4 Things You Might Not Know About Milk

I’m excited to announce that I have partnered with the Milk Life Campaign. In doing so, I will help share my tips on child nutrition and incorporating nutrient-rich meals and snacks into your child’s school day. As a parent, feeding your child nutritious meals and snacks is a top priority, and it should be. What we give them lays the foundation for helping them to grow into healthy adults.

One of the foods that I recommend to my patients and give to my own boys on a regular basis is milk. It’s a food that doesn’t require lots of preparation, so it fits into a busy morning schedule, and one 8-ounce glass is an easy way to get 8 grams of protein into them before they head out the door. You can pair it with whole grain cereal, or serve it on the side of a plate of eggs and whole grain toast.

There are some things about milk you may not be aware of, including:

1. Protein. Milk offers an easy way for your kids to get high-quality protein into their breakfast routine, no matter what else they like to eat. Whether they want a bigger breakfast and they drink it alongside it, or they want just a glass of milk and an apple, they will be getting a good protein source to start off their day.
2. Essential nutrients. One 8-ounce glass of milk provides 9 essential nutrients, including three of the nutrients most likely to be missing from kids’ diets – calcium, vitamin D and potassium. That cup of milk also provides protein to help build and maintain lean muscle, B vitamins (riboflavin, B-12 and niacin) for energy and vitamin A for a healthy immune system.
3. Simple ingredients. In a day and age when we are reading labels to help avoid many of the unnecessary added ingredients that are being put into our food, this is comforting. Milk has a very short ingredient list. It’s milk, with vitamins A and D. That’s it, keeping it short, simple, and wholesome.
4. No added sugar. Many kids I see are consuming far too much added sugars in their diet. Milk has no added sugar. The sugar that is in there, lactose, is naturally occurring. This means they will be getting a nutritious drink and avoiding all the added sugar at the same time.

As a mom of three boys and a pediatrician, I too often see kids who are not starting their day off right. Many people do not realize it, but protein is an essential part of a healthy start to the morning. It’s what helps give us the energy we need to start our day and to hold us over until lunch. Without having proper nutrition in the morning, kids will struggle more when it comes to concentrating and being ready to take on the day’s learning. You can get your kids off to a great start each school day by giving them a good breakfast, like one that includes milk, every morning before they head out the door!

For more information please visit MilkTruth.com.