Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids: Milk, Plant-Based Alternatives, Flavored Milk, Toddler Milk – A Deeper Dive into the Science and Resulting Recommendations

This webinar was presented live on August 30, 2022. The CPE associated with this activity will expire on May 31, 2024.

Establishing healthy beverage patterns in early life is critical to ensuring adequate nutrient intakes and promoting overall health in young children. But an increasing variety of beverages in the marketplace paired with inconsistent messaging and guidance has led to confusion among parents, caregivers, and sometimes even health professionals on what young children (ages 0-5 years) should be drinking as part of a healthy diet. As a result, Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, convened an expert panel of representatives from key national health and nutrition organizations (including the Academy) to develop a set of consensus recommendations for beverages. This session will take a deeper dive into the resulting recommendations for young children on milk, plant-based alternatives, flavored milk, and toddler milk. Speakers will describe the scientific evidence behind the expert panel recommendations and discuss how nutrition professionals can apply these recommendations in practice settings.

This free webinar was supported by Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

CPE Level: 2

CPEU: 1.5
Performance Indicators

• 8.1.1 Interprets and applies evidence-based literature and standards for determining nutritional needs of target audiences.
• 12.2.2 Identifies and reviews evidence-based literature to create programs and to justify needs and actions.
• 12.1.3 Collaborates with community partners and stakeholders in promoting health and disease prevention

Learning Objectives

• Describe the science behind the expert panel recommendations for milk, plant-based alternatives, flavored milk, and toddler milk.
• Modify evidence based recommendations designed for population health to be applicable to individuals and families in patient and client settings.
• Apply the expert panel’s recommendations for milk, plant-based alternatives, flavored milk, and toddler milk to environmental and policy initiatives to improve public health.

Speakers

• Kirsten Arm, MPH, RDN, serves as Research Analyst for Healthy Eating Research (HER), a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at Duke University in Durham, NC. In this role, Kirsten supports and disseminates research on policy, systems, and environmental strategies that promote healthy eating among children and advances nutrition and health equity. Kirsten is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and holds a B.S. in Community-Medical Dietetics from Viterbo University and a Master of Public Health in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
• Megan Lott, MPH, RDN, serves as Deputy Director for Healthy Eating Research (HER), a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at Duke University in Durham, NC. HER supports research on policy, systems, and environmental approaches to improve healthy eating, food security, and reduce obesity among children. Megan is a Registered Dietitian with a B.S. in nutrition Sciences and dietetics from the University of Cincinnati and a Master's in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.