U.S. children drinking less milk

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Decades ago, a glass of milk with each meal was the standard for children, but a U.S. report found milk may be disappearing off the dinner table.

In the past decade, children's milk consumption at dinner has declined and the NPD Group's National Eating Trends report found nearly 60 percent of children's dinners do not include milk.

Nearly one-third of all children's meals are served with a soft drink or fruit drink and Americans are currently drinking two to three times the amount of sweetened beverages as they do milk, the report said.

Choosing milk over sweetened beverages can have a nutrition impact. In a meal of spaghetti, a side of broccoli, fruit and bread, as well as a soft drink, the meal has 120 mg of the recommended 1,000mg of calcium a day, based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database.

By swapping fat-free milk for the soft drink, calcium is increased to 420 mg, vitamin D is increased by 625 percent and potassium and magnesium is increased by about 30 percent. In addition, six teaspoons of sugar are eliminated.