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More and more young parents are choosing, because their child is allergic or intolerant to cow’s milk proteins, or for ideological reasons, to feed their babies with rice milk. But be careful not to confuse milk made from rice proteins – its exact name – with rice drinks, which are dangerous for children because they do not meet their nutritional needs and can be responsible for serious deficiencies, or even a state of malnutrition.
Rice milk, what is it exactly?
Infant milk made from rice proteins and vegetable rice drinks, a crucial difference!
It is important not to confuse infant milks (also called “infant formulas for infants”) made from rice proteins, which can be found in pharmacies, and vegetable drinks made from rice, which are found in supermarkets. under the name “rice juice”, “vegetable rice juice”, “rice drinks”, or even improperly “rice milk”. “The composition of the latter do not correspond at all to that of infant milk, and are therefore prohibited for babies, explains Dr Houbani-Mimeran, who heads a Nutrition practice in Paris. All vegetable drinks, whether based on rice, almonds, soya, chestnuts, etc. are medically contraindicated for babies. This is not infant milk, as these drinks have a composition that is not suitable for the needs of babies. Rice drinks have an insufficient energy intake, are low in calcium, fat (essential for good brain development) and protein. In addition, they are deficient in iron and too rich in sodium. They do not provide the necessary nutrients. They are therefore dangerous for baby’s healths, even fatal ».
In 2015, the French-speaking Society for Clinical and Metabolic Nutrition (SFNCM) thus underlined that « the use of vegetable drinks in infants is nutritional abuse ”. “On the other hand, infant formulas based on rice protein hydrolysates (hydrolyzate comes from hydrolysis, which is a process of breaking down a protein into several small parts, editor’s note), can be quite suitable for infants ”says the specialist.
Allergy or intolerance to cow’s milk proteins can affect babies from birth. In all cases, take advice from the doctor who follows your child, the only one authorized to change his milk. Depending on the age of your child, the doctor will advise you on a first-age milk or a second-age milk adapted to his specific needs.
In 2014, a baby died after being fed on vegetable milks
In June 2017, a Belgian court sentenced the parents of a little boy, Lucas, to 6 months in prison, who died of malnutrition and dehydration after being fed exclusively on vegetable milk. In 2014, this couple, at the head of an organic store, made the decision, without having previously consulted a pediatrician, to give various vegetable milks for several months (rice milk, oat milk, almond milk , buckwheat …) to their baby, who at 7 months, the age of his death, weighed only 4,7 kg.
What are the benefits of rice protein milk?
“Milk made from rice protein hydrolyzate has the same efficiency than a standard infant milk with cow’s milk proteins, allowing identical baby growth, explains Dr Houbani-Mimeran. These milks have a suitable composition to meet baby’s needs and obey very strict regulations. Their compositions are controlled so that they meet all the nutritional needs of the baby ”.
When to give milk made from rice protein?
In case of allergy to cow’s milk proteins
« It is generally indicated when the baby is allergic to cow’s milk protein, and refuses cow’s milk protein hydrolysates because of their strong taste. », Specifies Dr Houbani-Mimeran. He’s the doctor, and him alone, who will prescribe this milk made from rice proteins for your baby, according to his specific needs.
For ideological reasons of parents
“Furthermore, some vegan or vegan parents, for ideological reasons, do not wish to give milk made from animal proteins. We therefore direct them towards the one based on rice proteins, ”explains Dr Houbani-Mimeran.
Cow’s milk protein allergy and cow’s milk intolerance: what are the differences?
Cow’s milk protein allergy (CPVO) appears in infants, especially at the time of the introduction of infant milk, and disappears in most cases during childhood. Its symptoms are very varied. Babies can thus develop digestive (diarrhea, colic, vomiting), respiratory (asthma, wheezing) or even skin (eczema, urticaria) reactions.
Intolerance to cow’s milk, i.e. lactose, appears from adolescence and particularly affects adults. Its symptoms are mainly digestive: excess intestinal gauze and gurgling, feeling of bloating, abdominal cramps and pain, or even diarrhea.
At what age should you give milk made from rice protein?
« Milk made from rice protein can be given from birthe, argues the expert. And there are milk based on rice proteins for all ages (first age milk, second age milk …), as for infant formulas based on cow’s milk proteins. ».
At what dose?
“We are proposingthe same quantities at an infant than those given for classic infant milk, according to the baby’s appetite “, emphasizes Dr Houbani-Mimeran.
Where to buy rice protein milk for babies?
You can buy milk made from rice proteins in pharmacy. On the other hand, its price is a little less accessible than conventional infant formulas for infants. It is on average 4 to 5 euros more expensive.