Plain, vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate milk are served time and time again as a quality snack-time drink. Children reach for the chocolate or the plain, but, the real star? 

The real star is strawberry milk.

The origins of strawberry milk are unknown, but according to the Britain Natural History Museum, milk with different flavors was first thought of by an Irish man named Sir Hans Sloane. In the 1700s, Sloane went on a trip to Jamaica, where the local people gave him plain cocoa to drink. The taste was bitter. It made him nauseous, but mixing it with milk helped smooth over the taste. After this, flavored milk was born.

Later the popular milk flavoring brand, Nesquik, launched its first chocolate drink mix in 1948. It spread quickly around North America and later to Britain, which resulted in them branching off into syrups. The strawberry mix was first introduced in 1960. Later, the syrup was made in 1989. Strawberry milk was and still isn’t the most popular option.

According to tastewise, strawberry milk is only consumed on average 1.23 times per year. It’s only found on 1.9% of restaurant menus and has an annual growth of -55.44%. The demand however increased from December 2021 to February 2022 from being consumed less than 1% to 1%.

Strawberry milk has two star qualities that set it apart from other flavored milk. The health benefits and the color.

According to the blog, Ifood.tv, strawberry milk is the healthiest and most nutritionally beneficial. The first key ingredient in strawberry milk is the strawberries.

Strawberries are enriched with multiple minerals and vitamins. They are also filled with detoxifiers and antioxidants, which are beneficial when you are sick. The nutrition of strawberries mixed with the nutrition of milk has been proven to improve brain function in smaller children.

Katie Vokel, owner of Ambitions Skin Care in Reno NV, says strawberries can also have many positive effects on your skin. Since strawberries are high in vitamin C, they hold a lot of AHAs (alpha-hydroxy acids) and BHAs (beta-hydroxy acids). Both are natural chemicals that work to remove dead skin cells as well as oil that has gotten under skin pores resulting in clogged pores. Vokel says when breaking out, drinking a cup of strawberry milk can help reduce acne.

Strawberry milk is easy to make at home. It can be made by mixing fresh strawberries, sugar, and any choice of milk. Chocolate milk, on the other hand, depending on what chocolate you use, can include dyes, gums, and other chemicals or acids that will negatively impact your health.

Milk Genomics conducted a study to see how many kids pick chocolate milk or plain. Even when the milk was free, only 6% of the surveyed students chose to pick plain milk when chocolate isn’t offered. When chocolate was offered, only one percent of students chose plain milk. That’s over 50% of the students unknowingly drinking dyes, gums, and acids.

If you don’t want to make it yourself, brands that carry strawberry milk include Nesquik and Borden.

Strawberry milk doesn’t have to use dyes to create a beautiful pink color that is so appealing compared to plain or darker-colored milk.

A study done by Cornell states that “compared with adults, children not only prefer plates with more elements and colors but also their entrees placed in the front of the plate and with figurative designs.”  Kids naturally gravitate towards food and drinks that are brightly colored or are in a fun shape.

Just look at other drinks consumed by teens. The Starbucks Pink Drink or the Mango Dragon Fruit drinks all are brightly colored and made to specifically drag consumers in.

There is no denying that when choosing milk to drink, plain milk is better for you. There are concerns that flavored milk has played a part in childhood obesity. It is important to take care of your health but flavored milk helps kids get three times their suggested daily milk intake.

Strawberry milk may not be the most popular or sold worldwide but when having flavored milk in moderation, choosing strawberry milk is the most healthy, visually appealing, and the better tasting choice.