Flavored Milk: Best Alternative to Milk Powders [2023]

Flavored milk is a delightful and nutritious option for children, a tasty alternative to market milk powders. Milk for children is an essential part of their diet as their growing phase actively demands proper nutrition for healthy development. Milk is a superfood containing all possible minerals and nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and riboflavin, necessary for growing kids.

However, getting kids to drink milk is a real challenge, as the bland taste of milk makes children picky eaters. Fortunately, there are natural ways that parents can implement to enhance the taste of milk without resorting to sugary flavored milk drinks or milk flavor powders. 

In this Satvic Foods blog, you will explore the best-flavored milk for children, including a recipe for chocolate milk, mango milk, and other natural recipes from milk. We will also discuss why homemade natural milk flavorings are a healthier alternative to commercially marketed supplements. 

6 Ways to Make Milk Tastier for Children

Along with healthy homemade foods for kids, adequate milk is essential to fulfill their nutritional requirements. With a myriad of options available, choosing the best milk flavors for children gets confusing. Try to keep milk as simple as possible by adding a maximum of 2-3 ingredients. You may test the listed milk recipes to make your little one gulp milk in one go:

Chocolate Milk: Kids quickly eat anything that has a chocolaty taste. Instead of opting for commercially made chocolate milk, you can easily make one at home. Blend a glass of milk with chocolate nuts, plain cocoa powder, and some dry fruits and seeds.

You may also try Satvic Foods' Chocolate Milk Masala for instant chocolate milk for children of all ages. It is a perfect blend of 100% natural and premium quality ingredients with zero sugar and preservatives, ensuring a wholesome, nutritious, and healthy option for children. 

You must be wondering what makes Satvic Foods' Chocolate Milk Masala different from others. The blend of nuts, seeds, and spices like almonds, foxnuts, pistachios, muskmelon seeds, cocoa powder, and nutmeg gives it an indulgent and wholesome flavor. You may use it in a variety of dishes like hot chocolate, milkshake, pudding, and as a topping for desserts.

Experience the versatility of Satvic Foods' Chocolate Milk Masala! 

Mango Milk: Adding seasonal fruits to your kid's palate immensely benefits their health, and mango season calls for a cold mango milkshake. First, blend the mango pulp pieces to get a smooth paste. Add 2 tablespoons of this pulp paste to the glass of cold milk and top it with some cashews, almonds, and mango pieces to make it more appetizing.

Ragi Milkshake: Ragi is rich in fiber, and one of its amino acids, tryptophan, increases serotonin production, a precursor to melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. You may make your child eat more ragi by including it in their milk, other than the usual ragi porridge. Add 1 and 1/2 heaped tablespoons of ragi flour and 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder to a cup of milk. The wholesome, tasty, and nutritious ragi milkshake is ready.

Strawberry Milkshake: Children love strawberries. Adding this rich source of magnesium, vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, and potassium will strengthen your child’s body against several diseases. Blend a glass of milk with 8-10 strawberries to make a strawberry milkshake. You may add a tablespoon of organic honey for a dash of sweetness and serve chilled for the best taste.

Banana and Peanut Butter Milkshake: Banana milkshake is another healthy alternative to make your children drink milk. Banana packs vitamin B6, carbohydrates, proteins, and various minerals. Blend together a glass of milk along with a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter. You may try Satvic Foods' Almond Peanut Butter (Crunchy) for a crunchy and healthy homemade peanut butter option.

Turmeric Milk: Turmeric milk works wonders in boosting immunity to fight the changing season’s cold and coughs. 

Instead of simply adding turmeric, you may opt for Satvic Foods' Golden Milk Masala if your child is above 14 years of age. It is a blend of 20+ natural ingredients, including turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper, which helps boost immunity and overall wellness.

Add Satvic Foods' Golden Milk Masala for a healthy and traditional alternative!

Are Artificial Milk Flavors Bad for Kids?

Cereals and malt-based flavored milk brands are the most popular substitutes for milk. In most marketed brands, the primary element might be cereal or malt derivative, but the subsequent ingredient is always sugar. The WHO recommends reducing sugar intake to less than 10% of total energy in children to tackle early-age obesity, tooth decay, and heart disorders. This is one of the reasons why kids these days are obese due to their reliance on more marketed products that contain disaccharides or free sugars, which surpasses the daily sugar intake.

Brand fortify the milk flavorings or health supplements with various essential micronutrients, such as B vitamins, zinc, potassium, iron, calcium, vitamin D, etc. However, one must understand that sugar inhibits both vitamin D and calcium absorption. Hence, even if milk flavors or health supplements contain vitamin D, the sugar will suppress the absorption of minerals, thus, nullifying their value. Moreover, all the nutrition children get is from milk, and the fortified supplements only serve the purpose of taste enhancers. Indulging children in such products from an early age tends to cause them always to associate milk with a sugary taste.

Artificial flavoring may not be completely bad, but they do more harm than good in the long term. They are significantly higher in calories, sugar, and sodium and usually contain artificial colors and flavors. 

Flavored Milk: Savior of Parents 

Milk makes an essential part of children's diet. Moreover, as they grow, milk recommendations by age increase. If your child is healthy overall, avoid supplements, as you can ensure the daily nutrient requirements with natural and homemade foods. Milk for children is essential for children's growth in a higher amount than adults. With the above-mentioned various milk recipes and naturally flavored milk options, you can ensure a healthy and carefree milk routine for your little one.

You may incorporate these flavored milk recipes and rule out allergies or lactose intolerance. If your kid is allergic to any ingredient in the recipe, please remove it while preparing and always check with your child's pediatrician before trying any new recipe. All the recipes given are suitable for kids above three years.

Try Satvic Foods’ milk supplements for a natural boost of nutrition!