Drive Easy with Dairy

No matter what age or stage of life, exercise and good nutrition are   important for good health. A few weeks ago, my sons presented me with a new Panama Jack Huffy bicycle for my birthday. It's a drive easy dream and  everything I desired--no hand gears or hand brakes,big tires for easy dirt road riding,comfortable seat, normal positioned handle bars and of course,girly looking. The drive around the dairy on my new bicycle is easy on the flat ground but I definitely need refueling when I reach the top of the hills!!

Dairy is a drive easy choice because it plays a critical role in the daily diet to  provide nine essential nutrients. One of my favorite drive easy dairy choices is chocolate milk. According to information provided by Midwest Dairy (http://www.midwestdairy.com), chocolate milk is a great choice after exercise because:

• it is 90% water and replaces fluids to prevent dehydration
• the carbohydrate in milk fuels muscles during exercise and refuels muscles after exercise
• the protein in milk contains all the essential amino acids to maintain healthy muscles
• milk provides potassium needed for normal muscle contractions and balance body fluids
• the calcium and vitamin D found in milk promotes strong bones
• milk contains B vitamins that help convert food to energy to fuel working muscles

While I'm not training for any races, I do hope to drive easy with dairy and  build my stamina for a bike trail ride in town with my sons by the end of the summer!

Drive Easy with Dairy!

Chocolate Milk--Trick or Treat?

Chocolate milk is stated to be the official drink of Halloween but low-fat chocolate milk is a nutritious treat any day of the year.  Low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk contains the same nine essential nutrients as white milk and strikes a balance between good nutrition and good fun. It's a fact--Milk provides nutrients essential for good health, and kids drink more when it's flavored.

Many parents have concern about the sugar content of flavored milk but on average, flavored milk contributes only 3% of total added sugars and only 2% of total calories to the diets of children ages 2 to 18 years.  In the last five years, the dairy industry has responded to these concerns by reducing the added sugar of flavored milk.  According to information from the National Dairy Council (http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/), research has shown that kids that drink flavored milk:

• drink more milk overall and have better quality diets
• meet more of their nutrient needs
• do not consume more added sugar,fat or calories
• are not heavier than non-milk drinkers

You can find more information about flavored milk at http://www.midwestdairy.com/. 

                   I hope you have a safe and happy Halloween  and enjoy dairy treats all year long!

Chocolate Milk-A Healthy Choice

Chocolate milk has been a favorite healthy choice for a very long time.  I can remember enjoying chocolate milk when I was in elementary school  fifty years ago. Choices then were limited to whole white or chocolate milk.  In the last five years, the dairy industry has responded to nutrition concerns about flavored milk by developing reduced or fat-free milk and reduced the added sugar. In fact, the amount of added sugar in flavored milk has declined by thirty percent.  All milk has 12 grams of natural sugar straight from the cow.  Fat-free chocolate milk has 22 grams of total sugar, that's twelve grams from naturally-occurring lactose and 10 grams of added sugar.

Flavored milk is a healthy choice because it contains the same nine essential nutrients just like white milk.  The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans listed four nutrients of concern for adults and children: calcium,vitamin D, potassium and dietary fiber. White and chocolate milk contain three of these: calcium,vitamin D and potassium.  Low consumption of these nutrients can affect not only health in childhood but in the future.  Here's a few facts about  flavored milk:

• kids who drink flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs
• kids who drink flavored milk do not consume more added sugar,fat or calories
• kids who drink flavored milk  are not heavier than non-milk drinkers

• studies have shown when chocolate milk is removed from the menu, kids drink less milk and get fewer nutrients

Bessie, the Midwest Dairy Cow, invites you to find more  information about flavored milk and dairy nutrition at http://www.dairymakessense.com/.  I just love hanging around with Bessie, how about you?

Reasons to Serve Chocolate Milk for Breakfast

Tonight's local news announced that Fayetteville School District in Northwest Arkansas will no longer offer chocolate milk for school breakfast to decrease the sugar that kids are getting in the morning but it will remain a choice for lunch. Why would you decide to decrease milk consumption? Studies in other school systems have shown that if you remove chocolate milk as a choice, consumption will decrease. School age children are needing the nutrients in milk to support bone development during these peak bone building years. I'm not sure what rationale supports the school district's decision but I do know that flavored milk accounts for less than 3.5% of added sugar intake among children ages 6-12 and less than 2% of added sugar intake among teens. Studies have shown that children who drink flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs, do not consume more added sugar,fat, or calories and are not heavier than non-milk drinkers.

Reasons to support flavored milk as a school breakfast choice include:

• Flavored milk provides essential nutrients for good health and kids drink more when flavored.





• Flavored milk contains the same nine essential nutrients as white milk.





• Flavored milk helps kids get three daily servings recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.





• Lowfat chocolate milk is the most popular choice and kids drink less if taken away.

You can find more information about the nutritional benefits and the scientific research supporting flavored milk in child nutrition at http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/ or http://www.midwestdairy.com/. I'm raising my glass for chocolate milk! Will you join me?

Chocolate Lover's Healthy Snack

I tend to work up a sweat while feeding calves or working in the garden and I'm finding that water doesn't always quench my thirst. Hot weather also tends to decrease my appetite so it is important that snacks provide good nutrition. Chocolate milk is a perfect nutrient-packed thirst quenching snack that offers the same nutrients as regular milk and will help keep me hydrated. Milk contains protein,carbohydrates and is about ninety percent water. If you compare chocolate milk to other beverages such as juice,fruit punch,cola or diet cola,bottled water or sports drink, milk is the only beverage that contains nine essential nutrients. You might want to consider chocolate milk as a choice to offer your family after sporting events,exercising, or outdoor family activities to refuel healthy muscles and quench thirst.

Yesterday I returned from the grocery store with my favorite chocolate candy bar. When I compared the label of the candy bar with an eight ounce serving of 1% low-fat chocolate milk, it's pretty easy to see the nutritional bang I can get from chocolate milk plus help to quench my thirst. You can find more dairy nutrition information at http://www.midwestdairy.com/ or http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/.

Our weather man is predicting another scorcher today---think I will have that big glass of cold chocolate milk now! Will you join me?

Flavored Milk:Nutrition in Disguise

Dairy farmers have been spending money on dairy nutrition research and product development for more than ninety years. I am proud of all the nutritious dairy products that we have developed for all consumers. Flavored milk is one of the products that has been developed to meet the need of children and adults who may not like unflavored milk but want the nutrition that it provides. I think this video produced by Midwest Dairy gives great information about flavored milk:http://youtu.be/XVf2R-q0ov0 .

You can also find alot of information about dairy farming and dairy nutrition at http://www.midwestdairy.com/. Sound science,research and dairy farmers stand behind our dairy products. We appreciate the support of all dairy consumers!

Flavored Milk Memory

One of my favorite memories about first grade was drinking chocolate milk after our afternoon recess. When my boys started school, I found out that afternoon milk was a thing of the past. I was shocked. Thankfully they could still have their choice of white or chocolate milk for lunch. That choice was important to me then and now because as a mother I know that not every day's school lunch would be eaten by my child or any child. Milk,flavored or white, always offers a great nutritional package. As things evolve, will flavored milk completely be removed from the school menu? I hope not and here are the reasons why:

• Studies show that children who drink flavored milk drink more milk overall,have better quality diets, do not have higher intakes of added sugar or fat, and are just as likely to be at a healthy weight compared to kids who do not consume flavored milk.



• Flavored milk contains the same 9 essential nutrients found in white milk.



• With school lunch budgets feeling the increasing stress of high food prices just as our family food budgets, it would be even more costly for schools to add the additional food it would take to replace the important nutrient package of flavored milk.
  

As in all decision making, we need to look at the sound science and research that support decision making about nutrition. You can find more factual information about flavored milk and a great blog post written by Midwest Dairy's registered dietician Caroly Hudson titled "Flavored Milk=Nutrition in Disguise" at http://www.midwestdairy.com/0p48b1be47/dairy-makes-sense/airy.com/Op48b1be47/dairy-makes-sense.

Colored Cows and Flavored Milk

Do the brown cows give chocolate milk? That's the question I often receive when I speak to children about dairy farming and the kind of milk our Holstein cows produce. This original question about chocolate milk does have a serious side and provides opportunity to talk about the benefits of flavored milk.

Flavored milk, just like unflavored milk, offers the same nutrient rich package with the nine essential nutrients that includes calcium,potassium,phosphorus,protein,vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B12, riboflavin and niacin (niacin equivalents). Besides tasting great, flavored milk increases children's enjoyment and consumption of milk and is often acceptable to children who might not drink unflavored milk. This is an important point because seventy percent of children ages 9-19 do not meet their recommended dairy intake. Even though flavored milk does contain natural and added sugar, it is less than what is found in carbonated soft drinks. On average, an eight ounce low-fat flavored milk has around 4 teaspoons of added sugar while a can of soda has about 9 teaspoons and fruit punch about 6 teaspoons.

According to the National Dairy Council (http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/), every eight ounce serving of flavored milk gives kids:

• 30% of the Daily Value for calcium


• 25% of the Daily Value for vitamin D


• 24% of the Daily Value for riboflavin


• 10% or more of the Daily Value for Vitamin A,vitamin B12,niacin,phosphorus,potassium,protein, and other nutrients


• 8% of the Daily Value for magnesium

Even though I have never been asked what color cow produces strawberry,banana,or orange flavored milk, I can just imagine red,yellow, and orange spotted cows. I also wonder what color cow would give cotton candy flavored milk. Just think what a pretty picture all those colored cows would make out in the pasture!

Spring Break Breakfast

Spring has finally arrived! With every change of the season, I love spring because of the warmer days, new baby calves, the beauty of budding flowers and trees and spring break! Even though our work continues as usual on the dairy farm, we always look forward to a change in routine just like families that are enjoying spring break this week. Even on spring break, a nutritious breakfast is an important start to the day. I love peanut butter and chocolate milk so I'm suggesting you might change your breakfast routine and try a tasty shake!

Peanut Butter and Banana Breakfast Shake

1 cup of fat-free or 1% low-fat chocolate milk

1/2 cup frozen banana slices

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth and creamy. Serve in tall glass or on-the-go container.

You can find nutritional facts about this recipe and other great dairy recipes at http://www.dairymakessense.com/.

Have a very dairy good spring break!