good health and strong bones.

• Calcium helps build and maintain strong bones and teeth.
• Vitamin D helps the body absorb and use calcium.
• Protein helps build and repair muscles.
• Potassium helps maintain normal blood pressure and muscle activity and maintain the body's fluid balance

How Much Milk Do Kids Need?

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid for Kids recommend three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free milk and dairy products, such as cheese or yogurt, as part of a healthy diet for children ages 6 to 11 for:

• Healthy bones. Diets rich in milk and milk products can reduce the risk of fractures now and osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease, later in life.
• Better nutrient intake. Drinking milk is associated with more nutritious diets and adequate intake of many nutrients.
• Key nutrients for kids. Milk provides calcium, magnesium and potassium, three of the five nutrients that most kids don't get enough of. One 8-ounce serving of milk provides 30% of the Daily Value for calcium, 11% of the Daily Value for potassium, and 8% of the Daily Value for magnesium

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also supports three servings of low-fat milk, flavored milk, cheese and yogurt a day for children's bone health.

Milk is a Nutrient-Rich Powerhouse!

One 8-ounce servings gives kids as much:

• Calcium as 2 1/4 cups of broccoli
• Potassium as a small banana
• Magnesium as a cup of raw spinach
• Vitamin A as two baby carrots
• Phosphorous as 1 cup of kidney beans
• Vitamin D as 3 1/2 ounces of cooked salmon

Tips for Getting Kids to Drink More Milk

Making milk the beverage of choice at family meals, letting kids create their own flavors and making sure they drink milk with their lunch at school, are just a few of the steps you can take to help ensure that kids get the milk they need each day.

1. Serve milk ice-cold, the way kids like it, between 35 – 40 degrees F. Pour it right before serving and promptly return it to the refrigerator to maintain flavor.
2. Let children use a straw to drink the milk left in the bowl after finishing their cereal.
3. Stock the fridge with several flavors of milk. Include single-serve containers of milk, too.
4. Serve milk in special glasses and with a straw. Let older kids create their own Mix It With Milk flavor.
5. Be a role model. When children see you drink milk, they are more likely to drink it, too.
6. Serve milk at meals. Set expectations ahead of time that milk is the beverage of choice at meal times.
7. Order low-fat flavored milk in kid-friendly, single-serve containers instead of soda when eating out.
8. Serve flavored milk at home, too. Kids love it and ounce for ounce it has the same nutrients as unflavored milk.
9. Remind children to choose milk with school lunch.
10. Send milk money and have children buy milk when they take their lunch to school.
11. Ask if your child's school serves New Look of School Milk. If not, talk to the school nutrition director. Research shows that when the New Look of School Milk is available, children take and drink more milk.
12. Remember that children eat first and foremost for taste. If your child prefers whole or reduced-fat milk, cut fat elsewhere in the diet and gradually switch to low-fat or fat-free milk.

All Milk Varieties Provide Same Nutrients

When it comes to milk's unique nutrient package, all varieties of milk are created equal. Kids benefit from the same amount of calcium and eight other essential nutrients whether they drink, fat-free, low-fat, reduce-fat, whole, or low-fat flavored milk.

The main difference between varieties is the calories and fat provided. It's important to remember that kids eat for taste, not nutrients, and some children are put off by fat-free or low-fat milk. What's most important is that children get the three serving they need each day. Start with a milk variety that children like and will drink, and gradually switch until they drink low-fat or fat-free milk. Make sure children balance their "energy in" with at least 1 hour of daily physical activity recommended by the DGA and MyPyramid for Kids.

Milk vs. Leafy Green Vegetables and Fortified Juice for Calcium

Few nondairy foods contain as much naturally occurring calcium and essential nutrients as milk, yogurt and cheese. While calcium fortified beverages and juices provide an alternative source of calcium, they do not have the same nutritional package as milk. Also, calcium is best absorbed and used by the body when it is consumed in combination with the other nutrients found in milk. It is very difficult to meet daily calcium needs without consuming milk and dairy products. To get the same amount of calcium as in a glass of milk, children would need to eat 7 cups of broccoli.

Organic or Regular Milk?

It's great to have choices in the marketplace, but there is no difference in the safety or nutrition of organic dairy products compared with conventional milk or dairy products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees the national standards that foods labeled "organic" must meet. According to USDA, organic food is not safer or more nutritious than conventionally-produced food. Organic food differs from conventionally-produced food in the way it is grown, handled, and processed. Most often, it costs more than conventional milk.
For more information, check out: Organic Milk FAQs (PDF) or USDA's Certified Organic Program.