Under pressure to offer kids healthier food, schools are taking aim at a cherished childhood treat — chocolate milk. Some school districts won't serve flavored milk in their cafeterias, and the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second largest, is the latest to experiment with cutting out chocolate and strawberry milk. "Chocolate milk is soda in drag," says Ann Cooper, a Colorado school nutritionist. "It works as a treat in homes, but it doesn't belong in schools." But some parents and dieticians say the benefits from milk's calcium and vitamins outweigh the harm of the added sugar. Will cutting out chocolate milk help in the fight against childhood obesity?
School is no place for this fattening treat: "Added sugar from chocolate milk may not seem like a big issue," says Joy Bauer at Today Moms, "but over time the extra calories and sugar add up," especially for kids who drink it every day. At the very least, offering children this liquid candy — in school, no less — sends the wrong message "at a time when so many kids are already struggling with their weight and unhealthy eating."
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