Andrea Garen, Registered Dietitian
Andrea Garen
About me:
Andrea Garen is a registered dietitian and project manager for Dairy Council of California. She manages the marketing and editorial strategies for Meals Matter.org, which includes social media efforts and online tool development. She is a contributing writer to the Meals Matter.org blog and has also written and edited numerous nutrition education materials for parents and children.
As a spokesperson for Dairy Council, she speaks widely on consumer health and nutrition issues for radio, television, print and online outlets. With a Master's degree in dietetics from San Francisco State University, Garen has been invited to speak at University of California, Berkeley; University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco State University and California State University, Hayward.
As a mother of two young children, she is passionate about nutritious food and reality-based eating, which means choosing nutritious foods and preparing them in a way that makes them taste great. Sometimes that means minimal preparation and other times it means following a more detailed recipe. She believes that no foods are off limits!
Follow Andrea on Twitter @AndreaG_RD
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If you’ve read my past blog posts, you know my son is a picky eater. Things are improving as my husband and I have backed off trying to persuade him to try new foods and, instead, provide healthy food and let my son decide whether or not he will eat it.
The one thing he’s become very good about is drinking milk. He starts the day with milk on his cereal or in a glass along with toast, and he drinks milk with dinner every evening.
At one point a couple of years ago my son stopped drinking his milk at dinner. This concerned me because as a dietitian, I realize the importance of milk as a source of calcium, vitamin D and protein (among other nutrients) in my son’s diet.
So, I tried adding a straw to his glass. Voila! He drank the whole glass--after blowing bubbles into it for a few minutes and declaring the foamy milk a “milkshake”.
Knowing how much he enjoys milk at home, I was surprised to learn he only drinks flavored milk at lunchtime during the school day. Flavored milk in schools has become a really big issue for moms recently.
I, for one, feel OK about my son drinking flavored milk at school. Here’s why:
• Protein – Flavored milk has the same amount of protein as regular milk (8 to 10 grams per serving), which offers him satiety and sustained energy.
• Calcium – Kids don’t get enough calcium. Milk is the top source of calcium in the diet, so the recommendation is that children drink 2.5 cups of milk or milk products every day.
• Vitamin D – Most people are vitamin D deficient and milk is one of the best food sources, providing about 100 IU per serving (children need 600 IU and getting 2.5-3 servings of milk a day is a great start).
• Potassium – My son is only starting to try vegetables so milk, regular or flavored, is a great source of potassium.
• Trust! I know as a registered dietitian that kids who drink flavored milk have overall better nutrient intake than kids who don’t, and I know as a mom that drinking flavored milk at school hasn’t changed the fact that my son drinks plain white milk at home.
My son also tends to rush through lunch and often leaves part of his sandwich uneaten. Even if he leaves half his sandwich in his rush to get to the playground, I have peace of mind as a mom knowing that his chocolate milk gives him the energy and nutrients he needs to learn at school.
For my son, drinking flavored milk with lunch is better than no milk at all. I'm glad he has the option.
Andrea Garen, Registered Dietitian