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Milk matters: Child nutrition facts even non-parents should know


Being a single person who still doesn't have a son or daughter, the media invitation to a forum on the importance of giving children the right type of milk was met with both interest and wonder from yours truly. But I do have a two-year-old godchild/niece, and the information relayed by pediatricians Dr. Kristine Gutierrez and Dr. Gari Astrologio certainly helped me with how I can influence and make a difference to the health of my lovely inaanak, and future offspring.

 

Breast milk is still best

Dr. Astrologio must have repeated this fact more than ten times. The amount of fat, protein, and carbohydrates, the macronutients that are essential to babies and infants, are different in breast milk and in cow's milk. Natural mother's milk contains almost the same amount of fat as cow's milk at 3.3 grams per 100 grams (g/100g), but contains close to double the amount of carbohydrate, 7g vs. 4g/100g.

However, cow's milk contains almost three times the amount of protein (3.3g/100g) as breast milk's 1.3g/100g. While an adult needs protein to build and repair muscles, infants actually need less protein and more fat as most of their energies are used primarily in the development of their brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

A “fat” baby is not equal to a healthy baby

In Filipino culture, it is a myth to associate plump, bouncing babies to health and wellness. Aside from mothers overeating during pregnancy (fetal over-nutrition), there is also a tendency for parents and guardians to overfeed an infant. Pacifying a crying baby through milk feeding may be the solution to keeping the child quiet but is actually counterproductive health-wise.

BMI for adults cannot be used for children

It turns out that Body Mass Index (BMI, weight in kilograms/height in meters, squared), used to determine if a person is underweight (< 18.5), normal (18.5 – 24.9), overweight (25.0 – 29.9), or obese (> 30.0), cannot be used for babies and small children. There are several online BMI calculators specifically for babies but the best way to know if your child is normal, overweight, or already obese for his/her age, length, and weight would be to go to a pediatrician.

Dr. Gari Astrologio talks about the direct correlation of overfeeding infants with too much protein and obesity. Photos: Stanley Baldwin O. See

Child allergy and obesity tied to too much protein

With Filipino parents' tendencies to overfeed their offspring, too much protein from milk not only leads to early-onset obesity, but according to Dr. Gutierrez, may also lead to allergies. Food like cow's milk, peanuts, eggs, shellfish, tree nuts, and wheat are usually thought of to be good sources of protein, but may cause allergic reactions like eczema, food allergies, and later rhinitis and asthma.

At the forum, it was stressed that if breastfeeding is not possible, a child should be given hydrolyzed formula milk, a type of milk where the protein molecules have already been broken down for easier digestion, is hypoallergenic, and also helps babies who are intolerant or allergic to cow's milk protein. (It should be noted that the forum was organized by Nestle's Nankid product line. As always, check with your pediatrician first before going with an alternative to breast milk.)

Diet is not the solution

According to Dr. Astrologio, placing an infant or child through a strict diet like Atkin's, or Cohen's is not the right thing to do. Instead, encourage the child to be more physically active through playing and other activities. A balance plate consisting of the proper amount of fat, carbohydrates, and protein is recommended, while choosing the type of formula milk with the right amount of low quantity but high quality protein will make a life-long difference in a child's life.

Always check the label

As with any food product, it pays to look at the label. Aside from being informed of the amount of fat, protein, carbohydrates, and other essential nutrients, labels also provide valuable warnings and description like the type of protein (hydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed whey protein), and the type of allergen it may contain like cow's milk, fish, etc. — BM, GMA News