"Milk" It's Not As Simple As It Used To Be

“Milk”, what does this word mean to you? It used to mean milk from a cow, homogenized and pasteurized. Now, milk may refer to beverages from soy, rice, almonds, oatmeal or other nondairy products. Additionally, milk products bear labels such as “nonfat”, “low fat,” “enriched”, “acidophilus added” not to mention flavors ranging from the old fashioned chocolate to the ever present coffee.

So how about a few definitions? Homogenization means that the cream (fat) particles of the milk are broken down into smaller pieces, allowing them to stay evenly dispersed in the milk, avoiding cream rising to the top. Pasteurization is heating the milk at a high enough temperature to kill of disease causing organisms. Therefore, young children and nursing mothers should never drink unpasteurized milk, referred to as raw milk. Acidophilus is good bacteria added to milk to help ease digestion.

Before age 1, a child should have either formula or breast milk. After 12 months, whole milk is recommended until age 2. At age 2 whole milk can be continued or can be changed to 2% milk. Nonfat milk (formerly skim) is not recommended as children need 30% of their calories from fat. Whole milk is 49% calories from fat, 2% milk is 35% calories from fat (it is 2% fat by weight), and nonfat has no fat. Young children need no more than 2 cups (16 ounces) of milk per day. Milk is a source of protein, calcium and vitamin D, but it is not the whole food that formula or breast milk is. Too much milk will not allow your child to be hungry for a variety of other foods, which offer a variety of nutrients. Two cups of milk a day will provide a 1-3 year old with all of their protein and 75% of their calcium needs. For 4-6year olds, milk meets 66% of their protein and 75% of their calcium requirements.

Nonanimal milks such as soy, rice, almond and others are usually nonfat or low fat. For children, buy the lowfat milk with the most calories from fat. To supplement the loss of fat in the milk you may want to add vegetable oils to your child’s diet. (Try olive oil on bread, rice or veggies). Only use these milks it they are ENRICHED. This means that the product has added calcium, Vitamin D and other nutrients that make them equivalent to cow milk. The protein in soy milk is similar to cow milk, however, other nondairy milks usually provide much less protein than cow milk. Other protein foods can easily make up this difference.

Flavored milks have the same nutrients including protein and calcium as their nonflavored partners, however the flavoring usually adds sugar (calories). Coffee milk should be avoided for those wanting to avoid caffeine, although the amount is not great.

What kind of milk is best for your child? You will have to decide. Next blog I will write about the pros and cons of the different forms of milk available to you and your child. Eat well, enjoy life.

Do I Need To Buy Organic Foods for My Child?

Many people with young children wonder if the price of organic products is “worth it”. I can’t make that decision for you, but I can help you understand what “organic” is and is not.

Organic foods are grown without the use of genetic engineering, radiation, sewage sludge, or synthetic pesticides. Organic animals must be fed only organic feed, be given outdoor access and are not given antibiotics. Organic milk is from cows that meet all of the above criteria and are not given Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH). There are studies showing that organic products have more nutritional value than others, but there are also studies that show that they don’t.

Products labeled 100% Organic contain only organic ingredients. A product labeled organic must have at least 95% organic ingredients. Washington state as well as several others, have had organic standards for many years. There is now a federal organic standard, the symbol is a circle with the words “USDA ORGANIC” stacked in black type.

There have never been studies on the health effects of pesticides and children. Our government has set some upper limits for some pesticides, but these are for adults. But we do know that young children (birth-age 3) take in more food per pound of body weight than adults because children are in an extremely rapid growth period. We also know that young children’s immune systems are still developing and strengthening. For these reason, some people choose to use organic products when their children are young.

To help you make a decision I recommend “Food News”, produced by a nonprofit called Environmental Working Group. Their web site is www.foodnews.org. Check out their report card on pesticides. It will give you a current list of the foods that have the most and least pesticides. For many of us, avoiding the worst pesticide offenders or purchasing the organic product gives us peace of mind. It also saves the money and time that may be involved in purchasing all organic products.

Feeding the First Year

Feeding your baby brings up a multitude of issues. First you have to decide to breast or bottle feed your child. This decision will see you through the first 4-7 months as all the nutrients your baby needs are provided in formula or breast milk. Next you realize that you that you will need to offer solid foods. This leads to a myriad of other issues and questions.

My advice is to follow your child’s lead, and your common sense and intuition. Your child will let you know when they are ready to start solids. Sometime between 4 and 7 months you will notice that your child can sit up with minimal assistance, move her head easily, and watches you intently as eating. He may reach for your food or make sounds while you eat. When you offer a spoon of food, your child will open her mouth or move forward to reach the spoon. He will also be able to swallow very soft foods such as baby rice cereal, soft banana mixed with breast milk or formula or baby foods without too much coming back out. Your child may, at first, push the food out with her tongue. If this is constant, she may not be ready for solids, but if she is ready, this will quickly decrease.

Current research shows that texture is more important then food group when offering first foods, so start with semi solids and thicken as time goes on. But try not to be too timid about increasing the solidity of foods offered. Remember, by 1 year most children are easily eating most table foods. In order to detect any allergies offer one new food every 4 days. If no unusual reaction occurs, offer another new food. It is recommended that children under the age of 1 year not be given liquid milk (yogurt and cheeses are ok if there is not history of dairy allergies in the family), honey including honey baked into crackers or cookies, and egg whites. Raw vegetables and crisp fruits are usually to difficult for babies until their 2 year molars come in.

During the first year we feed our babies on demand, usually every 1 to 2 ½ hours. Even if it appears that your child is not asking for food, offer it a least every 2 ½ hours. When feeding, choose 2 foods and let your child eat until they show you that they are finished. If they don’t eat either of the foods, the meal is over. Don’t go and get something else or cajole your child into eating. Babies eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full.

Every child develops differently. Try to stay away from developmental charts dictating exact foods and amounts your child needs to eat. Even if you offer the exact foods listed ona chart, this may lead to under of over feeding your child. Follow your child’s lead and your own loving instincts.