Five Reasons to Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk

Schools across the nation are attempting to improve the nutritional quality of school meals. These schools and advocates are asking for a change in school meals. How? With chocolate milk, of course.

The National Dairy Council, creators of Got Milk, recently launched its newest campaign, "Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk." Dairy farmers and processors across the nation are joining the campaign to promote healthy school lunches and addressing the growing issue of kids not consuming enough calcium and essential nutrients. The campaign asks schools to keep chocolate milk on lunch menus by identifying five reasons why chocolate milk matters:

1. Flavored milk drinkers drink more milk Milk provides nutrients essential for good health and growth. Research has shown that kids will drink more milk when it's flavored.
   
2. Flavored milk contains the same nine essential nutrients as white milk Low-fat and fat-free flavored milk contains calcium, potassium, phosphorous, protein, vitamins A, D, and B12, riboflavin and niacin, and can help kids meet their calcium recommendations.
   
3. 3-A-Day keeps the doctor away Drinking low-fat or fat-free white or flavored milk helps kids get the three daily servings of milk recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and provides three of five "nutrients of concern" that children do not get enough of - calcium, potassium and magnesium as well as vitamin D.
   
4. Children who drink flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adding a small amount of sugar to nutrient-dense foods such as reduced-fat milk can enhance its palatability to children and adults, improving nutrient intake while not adding excessive calories to the diet.
   
5. Low-fat chocolate milk is the most popular milk choice in schools According to 2005 USDA data, 66 percent of the milk chosen by children in schools is flavored, of which 60 percent if low-fat or fat-free.
   

To learn more, visit the campaign Web site . There's even a petition you can sign to raise your hand for chocolate milk.