Palm oil for babies?

I was surprised that infant formula contains palm oil. I realised this from a book (I didn’t take down its title and author) which also mentioned that the oil often reacted with the added calcium to form hard stools, causing many formula-fed babies to suffer constipation. Studies also suggest that it affects calcium and fat absorption in babies.

I always thought of palm oil as a lower-grade oil and never expect it to be suitable for our precious little ones. But it seems I was wrong. Apparently, its composition of fatty acids is similar to that in breast milk and hence it’s commonly used in infant formula.

I also learned from the book that the formula milk which some infants rely on solely in their first few months is a highly processed product and nothing like cow’s milk (which is not recommended for children below one year old). The fat from cow’s milk is removed and various types of vegetable oils and a family of vitamins & minerals are added during processing.

Doesn’t it seem like our babies are drinking a super multi-vitamin drink? I though so…

To satisfy my curiosity. I did a quick check on the types of vegetable oils used in common formula brands. Here’s what I found from their ingredients list behind their tins:

Abbott (Similac) – High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Coconut Oil, Soy Oil

Mead Johnson (Enfalac) – Palm Olein Oil, Coconut Oil, Soy Oil, Vegetable Oil

Wyeth (S26) – Palm Oil, Coconut Oil, Oleic (Safflower and Sunflower) Oil, Soybean Oil

Nestle (Nan HA and Pro), Dumex (Mamex Gold) and Frieslandfoods (Friso) provided no details of the type of vegetable oils they used in their formula milk.

M had breast milk for close to six months and the first formula we gave her was Enfalac. We expected her stools to get harder as she transitioned from breast to formula milk. But when she was on Enfalac fully, she began to display difficulty passing motion. That’s when we tried Similac and true to its promise, her stools became softer. We’ve now moved on to Gain IQ and still happy with it.

Underweight??

A while ago, I received a phone call from Abbott, informing me that M is underweight. (We had agreed to provide her weight and height to Abbott during our last visit to our paediatrician). I was rather surprised; not because M is in fact relatively lighter for her age but because of the use of the word ‘underweight’.

They certainly know that all parents want their children to grow well. And for those whose kids are not eating well, they’ve come up with a formula milk (Pediasure Complete) which apparently can be used as meal replacements. They kindly offered us a sample can to try out.

Since M is currently taking another Abbott’s formula milk (Gain IQ), I was curious how different they were. The reply I got was that Pediasure Complete contains more vegetable oils which provide more calories. I didn’t really like the idea of boosting M’s weight with more vegetable oils but since they were giving us a free 400g can, I readily accepted it and M finished it in one week without any resistance. But we didn’t switch to Pediasure Complete.

The problem or rather non-problem is that M is not underweight and is generally eating well. At least that’s what we think. Yes, she’s relatively small-sized, just like me. According to the weight-for-age and height-for-age charts from the heath booklet, she’s around the 10^th percentile curves. She has been on this curve since she was born.

And if you go on to look at the Weight-for-Height and Body Mass Index-for-age charts, she’s around the 50^th percentile curve. Which means: although she may be lighter and shorter among her average peer, her weight is just right for her height. Most importantly, she looks healthy!

The term ‘underweight’ certainly shouldn’t be applied to any kid who weighs below the 50^thpercentile on the weight-for-age chart. On another note, I doubt many would consider kids who weigh above the 50^th percentile on the same chart ‘overweight’. In fact, many would think these kids are well-fed.

And needless to say, parents of these kids would never get a call informing them that their kids should cut down their calorie intake