Are dairy alternatives good for children?

During the first year of a child's life, they should drink breastmilk and/or formula. Recent research has shown that 1-2 year old children should drink 2-3 cups of cow's milk a day with water. This research has also shown that plant milks should be not be replaced for cow's milk. The only acceptable replacement is soy milk with added ingredients that are important for growth, known as nutrients (Wright & Smith 2020).

When eating or drinking, the most important question to ask yourself is, "What am I getting out of this?" At the end of the day, food is fuel, and your body needs good fuel to work well. A research study compared the nutrients in cow's and plant milks (soy, almond, cashew, coconut, and rice milks). 

The researchers looked at two things:

        1. Nutrients added to milk or plant milks: vitamin D, vitamin A, and calcium, and 

        2. Nutrients that are low for Americans: potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

The added nutrients (Figure 1) in plant milks compared to cow's milk are similar. If this was the only thing the researchers looked at they would assume plant milks are just as good as cow's milk. 

However, when the researchers looked at the nutrients that are low in American's diets (Figure 2) the results are much different. Cow's milk and soy milk are have high levels of potassium. This is an important nutrient for nerves, muscle movement, and even beating your heart. Phosphorus, which keeps your bones and kidneys healthy, is high in cow's milk, but very low in all the other plant milks. Magnesium is at the same level for cow's milk and all plant milks except coconut milk. 

When choosing a milk for your toddler, it is clear that the best option is cow's milk based on its high level of nutrients. Sometimes cow's milk may not be an option for a toddler. For example, when a toddler's body has a bad reaction or allergy to cow's milk, like lactose intolerance. In this case, the next best replacement to cow's milk would be soy milk. In summary, cow's milk has 7 nutrients at high levels and soy milk has 2 nutrients at high levels. All the other plant milks do not have any nutrients at high levels. Plant milks, except soy milk, are not close enough to the nutrients in cow's milk. Plant milks should not be given to children as a replacement for cow's milk (Schuster et. al. 2018). 

References: 

1. Wright, N. S., & Smith, M. (2020). Guidelines suggesting children avoid plant-based milks: A closer examination. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 24(10), 1189–1192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-020-02970-y

2. Schuster, M. J., Wang, X., Hawkins, T., & Painter, J. E. (2018). Comparison of the Nutrient Content of Cow’s Milk and Nondairy Milk Alternatives. Nutrition Today, 53(4), 153–159. https://doi.org/10.1097/nt.0000000000000284