Soft Drinks in Schools
PEDIATRICS Vol. 113 No. 1 January 2004, pp. 152-154s
The American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) policy statement Soft Drinks in Schools advocates that health professionals work to restrict the sale of sweetened drinks in schools in order to help prevent some of the health problems associated with too many sodas and sweetened beverages. The AAP recommends replacing sweetened drinks with real fruit and vegetable juices, water and lowfat white or flavored milk. The policy also notes that as sweetened drink consumption rises, milk consumption declines and milk is the primary source of calcium in the diets of children and adolescents.
Calcium is especially important for adolescents. Because almost 45 percent of skeletal mass is formed between the ages of nine and 18, health professionals recommend at least 1,300 mg of calcium every day for this age group; the equivalent of four servings of milk, cheese or yogurt.
Of particular interest to School Foodservice...
Additional recommendations in the AAP policy statement concur with what school foodservice professionals have long advocated:
- "Pediatricians should advocate for the creation of a school nutrition advisory council comprising parents, community and school officials, food service representatives, physicians, school nurses, dietitians, dentists, and other health care professionals"
- "Soft drinks should not be sold as part of or in competition with the school lunch program, as stated in regulations of the USDA".
- "Vending machines should not be placed within the cafeteria space where lunch is sold. Their location in the school should be chosen by the school district, not the vending company."
- "Vending machines with foods of minimal nutritional value, including soft drinks, should be turned off during lunch hours and ideally during school hours"
For more information on the nutritional benefits of dairy foods, visit www.nationaldairycouncil.org. In addition, you can get fun recipes and tips on how to get 3-A-Day of Dairy at www.3aday.org. Perfect for your newsletters!
