Reed Judging from the practical application of traditional Chinese medicine health care, children are neither absolutely forbidden to drink milk, nor are all children suitable to drink large amounts according to uniform standards. The core judgment criterion is always the child's own physical tolerance.
The older generation often says that milk is "cold". In fact, according to traditional herbal records, milk is slightly cold in nature and sweet in taste. It has the functions of replenishing deficiency, promoting fluid production and moisturizing the intestines. For children with a hot constitution who often have dry mouth and bad breath, have stools as dry as sheep dung balls, sweat profusely when they move, and have hot palms and soles, drinking warm milk in moderation may be beneficial. It can moisturize the lungs and stomach. There is a 5-year-old girl next to me. She used to have nosebleeds because of the fire, and she only had a bowel movement every two or three days. Her parents heard that milk was too cold to drink, and the childcare provider said she was deficient in calcium. Later, she went to a Chinese medicine doctor and asked her to warm half a cup of milk every day and eat it with steamed buns. After half a month, her bowel movements became smoother and she never had any nosebleeds again.
So why do many Chinese medicine doctors recommend that some children stop drinking milk? In fact, it is targeted at children with weak spleen and stomach - they often have diarrhea, complain of stomachache when eating something cold, and have thick coating on their tongues. Some children experience flatulence, vomiting of milk, or even eczema when exposed to milk. These children have weak spleen and stomach transport ability. The slightly cold nature of milk cannot be transported and transformed in the body, so it is easy to accumulate phlegm and dampness. Either they always cough and have phlegm that cannot be eliminated, or they repeatedly accumulate food and cannot grow. Son, I met a 3-year-old boy when I was volunteering at a community Chinese medicine clinic. The parents were afraid that he would not be able to keep up with nutrition. They drank a cup of pure milk and two cheese sticks every morning and evening. As a result, his weight did not increase at all in half a year. He suffered from allergic rhinitis three or four times, and he always rubbed his nose and eyes. Later, the doctor asked him to stop the milk and replace it with warm millet and yam syrup. After more than two months of treatment, his appetite gradually improved and rhinitis rarely occurred.
In fact, many of the current debates about milk go to extremes, either derogating milk as a "cold poison" and banning it for all ages, or promoting it as a "holy product for growing taller" and forcing children to drink it. There is really no need to be so rigid. The food itself is not absolutely good or bad, just like some people are allergic to mangoes and some are fine after eating them. Whether it is suitable or not is always more important than whether it is nutritious or not. Even for children who are suitable for drinking milk, try not to drink ice. It should be warm enough to be about the same as body temperature. Eating it with cereal staples such as steamed buns and steamed buns can also neutralize its coolness and absorb it better.
If you are really unsure, try it on your child for three to five days and observe his condition after drinking it - if his appetite is not affected, his stool is normal, and there is no flatulence or rash, then drink it. If you feel obviously uncomfortable after drinking it, no matter how ridiculous others say, you have to stop. Even if you try a small amount of yogurt or Shuhua milk, there is no standard answer to raising a baby. What is best for your child is the best.
