You walk into the store to grab some milk, do you go for the chocolate or white? Most people believe that chocolate milk is more unhealthy than white milk, but is that true? Many kids turn to sugary drinks like, juices, soda, or energy drinks anyway. But, when deciding what type of milk to drink, which should we choose?
There are many benefits to consuming milk. It is good for your teeth, bones, muscles, and overall health. Milk is really a staple in a balanced diet. Children and teens ages 9-18 should consume 3 servings of milk a day. But, since most kids aren’t a fan of non flavored milk, is it better to give them chocolate milk? Although it has more calories, chocolate milk has the same 16 nutrients as white milk, so essentially, it is just as healthy for you as non flavored milk. Although it has more sugar, studies shows that children who drink chocolate milk are less likely to drink unhealthy drinks such as, soda, and other drinks higher in sugar, and they are consuming more nutrients in the long run. By drinking more milk, even though it is chocolate milk, kids are still consuming more calcium and vitamins than kids who do not drink milk at all. Since it contains cocoa, many people believe that chocolate milk causes hyperactivity in children, but in a study done by the Dietitians of Canada, there is no direct link between the sugar from cocoa and hyperactivity.
Chocolate milk has also been found to be a good workout recovery drink. After working out, some people turn to post-workout drinks, or sports recovery drinks, which are high in sugar. After working out, drinking chocolate milk provides your body with double the carbohydrates and proteins which will help replenish your muscles better than any other drink.
Courtesy of Shamrock Farms
According to healthyeating.org, only one in ten school-age girls and four in ten boys meet their calcium requirements. So, drinking chocolate milk, is generally better than drinking no milk at all. If you’re a picky eater and do not like unflavored milk, chocolate milk will still give you the nutrients needed to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
I know, I don’t really like milk, unless it is chocolate milk, or in cereal. From what i have read, the chocolate in milk adds calories to the drink itself, but it is still better than drinking “empty” calories in other sugary drinks. So, may don’t drink chocolate milk every single day, but it is still a better option than not drinking milk at all.
This is a good article and it can make a lot of people feel more comfortable drinking chocolate milk. Actually, I never feel that sugar is a big problem in diet (probably because I do not really get fat), so the biggest problem for my then become does chocolate affect the nutrition in milk? I heard things about how chocolate and milk does not really collaborate but negatively affect each other’s benefits. I wonder if that is true or that. I would agree that chocolate flavor is such a strong motivation to drink more milk because that was how I started to drink milk as well – started with chocolate milk.