Milk in the diet of the Nigerian child: The untold benefits
As a kid, I often heard the phrase from my mum “Drink your milk so you will grow tall and strong.”
Recommended articles
Enjoyed throughout the world for thousands of years, milk is one of nature’s most nutrient-dense foods. Regarded as a nutrient powerhouse, it is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, minerals and a host of other micronutrients. An adequate diet(balanced diet) is defined as the diet which contains all the classes of foods(carbohydrates, protein, fats & oil, vitamins, minerals and water) in their right proportions(recommended daily allowance-RDA) to achieve a good state of health. Milk is considered to be a complete food because of its rich composition.
The importance of milk in the diet of children
The diet of a typical Nigerian child is predominantly made up of carbohydrates, fats and oil with little or no protein, vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, according to De Vries-Ten et al 2020, majority of protein in Nigerian diets comes from plant sources (staples), which are missing in some of the essential amino acids(EAAs), therefore they do not fulfil the daily protein requirements for children. There are grave consequences attached to consuming an inadequate diet especially for a growing child. One of such consequences is malnutrition.
An estimated 2 million children in Nigeria suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) according to UNICEF. This brings us to the moment of truth and a wake-up call for key stakeholders. In the first 6 months of life, breast milk is the universally recommended, acceptable first and only food to be given to a child. It contains all essential nutrients-carbohydrates, essential fats, proteins, minerals needed for optimal growth and development. The World Health Organization recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life after which appropriate complementary feeding should be commenced while breastfeeding is continued up unto at least two years. Afterwards, it’s important that milk still remains a vital part of a child’s diet till adolescence and beyond.
Milk protein is considered high quality protein because it contains all 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) in relatively high quantities. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO), milk and dairy products have been successfully used in the prevention and treatment of moderate and severe malnutrition in children.
DHA the essential brain food
Studies have shown that 90% of brain growth occurs in the first 5 years of life and this is a golden window of opportunity to maximize a child’s learning potential through nutrition. Among all the nutrients identified to be important for brain development, DHA particularly stands out. DHA, Docosahexaenoic acid, is the major building block of the brain. It is the most abundant omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acid present in the brain and is found in oily fish such as salmons, sardines and tuna. Several studies suggest that higher maternal fish intake during pregnancy and lactation is associated with higher language and social skills, higher IQ, and more positive behavior in their children. Unfortunately, the body can only produce DHA in suboptimal amounts thus necessitating the need to consume it directly the diet.
A well-balanced growing-up milk, tailored specifically to their nutritional requirements, can serve as a valuable addition to their daily diet by providing substantial amounts of daily-required (essential) nutrients including DHA. Peak 456 Growing-up milk is specially formulated with DHA and other key nutrients to support brain development and physical growth in children aged 4-6 years.
The importance of milk as part of a healthy and adequate diet for children cannot be over-emphasized. As we celebrate World Milk Day, It is a call to action for every parent, community, state and Nigeria as a Nation to ensure to do more with milk as it can serve as a nutritional safety net in bridging the gaps between the RDAs and actual intake of some key nutrients. This will produce a positive ripple effect by filling the gaps in nutrition, reduce the risk of death associated with malnutrition, dwindle poor cognitive development, lessen a low performance in education, erase low productivity in adulthood, cut economic losses estimated to account for 11% of the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) and finally shift Nigeria from a nation with the second highest burden of stunted children in the world to a nation with zero hunger and malnutrition.
The time to change the narrative is now. Malnutrition is a vicious circle. it can run through generations. Adequate nutrition combined with the goodness of milk can break the cycle. Our children are truly what they eat. Happy World Milk Day.
Iheyinwa Odum-Nwabueze
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Health and Care Professional Council UK
This is a featured post.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng