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Focus On Nutrition
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Previously Asked Questions
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My preschooler refuses regular milk. He will only drink the flavored kind! No matter how thirsty or hungry he is, he just will not have anything to do with plain milk. Is flavored milk just as good as regular milk for kids this age?
Answer
Flavored milk has the same amount of vitamins and minerals as regular milk, with just a few more calories (which should not be a problem for active children). According to a 2002 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, kids who drink flavored milk will get more calcium than those who do not drink milk at all. They also drink less calorie-dense beverages than their soda and juice-drinking peers.
Still, many parents are concerned that their child will not develop a taste for regular milk. For some children, they simply do not like the flavor of regular milk; for others, it is the temperature. The following are ideas to consider:
- Make sure the milk is cold, and not lukewarm because it’s been sitting out a long time.
- Introduce other dairy sources such as yogurt and cottage cheese to ensure that your child gets adequate calcium and other nutrients that are found in milk
- Offer milk with meals, rather than by itself as a beverage
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