Toddler Nutrition Truth: Why Plant-Based Milks Fall Short - AI Podcast

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Health, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Story at-a-glance

Plant-based milks significantly reduce essential nutrients in toddlers’ diets, even when fortified; research shows calcium, vitamin B2 and B12 levels drop by around 50% when replacing cow's milk in toddlers' diets
Most pediatric guidelines strongly advise against using plant-based beverages as milk replacements for children under 2 years old due to nutritional inadequacy and other health risks
Soy milk contains phytoestrogens that alter DNA expression and antinutrients that reduce protein absorption, making it particularly concerning for developing children
Plant-based milks are ultraprocessed foods that contain additives like gums and emulsifiers, whereas grass fed cow's milk provides unique nutrients linked to reduced disease risks
Raw, grass fed milk offers living enzymes, beneficial bacteria and immune-supporting compounds that ultraprocessed plant drinks do not provide for growing toddlers

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen
0:06.1	summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go. No reading required.
0:10.5	Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:14.2	If you're replacing cow's milk with almond, oat, or soy drinks in your toddler's diet,
0:19.8	thinking it's a healthier or more
0:21.3	sustainable option, you could be unintentionally creating a serious nutrient gap, one that
0:26.5	affects your child's growth in ways you can't see right away.
0:30.2	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom.
0:33.1	I'm Ethan Foster, and I'm here with Alara Sky.
0:36.4	Today we're looking at a growing trend among parents, the rise of plant-based milks for toddlers,
0:41.5	and why it may be doing more harm than good.
0:44.3	Thanks, Ethan.
0:45.7	More and more parents are swapping cow's milk for plant-based drinks under the belief they're
0:50.0	making a better choice.
0:51.7	But the data shows that these alternatives, whether almond,
0:55.0	soy, or oat, are often nutritionally inadequate, especially for children between 12 and 24
1:00.7	months, when growth is rapid and every nutrient counts.
1:05.2	A German study published in the Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition, modeled what
1:10.5	happens when
1:11.0	plant-based drinks fully replace cows' milk in a toddler's daily diet. Researchers found that even
1:17.0	a single swap, one daily serving of cows milk replaced with soy, almond or oat milk, caused
1:23.7	calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B 12, and iodine levels to drop by roughly 50%.
	...

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