by Amanda Smith, Associate Editor
If lawmakers in Connecticut have their way, whole milk may soon be banned from the state's day cares. Titled An Act Concerning Nutrition Standards For Child Care Settings, the proposal aims to create a dietary directive for day cares in an effort to battle childhood obesity.
The section of the bill related to milk states: "No child day care center, group day care home or family day care home shall provide milk with a milkfat content greater than 1 percent to any child 2 years of age or older under the care of such facility unless milk with a higher milkfat content is medically required for an individual child."
The wording then indicates that the proposal does not apply to human breast milk, which, on average, contains 4.5 percent fat, as opposed to whole milk at 3.5 percent.
In direct contrast to the intentions of the well-meaning lawmakers, the 2010 dietary guidelines elevated the recommended daily intake of fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. Despite the distinction between fat levels, whole milk is still only 3.5 percent fat, or, to put it in terms our population gravitates toward, 96.5 percent fat-free.
Milk has long been a target, despite being shown to improve the nutritional quality of an individual's diet. While a glass of whole milk contains 150 calories, calories are not everything. We need to consider the nutrients we consume with any food choices we make and evaluate our dietary quality. Milk is a nutrient-rich food, providing nine essential nutrients and three of the four nutrients of concern in American's diets.
To hear Michigan State University milkfat researcher Adam Lock's recent radio interview with Trent Loos on the proposed ban, click here. The full proposal can be found by clicking here.
