Vegetable Drinks For Babies And Toddlers
Currently, you can find a wide variety of vegetable drinks on the market. They can be used terto have a greater variety in the diet or as a therapeutic approach in the face of cow’s milk protein (APLV) allergy.
Are vegetable drinks comparable to cow’s milk?
From a nutritional point of view, they cannot be considered a substitute for milk, as their composition is highly variable depending on the vegetable source. However, it is also important to clarify that milk does not need to be replaced as it is not an essential food in the diet.
Milk is a food rich in calcium, protein and fat, although the latter component varies depending on the version consumed. In this sense, depending on the source from which vegetable drinks are obtained, there is a predominance of different macronutrients.
Drinks made from cereals or pseudocereals, such as rice or oat drinks, are rich in carbohydrates. Others, obtained from legumes, are rich in protein. And there is a third type, made from oilseeds, such as coconut or almonds, which stand out for their high fat content.
Thus, according to its nutritional composition, the vegetable drink most similar to cow’s milk is calcium-enriched soy. This is because it contains similar amounts of protein, fat and calcium.
Vegetable drinks for newborns
During the first six months of a newborn’s life, breast milk or infant formula is their main food. Although the World Health Organization recommends that breast milk be chosen, this is not always the case.
Mastitis (inflammation of the mammary glands) is something common and can cause you to stop breastfeeding. Therefore, we raised a question: which infant formula is indicated if the family wants to opt for a vegan lifestyle?
Another possibility, more common than expected, is that the newborn has an allergy to cow’s milk protein. In fact, in a study carried out by the Allergology Service of a Madrid hospital, the incidence of this allergy in infants was calculated and established at 1.9%. So what is the appropriate course of action in these cases?
vegan approach
The vegan diet for children is perfectly compatible with adequate growth, as long as it is well planned, according to the main scientific associations. There are many reasons that can lead parents to take a stand for or against this current of feeding, but, in any case, they must be respected.
The vegan diet does not include animal foods and therefore excludes traditional infant formulas. For families that opt for artificial feeding, there are soy and rice preparations suitable for vegan babies.
In order to be consumed by babies under six months of age, soy milks must be free of isoflavones and rice milks must be hydrolyzed to minimize the arsenic content.
From six months, soy preparations with isoflavones can already be consumed. Afterwards, from the age of two, vegetable drinks can be incorporated into the diet.
However, it is important to emphasize that vegan eating must be well planned and supervised by a nutritionist or subject matter expert.
Allergy to cow’s milk proteins
When a cow’s milk protein allergy is diagnosed, the only treatment is to avoid the milk protein altogether. For newborns, two approaches can take place, depending on the type of breastfeeding.
In the case of a breastfed baby, the exclusion diet falls on the mother. She should eliminate all dairy products from her diet and control calcium and vitamin D levels. To know how much calcium and vitamin D you need, it’s important to know your previous intake of these micronutrients.
Once individual needs for calcium are established, without forgetting that they increase during lactation, it is necessary to promote the consumption of foods rich in calcium.
For infants fed with infant formula, there are several possibilities. Hydrolyzed milk is the treatment of choice in these cases. For those who do not have tolerance, there are formulas based on soy and rice with the specifications indicated in the previous section.
From the age of two, these infant formulas can be replaced by fortified vegetable drinks. In these cases, the protein content of the diet must be evaluated to ensure that nutritional requirements are met.
How to choose a good vegetable drink?
To choose from the various options, it is necessary to check the nutritional information. Although there is not much variety among different brands for cow’s milk, the case for vegetable drinks is different. Therefore, it is necessary to consider:
- The amount of raw material that the drink contains, which will be indicated as a percentage.
- Other specifications related to the rest of the ingredients:
- Whether the beverage is an enriched source of micronutrients or not. Calcium and vitamin D are two of the most supplemented micronutrients as they are naturally present in cow’s milk.
- The amount of added sugars, which should not exceed 4-5 grams per 100 grams of product.
- Ensure that no measures have been taken to make the product cheaper, such as the inclusion of raw material mixtures. It is possible to find a high percentage of rice in some coconut drinks, for example.
- To achieve the fat content of cow’s milk, vegetable oils can be added. However, if added in small amounts, this is irrelevant and does not worsen the quality of the diet.
