Lowell Students Got Milk - White Milk

When a group of doctors showed Lowell School students just how much sugar they drink each day, as a school, when they pick chocolate or other flavored milk instead of white milk, they were amazed.

A group of pediatricians from Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates’ Watertown office visited Lowell School Wednesday.  To demonstrate the amount of sugar consumes, they brought up one student who poured two cups of sand – representing the sugar – into a clear tub. Then they brought up another and another and another, until nine students stood up on stage.

“You guys drink 19.5 cups of sugar more than you would if you drink regular white milk,” said Dr. Daniel Slater, the Specialty Director of Pediatrics for Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates. He was joined at the school by Dr. Kathleen Mitchell, chief of pediatrics at the Watertown office, and Dr. Julie Stepanian.

Students who drink flavored milk each day drink 4.5 pounds more of sugar than those drinking regular milk.

“When you choose white milk you get all of the good stuff and not as much of the stuff you don’t need,” Slater said.

The pediatricians visited as part of program to encourage children to make healthier choices and also to prepare them for new state regulations coming down the line.

“You see so many kids drinking sugary milk at school – 75 percent nationally,” said Amy Vachon, a parent who works with Harvard Vanguard.

Beginning in the fall of 2013, schools will not be able to serve milk with added sugar, said Lowell interim Principal Elizabeth Kaplan.

“We are trying to limit the amount of sugar in snacks and drinks to prepare for that,” Kaplan said.

Last year, Lowell held a similar event where the school handed out free white milk, but did not have the presentation by the doctors, Vachon said. This year the kids headed straight to lunch where they could get a free carton of white milk, and a milk mustache sticker. The milk proved popular, with nearly all the kids grabbing the non-sugary option on Wednesday.