You’ve probably seen a parent or two, or for that matter many parents running behind their little children trying to get them to drink a glass of milk. After all, we’ve all grown up hearing about the benefits of milk. It’s a great source of calcium, which in turn helps keep our bones and teeth strong, it aids digestive health, and helps you stay hydrated, among other benefits. But, children rarely listen to the benefits, do they? All they care about is how delicious something tastes. And, that’s why adding a few scoops of health drinks may not be the worst idea.
What are Health Drinks?
Health drinks, packaged drinks, or nutritional drinks are often added as supplementary food to a child’s daily diet. It helps provide the child with adequate nutrients to boost him through the day and ensure that his growing body is receiving a healthy dose of necessary nutrients.
Benefits of Health Drinks
- For starters, it’s a convenient option to keep children healthy and active, especially if both parents are engaged in full-time jobs and can’t find the time to prepare elaborate meals. Since it’s a quick fix, it’s an excellent choice for busy lifestyles.
- Almost all health drinks are packed densely with nutrients like vitamins, fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and minerals–all nutrients necessary to keep the body in sound shape. Health drinks can help make up for nutrients lost or even when a child is not able to fully consume meals.
- Health drinks are especially beneficial for children who are underweight. Children who have a poor appetite can achieve an improved nutritional status by drinking health drinks once or twice a day.
- Certain health drinks are also helpful in providing adequate hydration for the day.
- Many health drinks also help aid digestive health as they contain fiber and probiotics. Fiber helps in regulating healthy bowel movements while probiotics balance a healthy dose of gut bacteria.
- If your child spends a significant chunk of their day engaged in sports and play, a tall glass of a health drink after every session can help him regain energy in seconds and also help with post-exercise recovery.
- Health drinks may also pack ingredients like Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins and minerals that support cognitive well-being and mental functioning.
- When recovering from illnesses like a fever or flu, consuming health drinks can offer immunity-boosting properties.
Leading Health Drinks in India with Benefits
Horlicks
A popular choice among both children and adults, Horlicks is a sweet malted milk drink powder, best consumed hot. Made with the goodness of milk, wheat, and a whopping 27 vital nutrients, its sole purpose is to make your children taller, sharper, and stronger. If your child is a fussy eater, rest assured that Horlicks also comes in a chocolate flavor.
Highlights:
- Two delicious flavors
- Contains zinc, protein, iron, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, calcium, copper, folic acid and many more
- Clinically proven to improve five signs of growth
- Enriched with DHA
- Improves the power of milk
- Increases lean tissue to make children stronger
Bournvita
Another crowd pleaser from Cadbury packaged in a rich chocolaty flavor, Bournvita when mixed with a warm glass of milk can work wonders for you child, and your child you love the taste too. Owing to its chocolate flavor, it can also be used in baking projects like preparing a brownie. It aids in your child’s overall growth and development along with stronger bones and muscles. a
Highlights
- Helps strengthen the bones
- Vision improvement
- Supports and boosts metabolism
- Intellectual development
- Protects the immune system
- Full of vitamins, protein, iron, folate, iodine, calcium and phosphorus among others
- Also available in 5 Star Magic flavor
Complan
A nutritional supplement drink, it is considered one of the healthiest energy-boosting drinks for children. It comes packed to the brim with 34 vital nutrients which include carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, fats, calcium, zinc and others. It is clinically proven to promote 2X faster growth in terms of height and improved weight and also helps improve your child’s concentration and memory powers.
Highlights
- Available in four delicious flavors – chocolate, kesar badam, pista badam and, creamy classic
- Contains the power of 100% milk protein
- Pro immunity
- 63% more protein
- Contains neuro nutrients like iron, iodine, vitamin B12, and folic acid
- Great for both children and adult
PediaSure
Considered a suitable nutritional drink for children over two years, PediaSure has been clinically shown to help children become taller in just 8 weeks. It contains arginine and natural vitamin K2 which are essential for stronger and longer bones. Vitamin K2 further helps bone health by facilitating calcium absorption.
Highlights
- Gluten-free
- Contains high-quality protein, vitamin D3, and calcium
- Contains antioxidant compounds such vitamin C and E and selenium
- Suitable for lactose-intolerant children
- Nutri Pull System for better absorption
Manna Health Mix
For those looking for natural health drinks, Manna Health Mix can be the perfect choice. Made of 14 natural ingredients like ragi, bajra, corn, millets, jowar, wheat, red rice, barley, bengal gram, and sago among others, this mix will not let you down. Not only is it a good choice for growing children, it’s also recommended to breastfeeding and pregnant women. It’s made of natural multigrains and without any traces of artificial sugars, preservatives, and added sugars.
Highlights
- Boosts stamina
- Helps in bone development
- Easy to digest
- A balanced mix of nuts, grains, and pulses
- Contains essential amino acids
Milo
The green packaging and that familiar chocolate taste might be all a little too familiar for you. We were up drinking Milo and now it’s time to introduce it to our children. Milo, from Nestle, contains PROTOMALT, a proprietary malt extract which contains a mixture of complex carbohydrates essential for the body. Trusted for decades, the energy drink offers vitamins and minerals to meet the demands of growing bodies.
Highlights
- Creamy chocolate flavor
- Contains 29% of the recommended energy and nutrient intake of calcium
- Helps release energy with the help of phosphorus
- Contains a healthy dose of iron to regulate blood flow
- Can be consumed with milk or water
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