From what age can you give a child chocolate?
Chocolate is a favorite delicacy of many adults and rarely any child is indifferent to such a product. Therefore, before the parents of growing up kids trying the dishes from the common table, there are questions about introducing him into the diet - from how many years can you treat your child, can this sweetness to a one-year-old baby and how can he be dangerous in childhood?
Benefit and harm
Chocolate is a nutritious and sufficiently high-calorie product, which have such positive properties:
- Carbohydrates in the composition act as a source of energy for the child, which is especially useful for children who play sports or spend a lot of energy on mental work.
- Due to its high tryptophan content, chocolate sweets stimulate the formation of serotonin, as well as the release of endorphins. For this reason, its use improves mood, increases mental abilities, and activates the interest in acquiring new knowledge.
- Present in the composition Phenylalanine affects the formation of proteins, thinking, perception and memory of the child.
- This is a treat contains quite a lot of calcium and is rich in phosphorus, therefore, it has a positive effect on bone formation and the development of the child’s skeleton.
- Is the source theobromine, which note properties to increase attention and ability to concentrate.
- Magnesium in the composition of high-quality chocolate beneficial effect on blood formation and brain formation.
- Rich in vitamins PP, B2 and B1, as well as carotene, copper, iron, potassium and sodium.
- Due to the presence of cocoa butter in good chocolate it prevents the development of caries and lowers cholesterol.
- In high-quality chocolate there are many antioxidants involved in metabolic processes, and also protecting vascular walls. In addition, they are important for immunity.
However, chocolate is harmful:
- Due to the inclusion of milk in chocolate bars caloric content of the product increases, and the content of tryptophan decreases. Besides, allergies to milk chocolate often occur.
- It refers to fatty foods, therefore digestion loads the pancreas and biliary system.
- High calorie causes the restriction of such a delicacy with excess body weight.
- Low-quality chocolate is made with the addition of cheap fats, which adversely affect human health.
- Its use in the afternoon may disturb sleep since the caffeine and theobromine contained in such a product have a stimulating effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
- Some children are so addicted to them that they require such sweetness over and over, and due to too sweet taste, previously familiar treats, such as fruits, seem to them not so tasty.
- Most chocolate bars due to their high carbohydrate content should not be given to children with diabetes. With this disease, it is permissible to use only special chocolate, based on fructose.
- The presence of oxalates in it increases the risk of kidney stones if the child has this tendency.
You will learn more about the benefits and harms from the program “Live healthy!” By Elena Malysheva:
From what age to give children?
It is not worth offering chocolate treats to children under two years old, because the digestive tract at an early age has not yet fully matured, therefore, the digestion of such a fatty product can be an unbearable burden for it.
If you give even a small amount of chocolate to a child at 10 months, per year or 1.5 years, this only increases the risk allergies and the negative reaction of the digestive system of the crumbs. And so the majority of doctors, among whom Dr. Komarovsky, do not advise including it in the children's menu up to 3 years.
Offer before you can only at your own risk. The first test may not affect the health of the crumbs, but next time a strong allergic reaction is possible. It is better to wait up to three years and be sure that chocolate sweets will not cause illness and nutritional restrictions in your child. Babies of 1-3 years old as a sweet treat are better to offer marshmallow, marshmallow, dried fruit or marmalade.
How much to give the child?
It refers to delicacies, the daily use of which is desirable to limit. The optimal rate per day for a child is two to three squares of chocolate bar (up to 25 grams). A child should eat a maximum of 100 grams of chocolate or chocolates a week.
Eating such a treat on an empty stomach is not recommended.After all, it adversely affects the digestive system, as well as the function of the pancreas. Also, do not give your child chocolate sweets before bedtime, so as not to cause excessive excitation of the nervous system in the evening and do not prevent the baby from falling asleep.
Contraindications
Chocolate should not be given to a child with:
- Neuro-arthritic diathesis.
- Pancreatic Diseases.
- Neurosis
- Obese.
- Heart Disease.
- Lactase deficiency (milk chocolate is contraindicated).
- Pathologies of the liver or gallbladder.
- Dysmetabolic nephropathy.
- Allergic diseases.
How does an allergy manifest itself
Symptoms such as skin redness, rash, pruritus, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, stool disorders, and others will prompt an allergic reaction.
After giving the child a small portion for the first time, you should carefully watch the baby. If any of the indicated signs of allergy occur, chocolate sweets from the children's menu should be immediately excluded. In case of severe allergic reaction, contact your doctor.
How to choose?
Buying chocolate sweets for the child, read the label, choosing a delicacy with the most natural composition. Do not buy children sweet tiles with the addition of palm or coconut oil instead of cocoa butter. These substitutes reduce the cost of the product and reduce the benefits.
Opening the package, carefully inspect the tile. Its surface should be shiny and smooth, and a matte shade indicates the addition of soy. If it has a whitish hue, this is evidence of a storage disorder, and therefore such a product should not be given to children.
High-quality chocolate pieces will melt in your fingers due to the low melting point of cocoa butter. When cracking you will hear a loud crunch. In this case, the more cocoa in the tile, the louder it will break.
White chocolate for baby food is not recommended, because it is devoid of cocoa powder, the most fat and includes too much sugar. Not suitable for children and dark chocolate, the content of cocoa in which is very high. The best choice for the diet of the child is called milk, which contains 25-50% of cocoa products.
Can I cook at home?
Independent production of natural chocolate today is not a problem, since any mother can purchase all the necessary ingredients and see a master class on how to make it with her own hands.
For the manufacture should buy cocoa mass and cocoa butter, and as a sweetener can be used as powdered sugar, and cane sugar or honey. Dried can be added to home tiles berries, dried fruits or nuts, making delicacy even more useful.
Master class on making homemade chocolate, see in the video:
