Seven Great Ways to Sneak Milk into Your Child's Diet

Every mother knows the importance of milk. It is one of the best sources for calcium and Vitamin D, and it is also rich in protein. Milk, as they say, "does a body good," but let's face it... a lot of kids don't like to drink it. Kids don't often know or care how important it is for milk to be a part of their diet. All they know is that they'd rather have something sweet, like juice or soda.

I suppose there is something to be said for forcing your child to drink milk, whether they like it or not. My parents made me have a full glass of milk every night at dinner; I was never forced to finish my food, but I couldn't leave the table until I had polished off my glass of milk. Obviously it did me some good, as I never broke a bone or had a cavity, but I must admit- I still do not like to drink milk by itself.

Now a mother myself, I have found that my son takes after me in my dislike for the taste of milk. As we have weaned him off the bottle, and the milk is no longer a source of comfort, he'd rather have nothing to do with plain old milk. Because I know the feeling, I have chosen not to resort to the forceful, "Drink your milk because you are not getting anything else to drink until you do." Instead, I have found several great ways to meet his dietary need for milk by sneaking milk into things he really likes. Below are my ten best kept milk secrets. Shh... nobody tell my son!

1. Chocolate Milk

Alright, I know, this is not such a big secret. In a few years, he will probably realize that it is milk, but I am hoping that he doesn't care by then. Just a little bit of chocolate syrup in his cup, and suddenly he is gulping it down. I felt a little guilty about using a sugary substance to entice my son to drink his milk, until I found out that "researchers at Indiana University at Bloomington found that chocolate milk effectively helps athletes recover from an intense workout. When they drank chocolate milk, the amount of time they could exercise until they were exhausted was similar or longer to when they drank fluid-replacement drinks (like sports drinks) alone. This suggests that the ratio of proteins to carbohydrates in chocolate milk may be an effective means of refueling glycogen depleted muscles" (gotmilk.com) Considering how much my son runs around all day, I have to believe that the chocolate milk is refueling his depleted muscles.

2.Smoothies

The possibilities are endless when it comes to smoothies. I try to always keep a good supply of frozen fruits on hand, so I can try different combinations each day. To make a healthful, milk smoothy, just put frozen fruit, a little bit of ice, and milk into your blender and blend until smooth. You can also add a splash of juice, yogurt, of protein powder.

3. Macaroni and Cheese

Practically every kids likes Macaroni and Cheese. This kid-favorite is made with lots of milk, so it is a wonderful way to make your kids EAT their milk if they don't want to drink it.

4. Milk Shakes

Arguably not the healthiest way to infuse milk into your child's diet, but it is definitely one of the easiest to get your kids to drink. No kid will pass up ice cream, so by putting their favorite ice cream in the blender with a cup of milk, you have definitely achieved your mission of getting them the milk benefits. If you are feeling guilty about the sugar, try a sugar-free variety of ice cream.

5. Orange Julius

Half milk, half orange juice, this treat is so easy to make at home. You can put the ingredients in a blender, or just in a cup with a lid and shake well. The foamy, creamy drink is refreshing and tasty, plus it has TONS of vitamins.

6. Cereal

When you walk down that cereal aisle, chances are you get requests for Lucky Charms or Count Chocula, although you would prefer to Wheaties. If you can find a happy medium, say Yogurt Burst Cheerios, or Frosted Mini Wheats, or Chex, you might be able to get your child to eat cereal on a regular basis. We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day; why shouldn't it include lots of milk?

7. Cheese!

Although it is one of the least direct milk to food translations, cheese can be a great way to get those milk vitamins and calcium into your child's diet. Cheese alone makes a great snack. Send string cheese to school in their lunches. For toddlers, chunks of cheese make for great finger food. Grilled cheese sandwiches are also a great, calcium-rich lunch.

For tons of great milk recipes and news articles, visit Gotmilk.com