Chocolate milk gets a bad rap for its sugar content. But nutritionally speaking, it turns out chocolate milk is better than you might think.

 

For kids and their parents, keeping calcium-rich milk on the menu is great news. Nearly 9 out of 10 teenage girls and 7 out of 10 teen boys don’t get enough calcium. For younger kids ages 6 to 11, 70 percent of girls and 60 percent of boys don’t get enough either.

 

Low-fat and fat-free flavored milk—including chocolate—are healthful alternatives to soft drinks. It has just 12 grams of added sugars per 8-ounce serving, compared to 26 grams in a regular cola, and still delivers nine essential nutrients including calcium along with potassium, protein, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorous, and vitamins A, D, and B12. Flavored milk also compares well to fruit punch and sports drinks when it comes to sugar, which have 15 and 13 grams of sugar per serving, respectively.

 

What about caffeine? Chocolate milk does contain a small amount. Comparatively speaking, the 2 to 7 milligrams of caffeine in an 8-ounce serving is about the same as in one cup of decaf coffee, and five times less than an equal amount of iced tea or a soft drink.

 

Interestingly, when flavored milk is on the table, we actually drink more milk than when only white milk is available—meaning we get more of milk’s benefits like building strong bones and muscles.