Milk - Low Fat vs. Whole Milk

Milk, in one form or another, is a big part of your younger child's nutrition. And fortunately, it isn't too hard to figure out which kind of 'milk' to give your newborn and younger infant, as most parents know to give them either breast milk or an iron fortified infant formula.

Most parents also know to switch to whole milk once their baby is a year old, or after that, once they decide to wean from breastfeeding.

When to switch to low fat milk is a little more confusing for many parents though.

Milk is good for kids and teens.

It is a good source of calcium, vitamin D, and protein.

In fact, depending on their age, most kids should drink between 2 and 4 glasses of milk each day, especially if they aren't eating or drinking any other high calcium foods, such as yogurt, cheese, or calcium fortified orange juice.

The only problem is that whole milk has a lot of fat in it, especially as compared to lower fat 2%, 1% and skim milk, which the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children over age 2 drink. This extra fat is especially concerning considering the childhood obesity epidemic we are currently trying to deal with.