Verwendung pflanzenbasierter Milchalternativen bei Kindern
摘要
The demand for plant-based milk alternatives has rapidly increased not only due to the growing numbers of people choosing a vegan diet but also with a trend towards a substitution of cow’s milk with plant-based products independent of a vegan dietary choice. The composition and nutrient content of these plant-based milk substitutes are very heterogeneous and not directly comparable with cow’s milk, especially with respect to substantially lower contents of proteins, calcium, iodine and B vitamins than in milk. Depending on the nutrient supply from other foods, replacing cow’s milk with plant-based milk alternatives can result in an insufficient supply of individual nutrients in children. A clear and easily comprehensible product declaration is urgently needed to enable selection of plant-based products according to their protein components and their content of key nutrients such as calcium. When milk and milk products are excluded from the child’s diet, an appropriate compensatory intake of nutrients from other foodstuffs or even from supplements is needed. In the nutrition of infants and toddlers who are not breastfed, an infant formula based on soy protein can be used as a substitute for cow’s milk.