Which milk powder is good for children?

From the moment they are born, children are the focus of the whole family. The whole family wants to give their children the best care in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation. Especially when it comes to food, parents are careful to choose suitable products, for fear that their children will eat unhealthy food. Parents are extremely careful about the first food that children come into contact with - milk powder. So how should parents choose the most suitable milk powder for their children?

1. Principles for selecting good milk powder

The best milk powder is determined based on the baby's physique and the nutritional components it contains. There is no best, only the most suitable milk powder for your baby. The high price of milk powder and the exquisite packaging cannot compare with health. Milk powder suitable for babies will not cause constipation, bad breath, less eye mucus, no rash, good appetite, no diarrhea, and normal growth of weight and height.

2. Details of choosing good milk powder

⒈ To identify the quality of milk powder, first try the feel. For bagged milk powder, pinch the bag with your fingers and rub it back and forth. Good milk powder will make a "squeaking" sound; while inferior milk powder, because it is mixed with ingredients such as glucose and has coarser particles, will make a "rustling" sound. You can also pour the milk powder on a piece of clean paper and rub it back and forth. If there is a squeaking sound, it is good milk powder.

⒉ Identify the color of milk powder. Good milk powder is natural milky yellow; inferior milk powder has crystals and luster, or is bleached white.

⒊ Identify the smell of milk powder. Good milk powder has the unique frankincense of milk; inferior milk powder has very little frankincense or even no frankincense or essence smell.

⒋ Identify the taste of milk powder. Good milk powder is fine and sticky, easily sticks to teeth and tongue, and has a sugar-free sweet taste. Inferior milk powder dissolves quickly in the mouth, does not stick to teeth, and has a strong sweet taste.

⒌ Identify the dissolution speed of milk powder. Put the milk powder into a cup. The faster it dissolves, the worse it is. When mixing with hot water, good milk powder will form suspended matter and float up, and will stick to the spoon when stirred at the beginning; inferior milk powder dissolves quickly and does not have the fragrance and color of natural milk.

3. Choose the nutritional ingredients of good milk powder

⒈DHA and AA (ARA) can be synthesized in the human body. Essential fatty acids linoleic acid and linolenic acid are the precursors of AA and DHA, respectively, and can be synthesized through the action of desaturase and chain elongation enzyme. However, for premature infants or when there is a lack of Omega3 and Omega6 precursors, synthesis becomes difficult and damage to the body may occur. DHA is also known as "brain gold". Its scientific name is docosahexaenoic acid, which belongs to the Omega3 family of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Studies have shown that DHA plays an important role in the development of the brain and retina. AA (ARA) is scientifically known as eicosatetraenoic acid, also known as arachidonic acid. It is a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid belonging to the Omega6 family. AA plays an important role in human growth and development. In the late pregnancy and neonatal period, DHA and AA are rapidly concentrated in the brain. The photoreceptors of the human retina are also rich in DHA, which is mainly provided by the placenta or breast milk. Therefore, the DHA levels in premature babies and those who lack breast milk will be affected. Providing adequate DHA and AA is necessary, especially for premature infants and those who do not receive breast milk.

⒉ Nucleotides are natural components of breast milk. Nucleotides are involved in the life processes of all cells. They are the structural units of human genetic materials DNA and RNA and exist in every cell. The general population can synthesize it, but for infants who grow and develop rapidly, cell transplantation and differentiation are fast, and the need for nucleotides increases. Therefore, adding breast milk-level nucleotides to formula milk will be beneficial to the growth and development of newborns.

⒊ The ratio of whey protein to casein is 60:40, which is the most ideal state and is closer to breast milk. The increase in the proportion of whey protein helps the baby sleep and promotes brain development, improves the bioavailability of protein, and makes it easier for the baby to digest and absorb. In recent years, the content of α-lactalbumin in whey protein has been increased in some formula milk powders to make the formula closer to breast milk. The total protein content in formula milk is reduced and the sodium content is lowered, which effectively reduces the burden on the kidneys.

⒋ The fat content in formula milk is reduced, and saturated fatty acids are partially or completely replaced by unsaturated fatty acids, which is beneficial to the cardiovascular development of infants. Adding linoleic acid and linolenic acid to milk powder can improve the baby's intellectual development index and visual acuity.

5. Formula milk reduces the content of calcium and phosphorus and adjusts it to a more reasonable ratio. The content of vitamin D, vitamin A, iron and zinc has been appropriately added. Iron and zinc can promote transmission between nerve endings and enhance the baby's memory and learning ability.