Nutritional value
Milk is perhaps the most comprehensively nutritious food of all. Children of all ages benefit from having half to one pint of milk a day, depending on the quality of the rest of their diet. Under-twos need 'whole' milk; two to fives can gradually change to semi-skimmed, provided they eat well and have a varied diet.
Without milk, it is hard for children to get enough calcium, and about one child in ten is calcium-short. Research reveals close links between bone density in later life and the amount of milk consumed in childhood. One- to three-year-olds need 350mg calcium a day; four- to six-year-olds need 450mg (almost three-quarters of a pint of milk).
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