A Persuasive Text

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Over the past few years, there has been much debate about chocolate milk and whether it should continue to be served in schools. Some say that it is a much healthier alternative to sodas and sugary energy drinks and should still be an option for students in school. Others believe it is just as bad, if not worse, than other unhealthy drinks and should no longer be an option in the cafeteria.

What do you think?

Chocolate milk SHOULD NOT be served in schools any longer!

There are three major reasons why serving chocolate milk in schools is not good for students to drink:

1) Chocolate milk contains a lot of added sugars.

2)Chocolate milk has a lot of calories.

3) Consuming too much chocolate milk can lead to childhood obesity.

Chocolate milk contains a very unhealthy amount of sugar. According to Jamie Oliver in the article "The Hard Facts About Flavored Milk," a small 8 ounce carton of chocolate milk contains up to 4 teaspoons of added sugars (2009).

If students drink a carton a day at school, that is up to 20 teaspoons a week! Students should choose healthier alternatives, like white milk or water.

Due to the high sugar content, chocolate milk also contains many calories. In an EverdayHealth article titled "Is Chocolate Milk Healthy for Kids?," Sharon Tanenbaum states that one cup of "typical low-fat chocolate milk contains about 160 calories" (2011).

Students consume over 100 calories in just one cup of chocolate milk! If they have chocolate milk for breakfast, that cup worth 160 calories does not even include the calories consumed in school from chocolate milk.