There’s a new debate in Congress. Should schoolchildren drink whole milk?
Some U.S. lawmakers want to allow public schools to serve whole and 2% milk. Currently, schools serve only 1% (low-fat) and skim (non-fat) milk.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets nutrition guidelines for the national school lunch and breakfast programs. Those programs serve nearly 30 million students each school day.
At the end of 2025, the USDA will need to update its guidelines. Whole milk could be back on the menu.
Why did school cafeterias stop serving it in the first place? In 2010, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The act was supposed to help kids eat less sugar and fat. Too much of those can be bad for health. Schools started serving only skim and low-fat milk in 2012. Companies remove much of the fat from those milks.
Whole milk (also called whole fat milk) contains saturated fat. This type of fat has a chemical makeup that makes it solid at room temperature. Butter, pork, and beef are other foods with saturated fat.
There’s been much debate about whether saturated fats are bad for human health. Since 1985, the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans have recommended that kids and adults consume low-fat or fat-free dairy. Those products have less or no saturated fats.
Some research suggests that kids are better off without whole milk. Other research says growing kids can benefit from it. Some natural fats are needed for brain development and delivering nutrients to the body.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian is a nutrition expert. He believes there’s “no evidence that whole fat dairy is worse than low-fat dairy.”
Plus, many children don’t like the taste of lower-fat milk. So they don’t drink it. Cutting out whole milk completely might mean that those kids miss out on nutrients like calcium and Vitamin D.
The takeaway? The Lord gives many wonderful foods to nourish our bodies. But we should enjoy them wisely.
I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. — Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
