Best nutritional, healthy drinks for Kids in India, that are rich in proteins. There are several brands out there that claim to be the best. These health drinks are rich in protein and suitable for kids.
Nutritional Drinks for Kids in India
Protein-rich, health drinks for Kids in India
Most of us have grown having Horlicks, Boost, Complan, Bournvita; while these still remain popular among kids, a few more have also emerged.
Important question: does your child really need health drink?
The answer is yes! And its not just kids, even adults should consider taking health supplements, in addition to a well balanced diet.
Read: Real reasons why you need nutritional health supplements
Buy health drinks for kids on Amazon
For a long time, companies in India have been misleading consumers with tall claims of health benefits. Its a fact that these health drinks are nutritious, but the claims that they make are over the top (most of the time).
For example:
- Most popular health drinks have high content of sugar (which is bad for health)
- Whey proteins (taken by regular gym-goers) are rich in protein but they are very expensive. In contrast, most of these health drinks (Horlicks, Bournvita, Complan) are much cheaper, so don’t expect the protein content to be very high
- Bournvita claims that their drink has 40% RDA (recommended dietary allowance) of Protein for kids.However, the fact is that’s only possible when the Bournvita powder is added to whole cow milk (we don’t read the fine prints). Also, this 40% RDA of protein is possible only with two drinks in one day! Same goes for cereals as well
- The best of the lot is COMPLAN & Pediasure with fairly accurate claims
You can read more about the in-depth comparison here.
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for protein (in grams) for kids are:
- Infants 0 to 6 months = 13gm;
- Infants 6 to 12 months = 14gm;
- Children 1 to 3 years = 16gm;
- Children 4 to 6 years = 24gm;
- Children 7 to 10 years = 28gm;
Source: http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/protein-requirement.php
So do take these health drinks, they’re nutritious (will provide additional protein and vitamins that is required for growing children) and have grate taste (to attract kids). But don’t go by what they claim.
Buy health drinks for kids on Amazon
Heinz India makes the Complan health drink less healthier
Heinz India has made changes to the composition of its Complan health drink, adding more sugar and carbohydrates, and thus making it less healthier.
For a long time, nutritionists considered Complan to be the best health drink for children, because of its composition. While competitors increased the sugar content to make it tastier to kids, Complan resisted itself from taking that approach.
However, it seems Complan is also taking that route. Heinz India has made changes to the composition of complan, by increasing sugar by 16 per cent (per 100 gms) and carbohydrates by 9.6 per cent, and cutting milk protein by 11per cent, fat by 36 per cent and vitamin K by 16 per cent.
“Heinz India says the new composition is more balanced and palatable. Calories derived from milk protein are highest in Complan as compared to other leading health drinks. It not only delivers lower calories from carbohydrates as compared to other leading health drinks but also New Complan has lower calorie content than the earlier Complan,” said the company’s spokesperson.
However, nutritionists don’t agree and say that the decision was taken to make more profits.
“They have reduced all vital nutrients like milk protein, fats and vitamin K, which are so essential for growing kids. And, to make for that, they have increased sugar and carbohydrate content. It is harmful for children and, at the same time, profitable for the company to cut down on expensive vital nutrients and increase cheap carbohydrate and sugars,” said Dr Gautam Sharma, a specialist in internal medicine at Delhi’s St Stephens Hospital.
“The logic of cutting fat to tackle obesity doesn’t make any sense in the absence of reduction in sugar. It’s irrational. In any composition, if you increase sugar and carbohydrate, you will have to cut fat to maintain the balance. So the claim of cutting fat to tackle obesity doesn’t hold water,” said Dr Anoop Misra, chairman of Fortis-C-DOC Hospital for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases.
“I feel the earlier formulation of Complan was better. I don’t know the reason for increasing sugar. It could be to make it more palatable. Otherwise there can be no justification for it. Of course, one gets more energy from sugar. But why cut vitamin K and milk protein?” said Neha Gupta, a registered dietician at N-lite Nutrition and Health Consultancy in Delhi.
Complan accounts for more than half of Heinz India sales.
Heinz India introduces multigrain health drinks using healthy ingredients like ragi & soya
Post the merger of Kraft and Heinz into Kraft Heinz Company, Heinz Indian has come up with new health foods (taking a cue from the likes of Patanjali). Heinz India’s multigrain health drinks uses healthy ingredients like ragi & soya.
Heinz Power Sprouts is a multigrain health drink (with ‘power sprouts’) created specifically for India. It uses natural healthy ingredients such as ragi and soya.
Heinz Power Sprouts will supplement Complan in the malt food segment. Some time back Heinz had acquired Glaxo’s Complan. Currently, more than 50 per cent of the company’s sales turnover is contributed by its largest selling milk solids brand, Complan.
The huge success of Patanjali is also making MNCs, such as Heinz, include local ingredients like ragi and sprouts in its malt drinks.
Watch: Heinz Power Sprouts
Heinz India: Health Foods
Michael says
This article was really enlightening, thank you. It would be great if you could visit nutri-plan.com to see what you think. Similar nutritional values to complan but cheaper.
Prerna says
My daughter is 9yrs old . Am worried for her height. she is jus 113 cm . Her weight seems to be normal ie 23kg . I had taken her to a normal MBBS doctor who had given me Calcium supplement syrup. In spite of it am looking forward for some tips which would help my daughter to gain height. Can you suggest
Lily Kiswani says
You have provided very useful information which every parent using these brands should have. May I suggest that when you do your comparison with Pediasure, you include the trans-fats content too? It would be extremely relevant because these products are given to infants, too.
fitbiz says
Lily, Pediasure has different products for different age groups.
Madhu says
Another very important point to note with Bournvita is the sugar content – 23 gmm That is way too much.