Bledidoc Advice

Milk benefits:

Milk contains a wide range of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fats, antioxidants and various fatty acids.

In addition, milk is a rich and important source of protein and calories for children’s growth, as malnutrition remains a major problem, even among children in developed countries.

It is also known to everyone that the Calcium in milk helps individuals develop strong bones. In addition to that, milk also contains vitamin D, which is necessary for calcium absorption.

All these benefits for an affordable price in comparison to other foodstuff, so why do we deprive children of milk?(1)

The recommended amount of milk:

The recommended amount of milk is 500 milliliters, or the equivalent of two cups of growing up milk.(2)

Exaggerations:

Excessive intake of milk in larger quantities and for a long period of time, will be at the expense of the balanced diversified diet necessary for healthy growth, as feeling full will prevent children from eating other healthy foods.

Also, Calcium will reduce Iron absorption leading to anemia and high calories may lead to obesity.

In addition, high amounts of saturated fats present in cow's milk not intended for infants, may lead to health problems in the future. Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to the amount of milk and its derivatives consumed by the child on a daily basis and to provide the child with a milk adapted to his age.

Of course, on some days or due to illness, the child may consume more or less quantities than required. There is no need to panic, as adjusting to the child’s needs is required until he returns to his normal state.(3)

Who should be prevented from milk consumption?

There are some medical conditions in which the child shouldn’t consume milk or must consume special milk or limit the intake of milk allowed. We will mention some cases, but with reference to the child's doctor, it is also important not to generalize and confuse between medical and ordinary cases among children.

1. Allergy to cow's milk protein, as it is prohibited to consume any amount of cow's milk or its derivatives and should be replaced with special milk.
2. Lactose not being digested and replaced with lactose-free milk or milk with added lactase, which is the enzyme that consumes lactose.
3. Chronic kidney disease or other medical conditions, where it’s important to pay attention to the amount of protein consumed and limit it to the amount recommended by the attending physician.

How to encourage your child to drink milk:

1. Let him participate by pouring milk into his cup.
2. Increase the amount of milk to the cereal he consumes.
3. Flavor the milk with fruits or cocoa.
4. Try rice with milk and “mohallabiah”, there are also many flavors of milk based deserts available in pharmacies for children.
5. Add milk and cheese to a vegetable purée or pasta to help your child get used to the taste of milk.(4)

Dr. Mohammad HARB

Pediatrician

^{1- فوائد الحليب للجسم - موضوع (mawdoo3.com)}

^{2- https://naitreetgrandir.com/fr/etape/3-5-ans/alimentation/fiche.aspx?doc=bg-naitre-grandir-enfant-lait}

^{هل يحتاج الأطفال حقاً لشرب الحليب؟ مجلة نقطة العلمية 3-  (nok6a.net)}

^{4- https://naitreetgrandir.com/fr/etape/1_3_ans/alimentation/fiche.aspx?doc=bg-naitre-grandir-enfant-lait}