Henry's Milk Strike Continues

Henry's milk strike at daycare continues. He is now drinking plenty of water using a straw cup, but his teacher reports that he is still not consuming much milk. 

Henry usually sips (not gulps) his milk at breakfast.

I talked with his teacher about how Henry had gone through a no-dairy trial last summer. When we brought dairy back into his diet, he enthusiastically ate yogurt and cheese again but his appetite for a stand-alone glass of milk dropped off noticeably. 

Once each week, Henry and I make fruit smoothies for breakfast.

As we were talking, the topic of whole milk versus skim milk came up. I mentioned that we use full-fat dairy products at home, including whole milk, real butter and yogurt. While Henry rarely drinks a full glass of milk with meals, I often use it for cooking and baking. As a family, we consume about one-half gallon of whole milk per week.

His teacher said that under the USDA guidelines she is only supposed to serve low fat milk to the children over two years old. She suggested that Henry might not be drinking milk at daycare because he does not like the taste of 1% milk. She asked if she should try serving him whole milk instead and I agreed to sign off on this approach. 

Henry usually drinks all of his morning smoothie. He definitely liked this week's version made with papaya, pineapple, chia seeds and whole milk.

Research shows that serving full fat dairy to Henry is very unlikely make him obese, and may actually have the opposite effect. I am much more concerned about the potential effects of processed foods, sugary drinks, and huge portion sizes on children's health. Since Henry's intake of those is fairly low, I feel confident that whole milk can be part of our family's balanced diet.

We'll see if this change makes a difference in his milk consumption at daycare.