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Growing up milk (GUM) enhances the absorption of iron and provides the adequate nutritional minerals and vitamins whereas Cow’s milk has no or low levels of vitamins and iron and even reduces the amount of iron in our kids’ diet in three key ways:
- Cow’s milk is high in protein and calcium and this can reduce the amount of iron absorbed from the gut.
- Cow’s milk is very low in iron and Vitamins compared to GUM. Drinking large amounts of cow’s milk also means that other foods that may be higher in iron and Vitamins are not eaten.
- Cow’s milk can cause bleeding in the gut if the child has a delayed cow’s milk allergy which causes a small amount of blood loss in the stools.
Cow’s milk may have a lot of added sugar, animal fats, high sodium, high calcium whereas GUM provides adequate levels of iron and Vitamin C and Vitamin D, low protein, vegetable fats, low sodium and Omega 3 and Omega 6 for the brain development, some even have no added sugar to prevent obesity and other cardiovascular diseases.1
Dr. Nabil Hajj Hassan
Pediatrician
