School kids are walking around with flavored milk mustaches. White milk is out, strawberry and chocolate are in. While milk is a good calcium source for kids, it's drawn the short straw thanks to the success of energy drinks and flavored water. Unfortunately, nine out of every 10 preteen girls don't consume the recommended three calcium servings a day, and boys are not far behind at seven out of 10. Keep in mind, bone density peaks during adolescence.

With soda stripped from many public schools, flavored milk has proven an attractive calcium-filled compromise to attract sugar-hungry kids. But with the rise in childhood obesity, not every school district is behind the flavored milk craze. Chicago suburban Barrington District 220 banned flavored milk this past fall, one of the brave first in Illinois. If it works, it may be extended to the town's high school. Dairy consumption has dropped 11 percent in the first two months, but school officials are betting milk sales will rebound just like beverage sales did after the soda ban.

I say good for Barrington District 220. I don't like flavored milk in schools. Kids get enough sugar as it is, why does a calcium-filled, daily staple like milk have to be sweetened, too? Let alone the fact kids eating breakfast and lunch at school are downing up to 10 cartons of flavored milk a week. This is exactly the kind of nutritional habit that puts kids at risk for weight problems. Every day should not be treat day -- save the chocolate milk mustache for special occasions. What's your take?

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It gives me a little thrill every time I hear my preschooler turn down a treat, saying, "No thank you, I've had enough sugar today." She really seems to be developing a good sense of "every day" foods and "sometimes" foods, without us having to remind her.

Kids can be taught good nutrition, and they can learn the basic principles behind it fairly early. Though you don't need to buy a special tool to teach kids about healthy eating, visuals can make things more fun. That's where charting systems like Supernoots come in. Supernoots is a magnet set geared toward children to help them keep track of their healthy eating habits. Whenever they have a serving of grains, fruits, or veggies, for instance, they move their magnet to the appropriate spot on the chart.

Some kids really respond to these kinds of systems, and if yours does, Supernoots could be an effective tool in teaching them lifelong healthy eating habits.

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