Milk Wars: Part II
Do you remember a while back I told you about my daughter and her sudden aversion to drinking milk? Well, unfortunately, the Milk Wars continue in our household. While we thought we had some good solutions in place during the school year (freezing Horizon Organic milk boxes and letting them thaw in her lunchbox since temperature seems to be her issue), these strategies are just not cutting it now that the summer is here. After seeing these milk boxes coming home from summer camp unopened again and again, I decided that we should just move on.
I must say, without NuVal scores, I ‘m not sure that I would have discovered this one!
This little juice box scores a 69 on the NuVal scale. Now that really stands out in the juice aisle.
Check out some of these other scores:
Apple & Eve 100% Apple Juice Organic & Calcium: NuVal score of 20
Apple & Eve Orange Tangerine Juice: NuVal score of 21
Motts for Tots Apple White Grape: NuVal score of 20
Nestle Juicy Juice All Natural 100% Apple: NuVal score of 11
Full disclosure here – when I first gave these juice boxes to my kids about a year ago, they did not like them. I just started buying them again a few weeks ago, and now they love them. Maybe because they know that the alternative is drinking milk on a hot day? I’m not sure. But I am excited that I have my kids drinking such a high-scoring juice box. I will still keep it to one a day, just as my pediatrician recommends.
I checked in with Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LDN, CSSD and NuVal’s Manager of Nutrition Communications to see what she thought about my strategy of substituting my daughter’s lunchtime milk with this orange juice. Here are her thoughts:
Minute Maid Kids Plus (Score 69):
Contains 30% DV calcium and 20% DV vitamin D
Most likely equals to about 390mg calcium and 80mg Vitamin D (Based on adult 2,000 calorie diet)
Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice with Calcium and Vitamin D (Score 51)
Contains 50% Dv calcium (!) and 30% DV vitamin D
Equals approximately 650mg calcium and 120mg vitamin D
Milk is the typical go-to calcium-containing drink that parents use to help their kids build strong bones and teeth. But sometimes, milk just isn’t what the kids want. What do you do then? The good news is that food manufacturers have actually thought of solutions for you – especially when it comes to juices.
Juices are an excellent vehicle for calcium. The vitamin C in acidic drinks, such as orange juice, helps to shuttle the calcium into the body. Let’s look at a couple examples: Minute Maid Kids Plus scores a 69 and contains 30% daily value of calcium and 20% daily value of vitamin D. Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice with Calcium and Vitamin D scores a 51 and contains 50% DV calcium and 30% vitamin D. The Minute Maid scores higher simply because the first ingredient is ‘water’ and the second is Concentrate of juice, while the Tropicana is pure juice and therefore has more natural sugars and calories, bringing down it’s score slightly. If your primary goal is to increase calcium and vitamin D, both of these juices are a great choice for your kids as neither have any added sugars.
Side Note: Calcium needs vitamin D to help it absorb into the body. These two nutrients work together for strong bones, among the other benefits these nutrients have in the body. So when looking for a juice alternative to milk, always be sure there is at least 30% DV calcium and 20% DV vitamin D.
Thanks to Rachel for that insight. These juices do make fighting the Milk Wars a little easier!
Posted by: Melissa 5 comments
Posted in: Milk, Orange Juice
Tags: Milk, Orange Juice
on Aug 2nd, 2010 at 9:35 am
it’s good that they had the xtra vits in
on Aug 2nd, 2010 at 10:01 am
My daughter also developed a sudden aversion to milk (she was 2 at the time). I didn’t push the issue, and found out recently that she is allergic to milk. Now I am thinking that she had a reason to stop drinking it.
on Aug 2nd, 2010 at 10:08 am
When my children were very young they were never big milk drinkers. They preferred juice or water. If you are worried about calcium and such, yougurt or cheese are a good substitute. That is the what I did with my children and it worked.
on Aug 2nd, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I’m fighting the same battle with my two boys 6 & 8…thanks for the info I’ll give that juice box a try.
on Aug 16th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Juice has lots of sugar and should be consumed in moderation. The best source of “fruits” in the diet is actually eating fruit, pulp and all. I have four 5-yr-olds and they all drink fat-free organic white milk at two meals a day. The other meal they have the choice of DILUTED fruit juice (4 oz juice + 4 oz. water) or plain water. We only use juice boxes as a special treat, like when we go to the zoo, etc. The high rate of increase in childhood obesity in Australia (where kids don’t drink all the soda American kids do) can be tied to the consumption there of LOTS of juice. FYI… http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/fruit-juice-doubles-risk-of-obesity/2007/03/19/1174152970864.html