❤️ Growth

Growth is the increase in body size and weight as a child or young animal matures. Milk is the first food of every young mammal. Its main job is to help the baby grow fast. Milk has everything needed for this at once: protein for muscles and organs, fat and lactose for energy, calcium and phosphorus for bones, and vitamins.

In different animals, milk is tuned to how fast the young grow. A calf grows quickly, so cow's milk has a lot of protein, especially casein. A human baby grows more slowly, and human milk has noticeably less protein. But it has more sugars that feed helpful gut bacteria. That is why cow's milk is not suitable for babies instead of breast milk. The NHS advises not giving cow's milk as a main drink before age one.

Cow’s milk or breast milk? Each milk is tuned to how fast the young grow. A calf grows quickly, so cow’s milk has a lot of protein, especially casein. A human baby grows more slowly, and human milk has noticeably less protein but more sugars that feed helpful gut bacteria. That is why cow’s milk is no substitute for breast milk, and the NHS advises not giving it as a main drink before age one. After that milk is a handy part of the diet, alongside other foods, sleep and exercise.

For a child from one year, the pack to look for is pasteurized whole milk in the supermarket chiller; “whole” is the fat level the NHS means, also for dairy products until age two. Lower-fat types are labelled “semi-skimmed” or “skimmed”. Infant formula is sold at pharmacies and baby shops. What counts is the child’s age rather than the marketing on the pack.

After age one, milk can be a handy part of a child's diet. The NHS says that from one year a child can have pasteurized whole cow's milk as a drink. Until age two, full-fat dairy products are better. Children aged 1–3 need about 350 mg of calcium a day — that is about 300 ml of milk. Other foods, sleep and exercise matter just as much for growth.