Are you wondering if it’s okay for your child to drink chocolate milk? If your child enjoys drinking chocolate milk, rest easy. Drinking real dairy milk, including chocolate milk, provides many health benefits to kids and can be a part of a healthy diet for them. In fact, taking away the option of flavored milk can actually do more harm than good if it means they stop drinking milk altogether.
Keep reading for answers to your questions about chocolate and other flavored milk, including the scoop on sugar.
Does chocolate milk have the same nutrients as white milk?
Flavored milk can help meet children’s nutrient needs. It has the same nine essential nutrients found in white milk that are needed for good health. These nutrients include calcium and vitamin D, which contribute to good bone health.
Since childhood and adolescence are a key time for bone growth, it’s especially important that kids get enough calcium and vitamin D during this time. However, research shows that kids older than two years fall short of these nutrients.
While they can get calcium and vitamin D from other foods, milk and dairy products are the most commonly eaten food sources of these nutrients.