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Each generation of American kids has its own milk marketing memories, from 1950s and '60s jingles to the 1980s, when we learned that milk "does a body good."
In the '90s, we learned to ask ourselves the iconic question, “Got Milk?” and in the 2010s, celebrities, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, kept the message going in high-profile ad campaigns.
Milk has always been part of the culture, but in 2026, it became part of the culture wars when President Trump signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, reversing Obama-era restrictions that had limited school lunches to fat-free or 1% milk since 2012. Trump administration officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have criticized those restrictions as a "war on milk."
But is putting full-fat milk back on the school lunch menu a good thing? It depends on who's drinking it.
The science on whole milk has shifted. While research in the early 2010s suggested reducing fat in milk would be a useful tool in the fight against childhood obesity, more recent studies suggest that kids who consume full-fat dairy may have lower odds of obesity, a reversal from the fat-fearing dietary guidance many of us grew up with. Whole milk also delivers a powerful nutritional package: healthy fat for brain development, calcium for strong bones, protein, and vitamin D.
There's a catch, however. Up to 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant, and the rates are far higher among Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Latino children than among kids of European descent. A one-size-fits-all milk policy doesn't fit all kids.
In this episode of Petrie Dish, host Bonnie Petrie talks with pediatric registered dietitian Marina Chaparro of Nutrichicos. She’s a mom, a person with Type 1 diabetes, and a proud El Paso native. Chaparro offers ideas on how families can navigate this new policy, how to get these brain- and body-building nutrients into a child’s diet if milk isn't an option, and how to develop healthy eating habits for children that honor cultural traditions rather than dismantle them. Spoiler: kefir smoothies, avocado, chia seeds, rice, and tortillas all make the list.
Chaparro promotes less fear and more joy at the table, and that includes when it comes to milk.
Guest: Marina Chaparro, MPH, RDN, CDCES, is a nationally recognized registered pediatric dietitian and diabetes educator. She is the author of Diabetes & Pregnancy: A Real Guide for Women with Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational Diabetes and the founder of Nutrichicos, a bilingual pediatric and family nutrition practice, where she provides evidence-based yet practical feeding advice to everyday parents. She also hosts a podcast called Messy Bites.
