During class, it seemed that most were opposed to the idea of promoting chocolate milk in schools. These people brought up many fine points like 1. is it not as healthy as regular milk 2. the Decorah students were consuming more sugar than they needed to in one day 3. there is alot of extra sugar in chocolate milk. All these arguments add up to the big idea that chocolate milk is promoting obesity and unhealthy lifestyles in today's students.
The three points against chocolate milk are un-arguable. These three are all fact, and no denying it. We all know chocolate milk has got sugar; we all know its less healthy than regular milk. However, is this really a problem?

1. chocolate milk is not as healthy as regular milk. there are about 23 grams of sugar in chocolate milk. There are, however, 11 or 12 grams in regular milk. This is 11 or 12 grams of sugar more than a glass of water. Is water healthier than milk (technically yes). maybe we should just not have milk (or juice, which has about 20 grams of sugar in 8oz) at school at all...only water. The argument to this is that the sugar in regular milk is "natural sugar" this is in the form of lactose, which is basically the same chemically as sucrose, which is the extra sugar in chocolate milk. Both forms of sugar are treated the same in the body. Both are stored as glycogen in the muscles and turn into fat if not worked off within 48 hours of being consumed. In this sense, extra natural sugar is really no better than extra added sugar. My mother was recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic. This means if she does not control her sugar intake, she will become diabetic. My mother was sad "oh no!.. no more treats!" Actually, the doctor said candy and sweets were ok, but she needed to cut down on her complex sugars more. These are the sugars found in carb-loaded foods like bread (natural sugars). This goes to my next point.

2. The Decorah kids were consuming more sugar than they needed to a day due to chocolate milk. If a student is only supposed to have 36 grams a day, that means only 24 oz of milk.. no more! What if you want a glass of orange juice (20 grams of sugar). There is even about 5 grams of sugar in a serving of vegetables. If you get 4 or 5 servings of healthy vegetables a day, that adds up to 20 or 25 grams of sugar! (even if it is "natural" sugar). Not to mention the bread and grains you consume.

3. The extra added sugar in chocolate milk. Obviously children today are getting a lot of sugar. Chocolate milk is obviously a contribute. However, is this really a big issue in schools: too much consumption of chocolate milk that contributes to obesity? I don't believe it is. Back in high school, I bet many of the athletes consumed at least 200 grams of sugar (natural and added) a day. These people were also under 10% body fat. How? Because they got up and did something every single day. Earlier I stated Sugar is stored in muscles as glycogen for about 48 hours, then turned to fat. When you work out, this energy storage in muscles is the first thing to be used (about the first 30-60 minutes of a workout). If you workout past this point, you begin to burn off your fat storage. Therefore I argue promoting sugar-loaded in chocolate milk is only an issue in schools if students are not getting their recommended hour of play/exercise a day. When did child obesity begin to be an issue in this country? Was it around the same time chocolate milk was discovered or about the time color television, cable, and Nintendo were all invented? Decorah schools put the winning money towards wellness/health/exercise areas. If these areas flourish in Decorah schools, I believe all the chocolate milk consumption was worth it.