Most of us are trying to save money on grocery bills these days, so finding less-expensive, but healthful sources of protein can’t hurt.  And while some beverages claim to deliver as much calcium as milk, the calcium added to fortified beverages, such as orange juice and soy beverage, is actually harder for the body to absorb, and milk is about 30 percent less expensive (per serving) than fortified orange juice.

The St. Louis District Dairy  is challenging parents to consider easy food changes that help address nutrition deficiencies without breaking the bank. In other words, make change by consuming more dairy products, which helps to save change in your wallet, and ensures your family isn’t short-changed on nutrition!

Here are some tips to help you make meals and snacks that make sense:

• Start each day with breakfast. It’s a great way for kids to be on target to meet their daily needs for key nutrients, including calcium, and provides an even greater payoff in improved concentration, higher test scores and better behavior in school.
• Limit soda consumption. Many designer drinks, sodas and fruit drinks are high in calories and expensive, which won’t help your wallet or your waistline. One easy snack idea is to just pour a glass of your child’s favorite milk – whether it’s white, chocolate or strawberry.  Flavored milk contains the same nine essential nutrients as white milk at just pennies per glass.
• Avoid the expensive snack aisles and focus on easy snacks that pay you back, like yogurt and cheese. I like to place a mom-approved snack bowl in the fridge that contains pre-portioned snacks, like go-gurts, string cheese, pudding cups with graham cracker sticks, trail mix, fruits and veggies with a yogurt dip for nutritious grab and go snacks when you are pressed for time.
• Make snacks fun. Let kids be involved in the selection and preparation of snacks.Taking time on front-end preparation reaps rewards in your grocery bill, and it provides a better benefit in teaching important life skills while spending quality time with your kids in the kitchen.