On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 17:13:58 -0700, "Sue"
wrote:

You don't have to give her milk. Yes, whole milk given to toddlers until
about age two (my girls are 10, 6 and 8 and still drink whole milk) because
of the calcium and fat that is needed for brain growth. Will your daughter
drink milk if you make it chocolate? But, you don't have to give her milk
and can certainly find other things to fill in for the milk. If you want to
try other sources, that's fine, but you will have to make sure that it is in
the recommended amount needed for your daughter's age group. I doubt that
your daughter could eat a whole cup of broccoli to get the recommended
amount, but you can try different things throughout the day and hopefully
that will be enough.
--
Sue
mom to three girls

Interestingly, considering Barbara's asthma attack, I just found this
new study. I can't vouch for it because I haven't read the full text
of the study itself, but it seems to say that children who drink whole
milk and use butter actually have a reduced chance of developing
asthma later on.

I agree, btw, that you don't have to give a child who dislikes milk,
milk to drink. I suspect that there are ways of getting the fats and
calcium children need other than milk.

http://www.asthma.org.uk/news/news81.php

Full-cream milk, butter and brown bread can help to reduce
the risk of asthma symptoms in young children, according to
new research. A study of 2,978 children, born within six months
of each other, followed their progress between the ages of two
to three, collecting and analysing data on their food intake and
asthma symptoms.

Researchers found that the children who consumed full-cream
milk and butter every day as part of their diet were less likely to
have asthma symptoms than those who ate it less frequently.
Brown bread was also found to be associated with lower rates
of asthma and wheeze when eaten every day.

National Asthma Campaign experts have welcomed the study
but cautioned that links between diet and asthma are still
largely unknown.

The study, carried out in the Netherlands, also looked at other
foods, including semi-skimmed milk, dairy products such as
yoghurt and chocolate milk, white bread, margarine, cheese,
fruit and vegetables. Levels of asthma prevalence were split
into three categories: those who had experienced asthma
symptoms at some point in their lives; those who had recently
experienced symptoms; and those who had recently experienced
wheeze. Full-fat milk and butter consistently featured more
regularly in the diets of children who had fewer symptoms in
each of these categories.

Professor Martyn Partridge, the National Asthma Campaign's
chief medical adviser, commented: 'This is an interesting study
showing an association between eating brown bread and milk
products and a lower prevalence of asthma and wheezing.
Whether the association is real and causally related or whether
it reflects some other shared lifestyle change is not clear but it
is one of a large number of recent studies suggesting
associations between nutrition and lung health.'

The researchers admit that lifestyle could have played a part in
the findings. For example, families who eat brown bread rather
than white may have healthier habits that were not taken into
consideration in the study, which could be responsible for
reducing the risk of asthma.

However, previously researchers have found correlations
between consumption of full cream milk and low incidence of
asthma symptoms in young children. Studies have also
suggested that the increase of asthma in the western world may
be due to a greater intake of polyunsaturated fats in our diets.
Milk and butter are both high in saturated fat.

Professor Partridge added: 'The increasing prevalence of asthma
almost certainly reflects multiple lifestyle changes over the last
three decades. Nutrition may be one such change, but there is
too little data yet to enable us to give concrete dietary advice as
to how to eat to avoid asthma.'

Anne Pearson, a nurse on the Campaign's Asthma Helpline,
agreed: 'Foods generally are not common triggers for asthma.
It's very important that children have a well balanced diet, and
dairy products play an important role in this as they are a vital
source of calcium, riboflavin, protein and vitamins A and B12.

'There's a common myth that drinking milk produces mucus
in the airways,' she added, 'but this is not the case: it just
thickens the saliva temporarily. If you suspect that food is
causing a problem for your child, you should keep a food
and symptom diary for a period of time, then take it to your
GP.'


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..
Outer Limits