Think About Your Drink

With nearly two out of three Americans being overweight or obese, one of the keys to a healthier weight could be rethinking what you drink each day. The new What America Drinks report reveals that beverages supplied nearly a quarter (22%) of our total calories – with nutrient-poor, sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, fruit drinks and presweetened teas as the largest contributor. Most Americans fail to get the milk they need (24 ounces/day), which some studies suggest may help support healthy weight loss.

“Think About Your Drink” Resources:

• What America Drinks Report: Review the entire report to take a closer look at what Americans are drinking!
• What America Drinks Fact Sheet: Check out the key findings and implications.
• Battle of the Beverages: Take a look at how sweetened beverages impact the diets of teens and adults, and how milk stacks up.
• What Teen Girls Drink
• What Teen Boys Drink
• What Women Drink
• What Men Drink

Milk + Nutrition

• According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, adults and children over age 8 should consume 3 cups per day of fat-free or lowfat milk or equivalent milk products. Children ages 2-8 should consume 2 cups per day of fat-free or lowfat milk or equivalent milk products.
• Each 8-ounce serving of milk — white or flavored — provides 300 mg of calcium, about one-third to one-fourth of the daily calcium requirement for children.
• Providing a powerful nutrition package of nine essential nutrients including calcium, protein and potassium, milk is the perfect beverage for today's kids and teens.
• Studies¹ demonstrate that when children drink milk at lunch, they have a higher intake of several critical nutrients, including calcium, zinc and vitamin A. In one study, only those children drinking milk at lunch were able to meet their daily calcium requirement.
• A recent study shows children who avoided milk were found to be more likely to experience fractures and be overweight.
• The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development says kids should be drinking more milk, more often. To learn more about their program called "Why Milk Matters," click here.

Why milk?

• Calcium: Helps build and maintain strong bones. It's also vital for nerve function, muscle contraction, and blood clotting.
• Protein: Important for a number of bodily functions — vital to brain development and the growth of body tissues.
• Vitamin A: Maintains normal vision and skin. Helps regulate cell growth and integrity of the immune system.
• Vitamin B-12: Essential for the growth and health of the nervous system. Linked to normal activity of folic acid and is involved in blood formation.
• Vitamin D: Promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and influences bone mineralization, the strengthening of bones.
• Potassium: Regulates the body's fluid balance and blood pressure. It also is needed for muscle activity and contractions.
• Phosphorus: Helps generate energy in the body's cells and influences bone mineralization, the strengthening of bones.
• Niacin: Keeps enzymes functioning normally and helps the body process sugars and fatty acids. It is also important for the development of the nervous system.
• Riboflavin: Helps produce energy in the body's cells and plays a vital role in the development of the nervous system.

Flavored Milk & Nutrition

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How does milk stack up?

Milk's Role in Kids' and Teens' Diets

• Childhood obesity is nearing epidemic proportions, having tripled in the past two decades. A recent study suggests children's beverage choices play as great a role in childhood obesity as the foods they eat. Sodas and fruit drinks provide more calories to a teen's diet than any single food; they provide about 13% of a child's total calories — more than cakes, cookies and other sugary foods.

• A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health² found that children ages 6-17 who consumed more than 6-8 ounces of flavored dairy products, such as milks, yogurts, ice creams and puddings, each day had better diets than those who regularly drank sodas and sweetened fruit drinks.

• A University of Vermont³ study found that children who drank flavored milk were more likely to meet their daily calcium requirements compared to their peers. The flavored milk drinkers consumed more calcium, without increasing their total added sugar or fat intake. Children and teens who drank flavored milk consumed more milk overall.

• Kids are making the switch to sodas and sugary fruit drinks as they get older. Flavored milk may be a good strategy to prevent the switch from milk to soft drinks. It's important to reverse this trend and flavored milk can help children and teens meet calcium recommendations without increasing the amount of added sugars in their diets.

• Flavored milk is a popular choice for teens and it provides less than 2 percent of total added sugars. Studies show teenagers who drink more milk instead of sodas tend to weigh less and have less body fat.

• Milk and milk product consumption in adolescent girls is not associated with a higher body mass index or an increase in percentage of body fat. In fact, teen girls who consumed four 8-ounce glasses of milk a day had one-eighth inch slimmer waistlines than those who drank soda.⁴.

• In children ages 2-8, higher dietary calcium intake from calcium-rich foods like milk, cheese and yogurt is associated with a lower percentage of body fat.⁵

Milk and its Role in Weight Loss

Sources:

¹ Johnson, R.K. et al. Journal of Child Nutrition and Management. 1998; 2:95

² Frary, C.D. et al. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2004; 34:56-63

³ Johnson, R.K. et al. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2002; 102:853-56 For more information, click here.

⁴ Novotny, R. et al. Journal of Nutrition. 2004; 134(8): 1905-1909. For more information, click here.

⁵ Skinner, J.D. et al. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2003; 103(12): 1626-1631. For more information, click here.