Let’s start with a quick quiz on this one…
Which of the following food items contains more fat:
- 2 slices of pepperoni pizza
- 1 order of large fries
- 3 glasses of whole milk
- 8 strips of bacon
The answer is 3. 3 glasses of whole milk. If you pour whole milk at mealtime for your kids instead of 1% milk, it is like adding about as much fat as in eight strips of bacon, six pats of butter, a large order of French Fries, or two slices of pepperoni pizza to your child’s diet every day. And that’s just one glass.
Now that you know that, it’s easy to see why the next stop in our Champions for Change initiative through our (federally funded) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program (formerly called food stamps) is our “Go Low” campaign. Our “Go Low” campaign kickoff is just around the corner- and it’s all about getting mom’s to make a better choice at the supermarket by choosing fat free or 1% low fat milk instead of whole milk. You can view our former and upcoming video spots at: http://www.eatwellbewell.org/parents/resources/videos
Nutritionists recommend that children over the age of two should drink fat free or 1% low fat milk with the rest of their family. Babies less than one year old should have breast-milk or iron-fortified formula and children between the ages of one and two should drink whole milk. For tips on how to make the change, visit www.eatwellbewell.org. Remember, fat free and 1% low fat milk have all the vitamins and minerals found in whole milk, but without all the fat.
Interesting nutritional fact. Thought milk was healthy regardless of fat content. Although fat free/1% milk is healthier than whole milk, the taste isn’t as great.