High-calorie beverages that have been disallowed by federal guidelines are still available in most U.S. elementary schools, according to a study that will appear in an upcoming issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted a nationally representative survey to examine the availability of high-calorie and sugar-sweetened beverages for sale in elementary schools during lunchtime, in vending machines and snack bars, and in school stores. They also examined the types of milk available in school cafeterias: low-fat, whole-fat and flavored milks (right).

While 16.1% of students could purchase only those beverages recommended by Institute of Medicine guidelines during the 2008–2009 school year, 44.7% could purchase beverages that the guidelines frown upon. This pattern applied to both public and private school.

Much has been written about cows’ role in producing greenhouse gas emissions. (Think burps and farts.)

A 2006 United Nations report stated that livestock were responsible for 18% of these emissions. To be fair, this statistic also included land use and degradation, deforestation, pesticide use and water pollution. Cow flatulence, however, continues to incur blame (not to mention really dorky jokes).

Fear not, bovine lovers: Researchers at the University of Arkansas and Michigan Technological University have found that the dairy industry is responsible for only about 2% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Using 2007 and 2008 data from more than 500 dairy farms and 50 dairy processors, as well as data from more than 210,000 round trips transporting milk from farm to processing plant, Arkansas researchers examined the trail of carbon emissions—from dairy farms to the milk in your coffee. They concluded that total greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fluid milk Americans consume were lower than previously reported.

Menands, NY-based Midland Farms is voluntarily recalling certain milk products because they may have been improperly pasteurized.

Pasteurization heats milk to eliminate pathogenic bacteria like listeria and salmonella.

The recalled products are sold in plastic containers and are marketed under the brand names Midland Farms, Corrado’s Market, Jersey Dairy Farms and Trade Fair Premium. Each has the plant code 36-1661 and a date code near the top of the container.

Hopefully you picked the latter. Lots of organic farmers believe food from free range livestock is better and healthier - they're probably right!

And now a new study says milk from grass-fed cows is healthier for the heart than conventionally produced milk.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition researchers found milk from cows allowed to graze contain more conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, than cows fed processed grains.

CLA is an unsaturated fat that can protect the heart.

Given this health effect, the scientists suggest more attention should be paid to feeding practices for cows.

Milk from a cow allowed to graze - like they naturally do - just sounds better, especially since some feedlots, in an attempt to cut costs, mix rejected M&Ms and potato chips with their cows' regular cud.

M&M's? Does that mean they make chocolate milk?

Image credit: ib economics weblog

Horchata is a traditional Hispanic beverage made with water, milk and rice, with all of the delicious flavors of a traditional rice pudding. Here in Southern California, it's often served at popular Mexican restaurants and cafés.

Kern's, best known for its canned nectars, has been selling horchata and similarly refreshing aguas frescas (lemon, tamarind, hibiscus) in mainstream supermarkets for several years, but the products are not organic. Enter Maria Elena's Aguas Frescas, which sells a 10-oz. Certified Organic Horchata Mix that may be purchased online.

Today’s DIY recipe adds coffee and orange zest to the mix for a great spring or summer beverage. All of the ingredients should be available at a well-stocked natural and organic food store.

Coffee Horchata

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (not imitation)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee
2½ cups milk
1/2 teaspoon fresh orange zest

1. Soak the rice in the water for a minimum of 1 hour. (Overnight works, as well.)
2. Mix rice, soaking water, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and coffee in a blender for 2 minutes. Strain (using cheesecloth or a strainer) into a pitcher, and add milk.
3. Chill completely (overnight is fine). When ready to serve, pour the mixture into a serving pitcher, leaving the sediment behind. Stir in orange zest.
4. Optional: Serve over ice, and sprinkle with cinnamon. 

Recipe and photo courtesy of Starbucks/ARA. Photo: Ken Yasuhara/Flickr

Do you rely on popular sports drinks for a boost after exercising?

If so, you may want to switch to a bowl of whole-grain cereal and skim milk.

Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, have found the latter choice is easier on the wallet and equally effective.

“The milk provides a source of easily digestible and high-quality protein, which can promote protein synthesis and training adaptations, making this an attractive recovery option for those who refuel at home,” says UT exercise physiologist Lynne Kammer, whose study of cyclists was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Kammer and her coauthors encourage amateur athletes and those who engage in moderate physical activity to pop into the kitchen for this quick-fix breakfast combo after a workout.

We, of course, recommend organic cereal and milk to reduce your exposure to pesticides, chemicals, additives and hormones.

When we started our blog in November 2005, my very first post examined a new trend in organic food: flavored milk. Dietitian Julie H. Burns, a nutrition consultant for Horizon Organic, noted:

Moms will love these new products because they’re organic, nutritious and convenient for a lunchbox or backpack. Kids will love them because they’re delicious and easy to drink on the go. Families can help reduce their kids’ exposure to added chemicals in food by incorporating organic products into their diets. An easy way to do that is by providing great-tasting organic foods in your child’s lunchbox.

A day later, we published Organic Flavored Milk: Pros and Cons, in which Chef Ann Cooper, the “Renegade Lunch Lady,” told us:

They’re really no better than soda—except for the calcium. Many have a sugar and calorie content that equals or exceeds that of soda, and they become just another way that we’re teaching our children to drink sweets.

Now, the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), creators of the got milk? advertising campaign, are promoting chocolate milk as the “Official Drink of Halloween.” The newest print ad, which debuted in the Oct. 16 issue of People magazine, features actress Angie Harmon (Law & Order, Women’s Murder Club) and her daughters, all sporting milk mustaches.

“At Halloween and throughout the year, my girls love the flavor of chocolate milk, and I love knowing it contains the same essential nutrients as white milk like calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients kids need to build strong bones,” Harmon states in a MilkPEP press release. “As a mom, it’s important to me that my kids learn healthy habits early—and drinking three glasses of low-fat or fat-free milk each day is one of the best habits I can pass on to them.”

Pediatrician Tanya Remer Altmann, MD, is also supporting MilkPEP’s efforts.

“With Halloween snacks all around, low-fat chocolate milk is something moms can feel good about sharing with their kids,” says the author of Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents’ Top 101 Questions about Babies and Toddlers.

“Here’s a spooky fact: Two out of three kids fail to get enough calcium, which is critical to build healthy skeletons,” Dr. Altmann adds. “And studies show that kids who drink chocolate and other flavored milks have higher calcium intakes than those who don’t drink milk. Milk drinkers also tend to drink fewer sugary sodas and fruit drinks and are more likely to be at a healthy weight compared to kids who drink little or no milk.

“Encouraging kids to drink more low-fat milk is a great way to steer them from the nutrient-void temptations at Halloween and beyond,” she concludes. “Chocolate milk and white milk contain nine essential nutrients and are a key component in building strong bones during childhood. Moms can benefit from the calcium and vitamin D in chocolate milk, too.”

How do you feel about flavored milks, including the organic kind? Please share your thoughts.

Photos: Horizon Organic, MilkPEP

One major cheater: Aurora Dairy, the nation’s largest organic milk producer and supplier to Wal-Mart, Target, Safeway, Costco and others, is still not playing by the rules.

This week, the Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog group, filed a formal legal complaint with the USDA alleging that one of the five industrial-scale dairies operated by Aurora is failing to graze their dairy cattle as required by the federal organic standards.

Aurora’s bad behavior includes…

• Confining their dairy cows in giant barns and pens instead of allowing them to graze on fresh forage as the federal law mandates.

• Allowing cows access to substandard crops that wither in the desert-like heat, instead of more hardy perennials that stand up to continual grazing throughout the growing season.

Not the First Time

In response to a previous legal complaint filed by The Cornucopia Institute, in 2006, career staff at the USDA found that Aurora was in violation of 14 tenets of the organic regulations including confining their cattle to feedlots, instead of grazing, and bringing thousands of illegal conventional cows into their organic operation.

Killing the Competition

The above is not only bad for consumers, who are buying an organic product that doesn’t meet organic standards mandated by law…it hurts small farmers too.

Competitors to Aurora and Dean Foods, another ‘big organic’ dairy company (makers of the popular organic brand Horizon), have been forced to lower prices paid to family-scale farmers, institute cut backs on production or even cancel their contracts with some dairy producers.

"This is an unmitigated disaster for many family farmers who are now facing no market for their organic milk and possibly losing their farms because of the softening economy and the overload of milk coming from these giant factory farms," said Kathie Arnold of Truxton, NY, an organic dairy farmer milking 130 cows.

The Bright Side

According to Cornucopia, 90% of all name brand organic dairy products on the market are produced with true integrity.  "No matter where someone lives in this country there are many wonderful brands of organic milk, cheese, butter, yogurt and ice cream that conform to not only the letter of the law but the spirit of what has made organics such a successful and fast-growing segment of our nations' food supply."

Use the Cornucopia Institute’s recently updated online scorecoard can help you make smarter consumer choices when buying your organic dairy products. Spoiler alert: organic dairy props go to Organic Valley, a farmer-owned cooperative that garners a four-cow rating in the Cornucopia scorecard.

Other blogs on organic milk:

Organic Food Supermarket Trends:  Got Milk? Discover The Delicious Health Benefits of Organic Food Illegal Organic Milk? Shameful Milk Farmers in Crisis...and less Safe Milk Keeping an Eye on Organic Dairy

Since then, another dairy emergency has come to light from the folks at Food Democracy Now…the plight of the poorly paid American dairy farmer…and the consumer by-product: imported milk that is less safe.

Food Democracy’s recent email reported…

Since December 2008, the price that farmers are paid for the milk they produce has dropped over 50 percent - the largest single drop since the Great Depression -to a point far below the cost of production. This unprecedented collapse in prices has occurred in large part due to market manipulations and increased foreign imports by milk industry giants.

The report goes on to cite several disturbing stats:

• Dairy farmers are at the mercy of giants like the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), which controls 40% of US milk production. Last year DFA was fined $12 million for price fixing by the US government and has also been implicated in the recent massive increase in imported milk products.

• Up to 30% of remaining dairy farmers may be lost by the end of this year – 20,000 dairy farmers in total

• Rural America will be negatively impacted, erasing over $52.7 billion of economic development in less than one year.

• Safety is an issue: losing domestic supply will create a serious gap in U.S. food safety as the DFA (Dairy Farmers Association) and others dramatically increase foreign milk protein concentrate imports from countries such as Mexico, India and China -- countries which have much lower food safety standards than we do.

Take Action Today!

Send an electronic fax to Secretary Vilsack, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (it’s all ready for you to sign and send thanks to the socially and environmentally aware cell phone company, Credo) to let him know that you support America's family dairy farmers.

When mashing sweet potatoes, for example, I add butter and lite coconut milk, mixing until I’ve achieved the desired consistency. I sometimes boost the recipe by adding half a mashed banana for an African-inspired side dish.

Thai Kitchen introduced organic coconut milk two years ago, available in both Organic Regular and Organic Lite varieties.

“Our coconut milks have always been the leaders in flavor and quality,” said Marketing Director John Wright at the time. “As more and more people are seeking out organic products, we wanted to offer those consumers products that fit their needs and met our standards of being the finest coconut milks in the world.”

Thai Kitchen’s coconut milks are all-natural, with no preservatives, chemical additives or processing aids, and they meet USDA Organic Standards. You can find them at your local natural and organic food store, and they’re also available for sale online on Amazon.com. A 14-oz. can sells for $1.84. (Shopping links: Organic Regular and Organic Lite.)

Tune in tomorrow for more coconut milk suggestions from top chefs.