A cup of milk a day to make children healthier, this is the consensus of many mothers, but the milk on the market is too rich, there are low-fat milk, skim milk, and full milk, in the end which is more suitable for children to drink?
In terms of lipid content:
The fat content of whole milk, low-fat milk and skim milk is 3%, 0.5% to 2%, and less than 0.5%, respectively.
Whole milk has more cholesterol content due to its high fat content. Low-fat/skim milk has a low fat content, so the cholesterol content is relatively low, and the caloric value is also lower than that of whole milk.
Therefore, for modern people who pursue high protein and low fat, low-fat, skim milk is more popular. But this is not the case for children's growth and development.
According to relevant studies, milk fat contains fatty acids with health and anti-cancer effects, and is also rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
Conjugated linoleic acid eliminates visceral fat from the human body. Visceral fat is more harmful to health than subcutaneous fat!
In terms of fat-soluble vitamin content:
Whole milk is rich in a large number of fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, K, etc., low-fat/skim milk due to the separation of fat, resulting in its fat-soluble vitamins and other content is little or no.
Vitamins are known to be very good for health and also contribute to the digestion and absorption of minerals in milk.
A large number of studies have confirmed that vitamin deficiency is closely related to obesity, especially vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D reduces fat formation.
In terms of taste:
The rich taste of milk comes from the fat in milk, and low-fat/skim milk reduces fat content while also reducing milk flavor. Some low-fat skim milk also uses some additives to enhance the taste.
In summary, from the comprehensive consideration of children's health and nutrition, it is more recommended for children to drink whole milk.
And according to a study at a hospital in Toronto, Canada, children who drank whole milk had a 40% lower probability of being overweight or obese than children who drank low-fat milk, that is, drinking whole milk made children slimmer.
If the child is older than two years old, has been overweight, or has a family history of obesity, hypertension or heart disease, it is generally recommended that the child drink fat reduced milk with a fat content of about 2% (fat content of 2%), but if the child is less than 2 years old, even if there is obesity, it is not possible to drink low fat / skim milk with a fat content of only 1%, because low fat / skim milk does not contain essential fatty acids, lacks fat-soluble vitamins, and has a higher kidney load, which is not conducive to the child's development.