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How much milk should a child consume?
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Childhood is a time when nutrients plays a vital role to support growth. So no wonder mothers are glad to see their children with an appetite, including for milk. However, be aware of the effects of overconsumption. (Shutterstock/*)
M
ilk may be a compulsory meal for toddlers. After breast milk, children are usually fed with instant milk to supply their needed nutrients. However, pay attention to the amount consumed as giving them too much can lead to unwanted effects.
Impact of consuming too much milk
Childhood is a time when nutrients play a vital role to support growth. So no wonder mothers are glad to see when their children have quite an appetite, including for milk. However, be aware of the effects of overconsuming, many of which are:
Milk contains a lot of proteins, sugar, fats and saturated fats. The added calories children get from milk may increase their weight. A constant increase of body weight over a long period of time may make a toddler overweight. If toddlers consumed four to six glasses a day, they would get between 600 and 900 calories per day from milk alone, which means that your child gets half to two-thirds of his or her calorie needs from milk alone.
Your child may get overweight if he or she consumes meals other than milk. However, it would be a different story if your child only drank milk and craved no other food.
Lack of required nutrients
Milk usually makes a child feel full and therefore lose the appetite for other food. This can result in a nutrient deficiency.
(Read also: Hefty children do not equal healthy children)
Feeling full and craving no other food than milk can cause problems for digestive systems. Milk does not have the dietary fiber that a child needs. A lack of fibre causes problems with defecation.
Anemia occurs when the body lacks iron. Iron is needed to distribute oxygen through blood to the whole body. Toddlers need a proper amount of iron to support their growth and ultimately to support brain growth, whereas milk does not contain iron. The risk increases when a child refuses to consume iron rich-foods, such as red meat and green vegetables.
Consumption of cow's milk by infants and toddlers has a bad effect on their iron reserves. This may happen because cow’s milk obstructs non-heme iron permeation as it contains calcium and casein in large amounts. In many countries, fortification of milk with iron is done to protect babies.
So how much milk should a child consume?
Due to the negative effect of both a lack of or an excessive consumption of milk, Dr. Jonathon Maguire from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada, conducted research on just how much milk is considered enough for a child. The study, which involved more than 1,300 healthy children aged 2 to 5 years and published in the Pediatrics Journal, showed that 500 ml, about two glass of milk a day, should be enough to supply the vitamin D needed and does not decrease iron levels in the child. (kes)
