DUBAI - Ten-year-old Ali raced out of the house and headed for the play
area with his mother following him with the unfinished glass of milk, but to no
avail. The youngster had already reached out of bounds on his bicycle. Mothers
all over the GCC struggle with the same problem almost everyday, a new survey
has revealed.
With a large number of children refusing to take the amount of milk needed,
mothers resort to tricks of their own.
Bibha, an Indian mother of two living in Dubai, says that her children hate
drinking milk, so she keeps trying different tactics with them. 'I use different
flavours. I tell them stories about superheroes who gained their incredible
strength by drinking milk everyday. That usually works,' she adds
lightheartedly.
Kids involved in sports and athletics are especially vulnerable to problems
caused by less milk consumption. Quite a few mothers admit to bribing their
children into drinking milk by offering them cookies and treats.
Saira Abdul says that her three children do not mind drinking milk, but get
fussy at times. 'I put down one glass of milk in front of each of them and tell
them to have a race to see who can finish their glass the fastest,' she says.
In a recent survey done by Maktoob Research involving 800 mothers from Saudi
Arabia, UAE and Kuwait, it was found that only 46 per cent of the women managed
to give their children the required amount of milk a day. As much as 41 per cent
of the mothers said that they had problems giving their children the required
daily dose.
What do these figures mean for the children of this region? Just how necessary
is milk as part of a healthy diet?
According to a paediatrician, Dr Chaula Sangani of Welcare Hospital, 'Milk is
essential for growing children. One glass in the morning and one in the evening
is what we recommend.'
However, not everyone seems to be singing praise of the drink in question. Some
children actually have a valid reason for their hatred of milk. One of them
is14-year-old Claire who says, 'When I was younger, mom used to tell me that
milk is really good for me. But every time I drank it, I would get these bad
stomach aches.'
What Claire is describing is a common condition known as lactose intolerance. It
is basically an inability to digest the lactose enzyme present in milk. There
are many like Claire who have settled on one of many alternative options to
ensure that they get the necessary nutrition without having to consume milk.
According to Dubai-based nutritional expert, Dr Maneesha Phadke, lactose
intolerance might not even be permanent. With guidance from their paediatricians,
many children gradually lose their lactose intolerance.
With growing awareness about the negative features of processed and pasteurised
milk, the harmful growth chemicals that the cows are injected with and the
overall decrease in the 'goodness' of milk, there are several people who insist
that milk is over-rated.
However, Dr Maneesha says, 'People might say that milk is not important and the
same nutrients can be found in other foods. But where do people actually bother
eating all those other foods? The reason milk is so important, especially for
growing children, is that it gives them so many essential nutrients in one go.
Today we see illnesses like calcium deficiency and osteoporosis increasing
gradually. Less milk consumption is one of the reasons for it.'
She also emphasises that people need not fear the chemicals that are added to
milk if they buy a good quality brand. With a sigh, she says that her biggest
complaint is that people never read the labels properly.
As the problem of insufficient milk consumption by children in the GCC is
highlighted through this survey, hopefully parents will come up with more
creative tactics and stricter measures to ensure the good health of their
children.
