Aside from a well-balanced, nutritious
diet, giving your child a glass of milk has been shown to help support your
child’s well-being. Aside from being a source of calcium, a glass of milk can
also provide essential and important nutrients for growth and mental
development.
As parents, however, it is important to take a closer look—beyond the
promises—at the nutritional values, ingredients, calorie counts, and even the
sugar content of your child’s milk to better understand how it factors into his
or her nutrition. One way of doing so is by getting accustomed to reading the
labels.
According to Food Scientist Dr. Lotis Francisco, milk labels provide
the necessary information that would allow you to check and balance the
ingredients and other nutritional facts of the milk.
“By taking time in reading and understanding the label, it helps you
make smart choices in identifying the best milk for your child,” added Dr.
Francisco.
What’s on milk labels?
Dr. Francisco said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires
labels on all prepackaged food, like milk. These labels must provide a complete
list of ingredients, as well as its nutrition information in readable type.
Usually, these are located at the back or side of the packaging under the
“Ingredients” and “Nutrition Facts” headings.
When reading the Ingredients label, you must take note that the items
listed are in descending order of proportion: from most to least. This
means that the first ingredient in the list is also the main component of the
milk.
For instance, some formula milk, like PROMIL® Four, have non-fat milk
as their first listed ingredient, and thus is their first component. Dr.
Francisco noted that this component is preferred for children over 3 years old
since it eliminated unnecessary fatty acids and kept the other milk components
like lactose.
Other milk brands, meanwhile, use other key ingredients like hydrolyzed
cornstarch that serves as an agent to retain milk’s sensory properties, and
functions as a source of carbohydrates with also its sucrose content. With
these ingredients, your child’s milk would look and feel like that of a regular
one when consumed, and is much sweeter than the recommended.
How do you read the Nutritional Facts?
The Nutritional Facts label, on the other hand, appears in a tabulated
form that declares the protein, carbohydrates (including dietary fibers and
sugars), fats (including saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol), sodium, as
well as the caloric content of the milk. Added Vitamin A, Iron, and Iodine, as
well as other vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids are also included in the
tabulation.
“All of these nutrients are expressed through the Recommended Energy
and Nutrient Intake (RENI) of children, based on the guidelines of the Food and
Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI),” explained Dr. Francisco. “So, if the
Protein Content in the milk indicates 30 percent, then, your child needs 70
percent more from other food sources to meet his or her daily RENI.
How do you know the sugar content?
When it comes to formula milk’s sugar levels, most parents may find it
confusing, especially that the Nutritional Facts label only indicates an
aggregated sugar content. That is why high sugar levels do not necessarily
imply poor quality.
Among the types of sugar added in formula milk include sucrose, also
referred to as table sugar and starches. These are added to replace some or all
of the lactose naturally found in milk. Given the case, Dr. Francisco noted
that it is still better to check the type of sugar used in your child’s milk.
For your child’s proper growth and mental development, PROMIL® Four is
predominantly lactose with its non-fat milk as the main ingredient.
What other nutrients should you look out for?
To ensure that your child gets the essential and important nutrients
for proper growth and mental development, it pays off to check if milk’s
macronutrients—protein, fat, and carbohydrates—are at the right level for
children over 3 years old.
Based on FNRI’s Philippine Dietary Reference Intakes, your child’s milk
per serving should have Protein within 6-15% of total energy, Fat within 15-30%
of total energy, and Carbohydrates within 55-79% of total energy to be within
the acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR).
Below recommended range may stunt child’s growth and drain energy,
while above may cause the risk of obesity. To support proper growth and mental
development, it is preferred for these nutrients to be within range. For PROMIL® FOUR, it gives 15% total energy from its protein content, 30% total
energy from fats, and 55% total energy from carbohydrates.
PROMIL® FOUR is also the only formula milk with
NUTRISSENTIALS®. It contains DHA, AA, Lutein, Iodine, and Iron to help support
brain and visual development. It also has Vitamin A, which supports healthy eye
development; Zinc for normal growth and maintaining a healthy immune system;
Niacin, which aids in metabolism; Biotin, which enhances energy for physical
development; and Potassium, which promotes healthy muscles.
“In some cases, it’s easy to identify the right formula milk for your
child if you take time to read and understand the labels. It might seem
complicated at first but, it can help you make good choices for your child’s
growth and development,” said Dr. Francisco.
For many years, PROMIL® FOUR has helped parents nurture the gift
through proper care, parenting, and nutrition.
To learn more about PROMIL® Four, visit their website at
www.promilnurturethegift.com.ph.