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Milk alternatives don't have any benefits in children. Milk drinking in children is thought to induce growth. You can't overdo it though as it interferes with i

Milk alternatives don't have any benefits in children. Milk drinking in children is thought to induce growth. You can't overdo it though as it interferes with iron absorption. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-63647-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-63647-8 see the references height difference found: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/106/2/597/4557638 https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/106/2/597/4557638 may be related to IGF-1: https://www.nature.com/articles/1601948 https://www.nature.com/articles/1601948

candiddevmike 4y ago
Do we need big kids? Milk has a ton of calories and could be contributing to childhood obesity: https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/03/16/how-milk-may-contribute-to-childhood-obesity/ https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/03/16/how-milk-may-contribut...
- wyager 4y ago
  Kids aren't getting fat off milk. We can a priori expect milk satiety response to be well calibrated.
- SamoyedFurFluff 4y ago
  If we go purely on factors contributing to obesity, plant milks may not necessarily be better. Many plant milks are carb heavy with not much in the way of fat or protein, so it won’t make you feel as full as milk.
- lancesells 4y ago
  I'm not a milk or milk alternative drinker but when I've looked at things like Oatly they seem to have at least as many calories and sugar as something like skim milk.
- schroeding 4y ago
  At least the oat milk brand I like to drink (Alpro) has exactly the same amount of calories as normal cow milk, which makes kinda sense, as they use additional oil to get to the identical fat content :D So replacing it will not change anything in that regard, we just must be aware that (any) milk is (liquid) food and not a drink. Same problem as with softdrinks or fruit juices. Anecdata: I regularly drank (cow) milk as a child and now I'm over 2 meters in height. But of course correlation with n=1 is not causation, and I'm sure many people here are equally large without a drop of milk. :D
- Bancakes 4y ago
  You can drink a gallon of milk a day if it fits your TDEE.
mtgx 4y ago
xattt 4y ago
Milk should be the beverage of choice for growing kids who do not have contraindications. 3.25% milk is recommended up until 2 years of age, and to continue into older age if there are no issues with obesity. (1) https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-ng-healthy-infants-other-milks-fluids-milk.pdf https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/i...
- chrisweekly 4y ago
  I have my doubts about such recommendations; aside from the influence of the dairy lobby, how many such nutrition guidelines account for high-quality non-dairy alternative sources of protein and calcium?
  - tpush 4y ago
    The only dairy alternative that has comparable protein quality (DIAAS) is soy, and AFAIK there aren't many studies of soy milk given to toddlers/small kids.
    - chrisweekly 4y ago
      Ok, but even if you rule out soymilk, it's not like there's no other source of protein suitable for a toddler.
      - xattt 4y ago
        Consumption of a mostly soy diet by small children is undesirable because of the presence of phytoestrogens in soy. Pulses would come close second as a protein source, but a child would have to consistently eat larger servings in order to keep up with other meat-eating-and-milk-drinking children. Large portions are not always realistic in ensuring adequate protein intake in kids, who will occasionally go through phases of fussy eating. Adopting vegetarian or vegan habits is great when periods of significant growth stop (and maybe this is what humans are meant to do, rather than to keep eating animal products in adulthood). However, from my own experience, meat and milk is a necessity for avoiding malnourishment in little humans undergoing development.
throwaway2037 4y ago
As I understand, the reason why children are encouraged to drink milk is mostly about calcium. Many milk alternatives now have the same or more calcium per litre as cow's milk. When you say "growth" is this about bone (calcium) or muscle (protein) growth? In my experience, protein per litre is generally lower for milk alternatives.
deleted 4y ago
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candiddevmike 4y ago

Do we need big kids? Milk has a ton of calories and could be contributing to childhood obesity: https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/03/16/how-milk-may-contribute-to-childhood-obesity/ https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/03/16/how-milk-may-contribut...

wyager 4y ago
Kids aren't getting fat off milk. We can a priori expect milk satiety response to be well calibrated.
SamoyedFurFluff 4y ago
If we go purely on factors contributing to obesity, plant milks may not necessarily be better. Many plant milks are carb heavy with not much in the way of fat or protein, so it won’t make you feel as full as milk.
lancesells 4y ago
I'm not a milk or milk alternative drinker but when I've looked at things like Oatly they seem to have at least as many calories and sugar as something like skim milk.
schroeding 4y ago
At least the oat milk brand I like to drink (Alpro) has exactly the same amount of calories as normal cow milk, which makes kinda sense, as they use additional oil to get to the identical fat content :D So replacing it will not change anything in that regard, we just must be aware that (any) milk is (liquid) food and not a drink. Same problem as with softdrinks or fruit juices. Anecdata: I regularly drank (cow) milk as a child and now I'm over 2 meters in height. But of course correlation with n=1 is not causation, and I'm sure many people here are equally large without a drop of milk. :D
Bancakes 4y ago
You can drink a gallon of milk a day if it fits your TDEE.

mtgx 4y ago

xattt 4y ago

Milk should be the beverage of choice for growing kids who do not have contraindications. 3.25% milk is recommended up until 2 years of age, and to continue into older age if there are no issues with obesity. (1) https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-ng-healthy-infants-other-milks-fluids-milk.pdf https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/i...

chrisweekly 4y ago
I have my doubts about such recommendations; aside from the influence of the dairy lobby, how many such nutrition guidelines account for high-quality non-dairy alternative sources of protein and calcium?
- tpush 4y ago
  The only dairy alternative that has comparable protein quality (DIAAS) is soy, and AFAIK there aren't many studies of soy milk given to toddlers/small kids.
  - chrisweekly 4y ago
    Ok, but even if you rule out soymilk, it's not like there's no other source of protein suitable for a toddler.
    - xattt 4y ago
      Consumption of a mostly soy diet by small children is undesirable because of the presence of phytoestrogens in soy. Pulses would come close second as a protein source, but a child would have to consistently eat larger servings in order to keep up with other meat-eating-and-milk-drinking children. Large portions are not always realistic in ensuring adequate protein intake in kids, who will occasionally go through phases of fussy eating. Adopting vegetarian or vegan habits is great when periods of significant growth stop (and maybe this is what humans are meant to do, rather than to keep eating animal products in adulthood). However, from my own experience, meat and milk is a necessity for avoiding malnourishment in little humans undergoing development.

throwaway2037 4y ago

As I understand, the reason why children are encouraged to drink milk is mostly about calcium. Many milk alternatives now have the same or more calcium per litre as cow's milk. When you say "growth" is this about bone (calcium) or muscle (protein) growth? In my experience, protein per litre is generally lower for milk alternatives.

deleted 4y ago

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