Is whole milk healthier? Why RFK Jr. wants to ditch the Obama-era requirement for lower calorie milk in school lunches


More than twelve years after I stripped fat from school meals toSlow obesity in American childrenAnd strengthening their health, momentum grows to restore it.
Federal lawmakers revived bills that allow full milk and 2 % again in schools, in addition to skim milk and fats that have been assigned since 2012. The American Senate CommitteeHosted a hearingTuesday on an invoice with support from the two parties.
“Children need useful and nourishing food to grow strongly and remain in good health, and the milk is completely packed with the nutrients they need,” said Senator John Vitirman, a democratic in Pennsylvania, who is involved in his care for the legislation.
Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Junior Federal Federal Food Guidelines requiresOld milk “ancient”Last month, “Full fat/fat milk” encouraged the use of startup programs for the youngest children in the country.
Obama’s era requiresClear milk and fats in schoolsIt was aimed at cutting children’s consumption of saturated fats and calories, which could increase the risk of heart disease and obesity.
But some nutritionists, legislators and dairy industry argue that the entire milk has been unfairly distorted, and that some studies indicate that children who drink the entire milk are less likely to obesity. Critics also claim that many children do not like the taste of lower milk and do not drink it, which leads to the valuable nutrients.
Here is what you need to know about the discussion about the entire milk in school meals:
Why was milk completely removed from school meals?
In 2010, Congress approved the law of hunger -free healthy children, which aims to reduce obesity in childhood and reduce health risks to children. It takes school meals to include more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, protein and low -fat dairy products, less sugar, sodium and fat.
Starting in 2012, whole milk and 2 % in school meals are not allowed because these products are higher than saturated fats and calories from low fat options.
Nutritionists said that skim milk and fats have given children the benefits of the necessary nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D with less fat and fewer calories.
How is the school meals guidelines set?
The American Agriculture Department determines nutrition instructions for lunch and national school breakfast programs, which serve approximately 30 million students every school day.
Nutrition standards are required to meet federal food guidelines for Americans, which are reviewed and reviewed every five years. Since 1985, these guidelines have recommended that the older Americans of the age of 2 consume low -fat or fat -free dairy.
The review of the food directives 2025-2030 this year was determined by a joint effort by the US Department of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health and Humanitarian Services. A committee of scientific experts who reviewed the evidence of fat content recommended milk that the US policy would remain the same.
One of the reasons was thatThe research has shownDiana Hudcher, a nutritionist and researcher at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, which served in the Food Guidance Committee, said that the changes in the Federal Nutrition Program after the 2010 law nullified the height of obesity in American children – even teenagers.
“We have not found enough final evidence to change an existing policy, which has shown good results so far,” said Hilers.
Although there is limited evidence that high -fat dairy consumption instead of low -fat dairy can benefit very young children, there was not enough evidence to achieve the conclusion of older children and adolescents. The report concluded that there are “great concerns” with consistency, quantity and the risk of prejudice in the current research.
What is behind the batch of the entire milk in schools?
Some nutritionists refer toModern researchThe indication is that children who drink fully milk may be less likely to weigh or develop obesity than children who drink pen milk. One 2020Review 28 studiesHe suggested that the risk was 40 % less for children who drank full milk instead of reduced milk, although the authors of the study indicated that the research could not say whether the milk consumption is the cause.
One of the higher nutritionists, Dr. Dariush Mozavary of Tafs University, pointed out that the Food Guidance Committee “is not evidence that the entire fat milk is worse than low -fat dairy,” but they kept recommendations, noting the need for further research.
“The saturated fat in the dairy has not been linked to any harmful health results,” said Mozavary.
Hanging bills in Congress states that milk fat will not be considered part of the boundaries of the saturated fat required in school meals. This is because the saturated fatty acids in the dairy have a different composition from beef fat, adding that dairy has other useful compounds that can compensate for theoretical damage.
In addition, Mozafarian noted that the current US Ministry of Agriculture’s guidelines prohibit milk completely, but allowed the transferred chocolate, low fat and local flavor milk with added sugars. Last year, the US Department of Agriculture agreed toReducing additive sugarsIn school foods for the first time.
Dairy industry advocates say that participating in school meal programs and milk consumption has decreased since the removal of the entire milk.
What next?
The US Department of Agriculture and HHS must issue new food instructions this year. Kennedy and Minister of Agriculture Brook Rollins They said that they are conducting a “linear review separately” of the scientific report issued under the previous administration-but whether this means new acceptance of the entire milk is still unclear.
The publications of the “complete milk law for healthy children” are suspended in both rooms of Congress.
This story was originally shown on Fortune.com
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2025-04-01 19:05:00