Do you know the benefits and risks of offering yogurt?

How does feeding yogurt affect my baby's health? Let's find out with aFamilyToday Health in this article!

Is yogurt good for children?

Yogurt is a healthy food, recommended by many nutritionists, especially for children. Most children tend to dislike “healthy” foods like vegetables and fruits. However, yogurt can be an exception. Children not only love yogurt, but also their different flavors.

The benefits of yogurt

Everyone knows yogurt is very beneficial for health and is also seen as one of the ways to increase the resistance of babies, but not everyone knows all the benefits that yogurt brings, especially for children. children. Here are some of the benefits of offering yogurt:

1. Provide an abundant source of calcium for the development of the child

Fresh milk has always been considered the top essential food for children because it is rich in calcium. However, not all children like and also absorb raw milk. Meanwhile, yogurt is high in calcium, even more so than fresh milk. Just one cup of yogurt can provide 450mg of calcium for children. This amount of calcium directly impacts bone development and makes bones stronger. Apart from calcium, yogurt also contains many other minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and rich in vitamin D .

2. A variety of yogurt dishes can be processed

If your baby doesn't like traditional yogurt, don't worry. Mothers can transform and combine yogurt with other foods to create exotic foods for babies, such as salad dressings, fruit-pickled yogurt or cold foods like ice cream. In different ways, you can change the taste of traditional yogurt and make your child more interested.

3. Being the "home" of probiotics

Yogurt is created by fermenting fresh milk thanks to the action of bacteria. These bacteria multiply and help form yogurt. Most of the bacteria in yogurt are beneficial bacteria, so it can be said that yogurt is a rich source of beneficial bacteria. If you eat yogurt regularly, your child's digestive system will be supplemented with beneficial bacteria, this helps children digest better and healthier.

4. Rich in protein

For vegetarians, it is always a concern to ensure enough protein for the body. Luckily, yogurt can help with this. The amount of protein in a jar of yogurt is about the same as an egg, can help you ensure your body's protein needs. Yogurt is a great source of energy, helping your baby to stay active all day long.

5. Helps control weight effectively

Poor eating habits and overeating junk food are two of the many reasons leading to obesity in children today. If you are concerned about your child's health, start changing their habits and diet now. Eating yogurt helps children feel fuller sooner than usual. This is a good way to help children eat less while ensuring to provide all the energy needed for the day.

Are there any risks to feeding yogurt?

It can be said that yogurt brings a lot of benefits to the health of children. However, there are also many risks and disadvantages that can be encountered when feeding yogurt, caused by the processing process as well as due to the child's allergy to this food.

Commercial yogurt is not always low in fat or calories. “Homemade” yogurts contain high amounts of both. Eating a lot of yogurt can sometimes lead to weight gain, rather than loss. The results will aggravate childhood obesity and can lead to a number of health problems in adulthood. If your child is having the above problems, you should give them sugar-free yogurts, which provide the necessary nutrition and limit the amount of excess fat and calories that they can absorb .

Some children suffer from lactose intolerance syndrome . Children with this syndrome often lack or not be able to digest dairy products, thereby causing a lot of limitations in their diet, especially when they are young. If your child has this syndrome, you should consider giving them yogurt as this can cause a number of problems for your baby such as abdominal pain, bloating or diarrhea. Yogurt made with goat milk or soy milk can be beneficial alternatives to your baby.

Marketed yogurts always contain a certain amount of sugar. Eating too much yogurt can increase the amount of sugar that the body absorbs but we don't realize, which in turn can cause a number of health problems in children. If your child likes yogurt, choose a low-sugar or low-sugar yogurt so he can comfortably eat without worrying too much.

Many commercial yogurts contain growth hormones. These are usually hormones injected by humans into animals that promote their growth and produce more milk. Most yogurt brands are committed to not containing these growth hormones in their products. However, in some cases, eating yogurt can lead to a number of health problems, such as early onset of puberty, an increased risk of cancer, and many other serious complications.

Note that you should only give your baby yogurt when your baby is 7, 8 months old or older. In the earlier stages, the baby's digestive system has not yet developed stably, eating sour foods can affect these organs.

Delicious recipes with yogurt for children

If your child is a “loyal fan” of yogurt, you should equip yourself with some yogurt recipes to create strange and familiar foods or drinks for your baby.

1. Fruit yogurt smoothie

This is a simple drink that you can prepare at home. The combination of yogurt and fruit both helps supplement the energy, fiber and vitamins needed for your baby. You can prepare this drink for your child to snack in between meals.

Materials required:

Yogurt

Chilled strawberries

Orange juice

Banana

Steps to be followed:

Put all the fruit and orange juice in the blender. Blend until a smooth mixture is obtained.

Add the yogurt and continue blending until completely smooth.

Pour the mixture into a glass, decorate with a few slices of banana slices and let your baby enjoy.

2. Yogurt with strawberry ice cream

Children often like to eat frozen yogurt and always require it right away. No need to worry, you can make yogurt ice cream at home without spending too much time. Please "store" in the house a box of homemade yogurt ice cream and immediately meet the needs of children eating.

Materials required:

Yogurt

Types of fruits

Honey

Lemon juice

Vanilla

Steps to be followed: 

Mix all the ingredients except the strawberries in a bowl

Add a little sugar and mix well if your child likes to eat sweets

Decorate the fruit on top of yogurt ice cream. If you are a child, cut the fruit into thin slices to avoid choking on food.

Put the finished product in the freezer for a few hours, then let your baby enjoy.

3. Pancake of yogurt

If you are having a headache because you do not know how to prepare breakfast to both taste and provide full nutrients for your child, try the yogurt pancake recipe below.

Materials required:

blueberry

Flour

Leavening

Cinnamon

Vanilla

The eggs are beaten evenly

Yogurt

Fresh milk

Some salt

Making 

Put flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon powder in a large bowl and mix well.

Mix vanilla, egg and yogurt in another bowl.

Slowly add the yogurt bowl to the flour bowl, mix until well.

Put the pan on the stove to heat, spread the butter over the pan, and put some pancake in the pan. Set the heat to medium, wait until the surface of the cake to bubble, turn the cake over, let it sit for about 3-4 minutes.

Place the cake on a plate, add yogurt and honey to the cake.

Yogurt has always been a healthy food with a variety of benefits, especially for children. However, you need to be careful when feeding your baby yogurt as eating too many of these foods can also cause many health problems for your baby. If your child refuses to eat yogurt, you can apply some of the recipes that aFamilyToday Health has suggested to prepare them for different delicious foods from yogurt.