The arrival of a baby is often an opportunity to question the quality and origin of food. Is milk a “ health food ”? How is infant milk made?
A lot of information is circulating on the harmful consequences of milk on health, emanating, among others, from Professor Henri Joyeux, who is making headlines in the media.
What about feeding babies, for whom milk is the main food until their first birthday? How to respond to the problems of allergies and food intolerances to cow's milk in infants and young children? What are the alternative solutions?
UNDERSTANDING THE DIGESTIVE PHYSIOLOGY OF INFANTS
Knowing the physiology of the infant allows us to understand their nutritional needs and adapt their diet. The digestive, absorption and elimination functions of the newborn only become mature gradually.
The enzymes responsible for protein digestion are weak until eighteen months, while fat digestion is operational around three months. The digestive capacities of the pancreas are fully established around three years of age. What is well assimilated straight away are the sugars in breast milk through disaccharides and the fats through lipase, a degrading enzyme present in breast milk but absent from cow's milk. Liver functions are quickly overloaded by the elimination of protein waste and additives. As for the kidneys, their protein and sodium elimination functions mature around two years of age.
The intestine, still immature, has excessive permeability and can allow foreign proteins to pass if introduced too early. The digestive tract at birth is sterile and the small intestine becomes colonized as the baby passes through the birth canal and as soon as the infant comes into contact with the environment. This allows it to acquire an intestinal bacterial flora which strengthens the intestinal mucosa and gradually gives it its selective permeability.
THE PROBLEMS OF ALLERGIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCES OF 0-3 YEARS OF AGE
Food allergies and intolerances affect around 8% of the child population in France. Variability of symptoms can make diagnosis difficult. Infants (0-2 years) and children are particularly affected by problems of allergies or intolerance to milk, due to the fact that it constitutes the first food. When introducing a breast milk substitute, three reactions may occur in some children.
Allergy is an abnormal, maladaptive and excessive reaction of the immune system. It's a panic over a protein substance called an allergen. The release of a large amount of histamine causes symptoms that only appear on the second or third contact with the allergenic food. The symptoms are then immediate and manifest on the digestive level (vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc.) and/or extra-digestive (urticaria, asthma, eczema, bronchitis, etc.). In the blood, we find antibodies of the IgE type.
Food intolerance is characterized by the absence of one or more enzymes allowing the digestion of a food. For example, in lactose intolerance, the patient cannot digest the lactose in milk because it does not have lactase: he will present digestive signs, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. The immune system is not involved in intolerance.
Food hypersensitivity, generated by a “porous intestine”, does not give any violent or immediate symptoms and can induce very disparate disorders, difficult to link to the food cause. IgG antibodies are found in the blood.
Attention ! Some babies show intolerance or allergy reactions while being fed breast milk. Indeed, in breastfeeding mothers, an unsuitable diet, rich in sugar and gluten, acidifying, with bad food associations, can be the cause of attack on the mucosa of the maternal intestinal wall which becomes porous and allows large undigested molecules to pass into the blood. If these molecules are not eliminated by the mother's liver, they can pass into breast milk and cause digestive problems in the child. The mother's diet is therefore essential during breastfeeding. Some breastfed children see their problems disappear when the mother eliminates dairy products or gluten, for example.
INFANT PREPARATIONS
THERE ARE 3 CATEGORIES OF INFANT MILK:
- Milk called 1st age (0 to 6 months)
- Milk called 2nd age (6 months to 12 months) - Growth
milk (12 months to 36 months) Some milks are called comfort milk: “AR (Anti Reflux)”, “ Comfort”, “Premium”, “Satiety”… 25% of babies suffer from colic, 40% suffer from regurgitation. However, the clinical benefit of these milks has not been demonstrated (according to the Nutrition Committee of the French Pediatric Society). They are almost non-existent in neighboring countries or in North America. This multiplicity is not justified scientifically.
1 - WHAT IS INFANT FORMULA?
It is an industrial preparation which constitutes a substitute whose components are, at best, close to breast milk. Its composition meets very precise regulatory texts which set maximum composition limits for all nutrients and authorize the use of certain ingredients.
2 - COMPOSITION OF INFANT FORMULAS
The composition requires the addition of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, nucleotides, etc.) to meet regulatory purposes. The quality of the various formulations depends largely on the manufacturing process.
Indeed, the manufacturing process is generally atomization which allows good homogeneity of the product during reconstitution but has major drawbacks linked to heat treatment.
Standard “infant milk” is made from skimmed and processed cow’s milk. There we find:
- fats: oil (palm, rapeseed, olive, sunflower, corn or coconut), EPA and DHA.
- carbohydrates: maltodextrin or lactose or maltose or sucrose or dextrin or starch.
- vitamins : A, D3, E, C, K, all B vitamins.
- minerals: magnesium, zinc, potassium, manganese, iron, sodium.
- and optional: probiotic lactic ferments, pre-biotics, taurine, choline and nucleotides .
Finally, only certain proteins are currently authorized: cow proteins, soy proteins, hydrolyzate (1) of whey proteins derived from cow proteins or rice proteins.
Namely, 15 to 40% of children allergic to milk proteins are also allergic to soy proteins (we speak of cross allergies).
A so-called organic formula must meet the same standards as standard infant milk, but it is formulated from milk from cows raised organically or biodynamically (Demeter). All raw materials are of organic origin: in particular cold-pressed, organic, non-hydrogenated vegetable oils. The use of GMOs, pesticides and synthetic chemicals is excluded from the specifications.
3 - THE FORMULATION OF INFANT MILK HAS MANY DISADVANTAGES
We note the presence of poor quality oils, maltodextrin, foods that may be genetically modified and synthetic nutrients.
Some manufacturers have started adding probiotics (strains of live bacteria beneficial to intestinal flora). However, these require specific survival conditions and, unfortunately, tests carried out on many products which claim to contain probiotics show that they arrive destroyed by gastric acidity and are therefore of no use.
Maltodextrin is often the main carbohydrate source : it is a sugar with a high glycemic index, which is very tiring for a young child's pancreas, unlike lactose which releases energy constantly. In addition, maltodextrin can cause digestive problems such as diarrhea.
Lactose being the main source of carbohydrates in breast milk, we will therefore choose an infant formula based on cow's milk richer in lactose than in maltodextrin.
The added essential nutrients , vitamins and minerals may compete, making the preparation less nutritious than one might think from the formula on the package. In addition, supplementation with essential fatty acids is often not of good quality: EPA and DHA are obtained from fish oils, mushrooms or algae fermented using a neurotoxic chemical solvent. Furthermore, even of good quality, these fatty acids are fragile and are easily damaged by heat, light, time and storage.
4 - THE MANUFACTURE OF 1ST AND 2ND AGE POWDERED MILK
The manufacture of artificial milk involves several steps, including removing most of the fats and proteins from the milk. In fact, cow's milk contains a surplus of proteins: more than three times what breast milk contains. This excess protein constitutes one of the greatest dangers for the baby.
Total skimming of cow's milk deprives the baby of cholesterol, which is essential since it supports the cell membrane and is essential for nerve transmission and brain development. Breast milk is very rich in it and also provides a lot of nutrients that facilitate its absorption, which highlights its importance for humans.
The high temperature treatment of all infant formulas (powder or liquid for so-called growth milks) denatures the proteins which lose their natural ability to function normally, making them likely to disrupt the immune and digestive systems. Indeed, heat treatment generates undesirable compounds resulting from Maillard reactions. These are very complex and random chemical reactions between sugars and amino acids which occur when food is heated and which induce the creation of molecules which can be mutagenic or toxic.
HOW TO CHOOSE A MILK FOR MY BABY?
Today, there are 160 infant formulas on the market! Enough to make you dizzy in front of the shelves...
Five selection criteria can be retained:
1 - Milk of organic origin
Cow's milk from conventional agriculture is rich in toxic residues. No regulation limits its content (Science et Vie, March 2008).
Specialties: Holle, Baby bio, HIPP, Prémibio, Picot Bio, Physiolac Bio.
2 - Low protein content
Breast milk contains 10 g of protein/l, a quantity which respects the growth in stature of the human child, much slower than that of other mammals.
The baby cannot metabolize as much protein as that contained in cow's milk, which generates the ultra-rapid growth of a small calf. Protein overload impairs immature kidney and liver functions, leading to more waste.
Infant protein formula should be less than 1.35g per 100ml.
Specialties: Baby organic, Modilac, Nidal confort, Milupa, Prémibio 1st age, Baby
Mandorle.
3 - Low casein content and high soluble protein content (ratio close to that of breast milk)
The casein to soluble protein ratio of breast milk is 40/60 while that of cow's milk is 80/20. Casein coagulates into large flakes on contact with gastric acid and slows gastric emptying, which explains why the baby falls asleep deeply after and even often during bottle feeding, while the baby at the breast dozes off. In addition, caseins can be transformed into casomorphins, molecules similar to opium.
The more casein there is, the more baby is satisfied… but constipated!
So-called “HA” (Hypoallergenic) milks are the closest to the composition of breast milk.
Specialties: Baby bio, Modilac, Nidal confort, Milupa, Prémibio 1st age, Nutricia confort, Bébé Mandorle
4 - Quality and content of essential fatty acids (omega 3 and 6)
Breast milk contains 40 to 60% saturated fats, 35% of monounsaturated and between 15 to 20% of polyunsaturated (PUFA), the ratio must be 1 (omega 3) to 5 (omega 6). This composition varies significantly depending on the mother's diet and the child's age. PUFAs are essential for the proper functioning of vision and the nervous system and they also have an immunomodulatory action.
Specialties: Baby organic, Modilac, Nidal natéa, Milupa, Prémibio 1st age, Nutricia comfort.
5 - The absence of palm oil
Palmitic acid appears to be pro-inflammatory; breast milk contains very little of it. Coconut oil has the fatty acid composition closest to that of breast milk which is rich in saturated fatty acids (50%). Too high a level of unsaturated fatty acids promotes oxidative stress because the baby's antioxidant enzymes (catalase, SOD, etc.) are in insufficient quantity and immature compared to those of an adult. Virgin and organic coconut or sunflower oils meet the balanced fatty acid profile.
Specialties: Baby organic, Prémibio 1st age, Baby Mandorle.
Remember that the choice of the most suitable infant formula will be determined according to the advice of an informed health professional.
From 0 to 6 months
Breast milk is the ideal food for infants. The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends at least 6 months of breastfeeding.
So-called hypoallergenic “HA” milk is a milk based on hydrolyzed protein substitutes, sold exclusively in pharmacies: it is a milk for preventing allergic manifestations, but of no interest for children intolerant to milk proteins. It is often recommended to take over from breastfeeding or during weaning if the family is allergic.
In case of intolerance or allergy to cow's milk proteins , you should turn to infant formulas that comply with European regulations, based on soy proteins or rice proteins. However, the AFSSA does not recommend soya. Rice protein hydrolysates seem to offer a new alternative with good tolerance, especially in cases of allergy or digestive intolerance. Rice protein has a protein profile very close to that of breast milk.
Specialties: Baby Mandorle, first organic preparation made from rice protein hydrolyzate, without milk, without soy, without palm oil or gluten. The manufacturing process is an exclusive low temperature treatment.
Around 6 months, the first stage of diversification
Diversification allows you to move from a milky stage to a varied diet.
It can start as early as 5 months, but it is advisable to wait until 7 months in children with allergies or a family history of allergies. It is characterized by the gradual introduction of gluten-free fruits, vegetables and cereals. Food introductions are closely linked to the maturation of the digestive system and psychomotor development. It is therefore important to respect the baby's development and to remain attentive to his needs because each child is unique, with his own rhythm. To ensure diversification in optimal conditions, foods must be introduced one after the other, gradually, separately and in small quantities, spacing each new food introduced 3 to 5 days apart in order to check tolerance. Recipes should preferably be simple to minimize the risk of food allergies.
Should we switch to so-called 2nd age milk, from six months?
There are few clear scientific justifications for distinguishing these two categories: 1st age and 2nd age. It is essentially under pressure from economic players that their differentiation within regulations has been maintained.
Concretely, these preparations do not have the same compositional characteristics, particularly with regard to the iron, vitamin D and protein contents. However, the differences are for the most part quite minimal. However, when it comes to proteins, the difference is surprising because 2nd age milks contain more, whereas dietary diversification can provide more!
Unlike us, Anglo-Saxon countries use early milk up to one year.
From the age of one, growth milk?
It is a UHT milk enriched with vitamin C, iron, lactose, fatty acids and vanilla flavor.
In addition to its ultra-high temperature manufacturing process, its composition is not regulated; some growing-up milks are even overdosed in vitamin A.
Growing-up milk, organic or not, is not essential. Expensive, it also accustoms the child to a sweet taste early on. In France, the National College of General Teachers does not recommend the consumption of growth milks for children aged one to three years.
ALTERNATIVES TO COW’S MILK
SOY “MILK”
Promoted as a health panacea, soy products have become popular. But soy milk can be responsible for problems at all ages.
It is important to know the health risks of consuming soy.
Studies have shown that soy can:
- block thyroid function (precaution for babies with congenital hypothyroidism),
- alter protein breakdown,
- disrupt the endocrine system,
- irritate the digestive system due to the presence of phytates,
- promote kidney stones through the presence of oxalates,
- increase the need for vitamin B12, because soy can block the ability of B12 to be absorbed (B12 is essential to prevent anemia);
- very often be genetically modified,
- block the absorption of essential minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium, copper and calcium, by the large quantity of phytates which chelate the minerals.
PLANT “MILKS”
Often presented as an alternative to cow's milk, plant-based drinks are foods in their own right; one should not look for an equivalence with milk in these drinks. Plant-based drinks do not contain animal milk; the word “milk” illustrates the white color. Plant-based drinks are commonly consumed foods. Therefore, they can be consumed as part of the food introduction from the sixth month, when it is time to take the baby towards dietary diversification.
Among the plant-based milks available on the market, it is important to distinguish instant powder forms from those marketed directly in liquid form.
Ready-to-use liquid vegetable drinks do not at all meet the nutritional quality expectations for feeding your child up to 3 years old. It is therefore necessary to choose a powder preparation, with a high content of oilseeds or chestnuts with more than 60% fruit: the powder will be obtained by pressing, for a high nutritional value.
Given as a complement to a diversified diet, superior quality instant vegetable drinks are sources of highly assimilable nutrients and high energy values. The bioavailability of a substance corresponds to the amount actually absorbed into the body and therefore available for biological activity in cells and tissues. Between the average content contained in a food and the estimated absorption, there is very often a significant loss.
The vitamins and minerals added in infant formulas are isolated supplements. What is their bioavailability? The added calcium salts are not all soluble in water and tend to precipitate at the bottom of the bottle, cofactors are essential for assimilation...
Consuming a food that is as least denatured as possible allows you to have your "totum", it that is to say its mineral and vitamin potential in its entirety: “The whole is more than the sum of the parts”! The main plant-based drinks for young children are almond and chestnut drinks.
VEGETABLE ALMOND DRINK
Not all almond milks are created equal even when they all have the AB label.
Indeed, depending on the manufacturers, several points differ which directly affect the quality of the finished product:
- the quality and method of storage of the fruits,
- the proportion of almonds used in the composition,
- the transformation process used necessary to obtain the finished product.
By removing the shell of the almond during pruning, we remove the demineralizing phytic acid. This fruit covering would also be responsible for allergenic sensitivity. The powder made from the whole almond is a little too rich in lipids: partial cold degreasing of the raw material is better suited to feeding infants and takes into account their digestive maturity.
If the steps requiring heating are not controlled by manufacturers, this is harmful to heat-sensitive nutrients such as fatty acids.
The almond is positioned among the least allergenic oilseeds. Rich in organically available vegetable calcium, it meets the needs for growth and mineralization. Its high content of magnesium and vitamin B also makes it a food of choice for nervous balance.
Specialties: Vegetable almond drink La Mandorle, De Bardo, Prémimond.
VEGETABLE CHESTNUT DRINK
It constitutes a good quality carbohydrate intake: 38 to 41%. Indeed, it stands out in particular for its balanced intake of slow and fast carbohydrates which represent the majority of energy constituents. Its carbohydrates (38% of total weight) are composed of 40% starch, twice as much as potatoes.
It contains 2/3 slow sugars and 1/3 fast sugars, achieving the ideal glycemic balance to provide long-term energy. Its protein intake is low (2.6%). Chestnut proteins are deficient in methionine and cysteine (sulphur-containing amino acids) but rich in lysine. A combination with almond milk or cereals can be very interesting due to the complementarity of their protein profiles.
Specialties: Vegetable drink with almond and chestnut La Mandorle, From Bardo: Bardojum'.
FROM WHAT AGE CAN I GIVE MY CHILD PLANT-BASED DRINKS?
Breastfeeding should be preferred whenever possible. Subsequently or at the same time, vegetable drinks can be given at the time of food introduction, from six months, particularly in cases of digestive sensitivity: allergy, intolerance to cow's milk and soy proteins.
Note: Infant milks, made from rice protein hydrolyzate, are infant formulas of plant origin, which meet regulations and can be given to the baby from birth. They are therefore not classified as plant-based drinks. On the other hand, there is a vegetable drink, in powder form, based on rice and almonds (La Mandorle), interesting for mineralization: it can be given from 6 months, as part of diversification, alternating with the almond or chestnut drinks.
Remember that liquid rice “milk” does not offer a quality plant-based alternative for young children. It is a drink that contains little protein, with a lysine deficiency. Its high carbohydrate content gives it a high glycemic index. It is a very poor drink in terms of nutrition.
SUPPLEMENT VEGETABLE DRINKS
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Despite the care taken in developing a plant-based drink, it is necessary to supplement the bottle with fats every day. They are one of the body's primary needs. All families of fatty acids are essential, it is in their balance with each other that everything is at stake. Fatty acids are used by our cells to strengthen the general quality of their membrane, their flexibility and their fluidity. The baby's brain and neurosensory system need long-chain fatty acids called arachidonic acid (omega 6) and docosahexaenoic acid (omega 3) or DHA. These fatty acids are found in fatty fish, but before your baby consumes them, do something else to provide them. Breast milk provides this perfectly, infant formula to a lesser extent, the first good step is to include mixtures of oils rich in a diversity of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The formulation of Quintesens baby oil meets the criteria of quality and balance of fatty acids.
In case of food intolerance due to enzyme deficiency, weakened immunity and allergies, to revive and support the metabolism, borage or evening primrose oil are directly assimilable and do not require a transformation enzyme
. gamma-linolenic acid (GLA): long-chain essential omega-6 fatty acid from organic evening primrose oil (6 to 9% GLA) or organic borage oil (16 to 25% GLA). GLA is converted by the body into DGLA of which breast milk is the only known dietary source. It would participate in the structuring of the immune system in infants.
It is recommended to add, per month of age, one drop (approximately 0.5 to 1 ml) of virgin organic cold-pressed evening primrose or borage oil (contribution of omega 6 GLA) as well as a drop of camelina oil (omega 3 intake).
It is also possible for evening primrose oil to open a capsule purchased in a pharmacy or health food store (for example, BIOLEINE from NUTERGIA).
Be careful not to heat them, add them at the last moment to the bottle or to food, because cooking denatures the essential fatty acids.
Spirulina
Spirulina is a cyanobacteria, similar to algae, several billion years old. It is a real nutritional treasure, providing all the vitamins (but little vitamin C), minerals and trace elements, in forms that are very easily assimilated by our body.
Studies show that spirulina contains 60 to 70% perfectly balanced and assimilable proteins. In fact, the proteins in dried spirulina are more than 83% digestible, making them the most assimilable proteins in existence! For UNESCO, spirulina is “the ideal and most complete food of tomorrow”. The WHO, for its part, declares: “it is the best food for humanity in the 21st century”. The iron in spirulina is twice as assimilable as that of legumes and meats. Due to its high energy and nutritional concentration, I recommend small doses, because the emunctories of infants are still limited in their elimination functions. Anything in excess will have to be eliminated, therefore creating additional work for the body.
Spirulina powder has the advantage of a “homeopathic” dosage. A tip of a knife, two to three times a week in food or in the first bottle in the morning is recommended. These small doses punctuated during the week improve the child's diet, and the body takes in what it needs. Babies do not need large quantities, it is the bioavailability that is important. The example of breast milk with its low iron or calcium content clearly shows that it is not a question of quantity, but of bioavailability.
For at least six months, breast milk provides all of the child's nutritional needs and everything must be in place so that each mother can breastfeed her baby. When this is unfortunately not or no longer the case, the right choices must be made by opting for superior quality infant formulas. At 6 months, during diversification, we can introduce powdered vegetable milks. From 9 months or 1 year, if breastfeeding is insufficient or non-existent, it is interesting to gradually reduce the intake of industrial milk in favor of quality organic dairy products (preferably goat or sheep) and if the child does not presents neither allergies nor intolerances to dairy products: organic, farm-made cheeses (2), with raw milk, organic, farm-made yogurts (2) or even raw, organic, non-homogenized milk (2). (the cream should form a layer at the top of the bottle or yogurt pot).
Finally, let us point out that from the age of two, dairy products are no longer essential.