The amount of sugar  in low-fat milk - It may surprise you

The non-profit group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine  (PCRM) is criticizing the USDA's new shcool lunch standards. The PCRM is using an interesting comparison to proof it's point the new School Lunch guidelines may not have gone far enough to tackle childhood obesity. The PCRM compares the sugar content between a Snickers chocloate bar and low fat milk.

The results "A cup of 1 percent, unflavored low-fat milk, for instance, has about twice the cholesterol in a Snickers bar, and about half the sugar. A cup of fat-free chocolate milk has almost as much sugar as a Snickers bar." (source: PCRM)

One of the big selling points of the new school lunch standards was the promotion of low -fat dairy options. The PCRM says while this a good first step it does not go anywhere near far enough to tackle the epidemic of childood obesity in America.

A PCRM media release says "Meat, cheese, and junk are still front and center in school lunches,” says PCRM nutrition education director Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. “The new USDA guidelines still do not require schools to offer meatless entrées or nondairy beverage options to all students. Meat, milk, and cheese are packed with calories and saturated fat, and they play a huge role in the obesity epidemic.”

The amount of fat content in chese will certainly surprise you

Besides a critique of milk, the PCRM is taking square aim at cheese too in a general way with a provocative ad campaign that could be called Cheese Makes You Fat or Chesse Makes You Obese. The PCRM is highly critical of the federal government who it believes is unduly influenced by the dairy industry.

The PCRM says "The obesity epidemic is not caused by inactivity, bread, rice, gluttony, weak will, or a bad childhood. It is caused by a tsunami of unhealthful foods, and one of the worst, perhaps surprisingly, is cheese. Typical cheeses are about 70 percent fat, and every last fat gram packs nine calories that no one needs. Most of that fat is saturated (“bad”) fat—the kind that increases cholesterol levels and puts us at risk for diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other diseases. A 2-ounce cheese serving also packs 350 milligrams of sodium and, ounce for ounce, as much cholesterol as a heart-stopping steak." (source: PCRM)

PCRM | Anti-obesity campaign | Watch the Cheese