Influence of sugar sweetened milk and unsweetened milk on food group consumption

Diets of children and adolescents do not meet current national dietary recommendations for food groups. Yet these diets include higher than recommended consumption of added sugars. Food group servings decrease as low-nutrient, energy-dense sugar-sweetened beverages increase. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the consumption of meats, grains, vegetables, and fruits are influenced by consumption of sugar-sweetened milk. Consumption was evaluated in kindergarten, third, and sixth grade students. Results indicate that consumption of sugar-sweetened milk decreased fruit consumption in all grades, with a significant decrease in sixth grade. All grades had mixed results with meat and vegetable consumption. Grain consumption increased in all grades with sugar-sweetened milk. Further research using sweetened milk with larger groups is needed to document trends in eating patterns that may indicate nutrient dilution through decreased food group consumption