Chocolate is a favorite treat for children, regardless of age. It is considered a controversial product in the nutrition of preschool children. If you give a one-year-old baby a small piece of chocolate, you can see how instantly a smile and joy appear on his face. It’s not worth experimenting at such a young age. Let's figure out when you can eat chocolate and which one is better?
Varieties of chocolate
The assortment of chocolate in stores is varied. Manufacturers distinguish 4 types. Let's look at how they differ from each other.
Dark
Contains grated cocoa and granulated sugar. It contains much less of the first ingredient than bitter. Consequently, there is more sweet component, which means the calorie content is higher.
White
This type of sweets does not contain cocoa powder, it contains:
- cacao butter;
- granulated sugar;
- powdered milk.
It does not have a tonic effect on the body, since it does not contain the substance theobromine. Instead, quality chocolate is high in potassium, which has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. It cleanses blood vessels from harmful cholesterol and has antioxidant properties.
Lactic
Includes:
- grated cocoa;
- milk;
- granulated sugar.
Some manufacturers add vegetable oils (palm, coconut), which does not add any benefits to the confectionery product.
Bitter
It is considered the healthiest of all types of chocolate. The cocoa content affects the quality and its positive properties for the body. The more chocolate beans, the healthier the confectionery sweetness. What are the benefits of a high cocoa content ingredient:
- tones the body;
- normalize the emotional state;
- improves brain activity, memory;
- increases performance;
- theobromine promotes improved mucus discharge and relief during severe coughing;
- does not negatively affect tooth enamel.
Unlike other types of chocolate, it does not contain additional components (milk, fruit, flavorings, etc.). The less sugar in the product, the less sweet it will be. The optimal content of cocoa beans is from 72 to 85%.
What sweets can children aged 4 to 6 years old eat?
At the age of four, you can allow your child some types of chocolate. Preference should be given to white and milk chocolate, in which the percentage of cocoa is significantly lower than in black. And the bitter taste is unlikely to be to your baby’s liking. From this age, you can start giving children caramel candies, as well as low-fat ice cream (not ice cream, because fatty varieties at this age are still poorly absorbed by the baby’s digestive system).
When wondering whether children can have sweets, it is worth remembering that it is better to adhere to a sense of proportion in everything. You should not replace main meals with sweets, because sweet foods only give you a feeling of fullness for a short time, after which your baby will want to eat again. It is preferable to give sweets to your child after lunch in the form of dessert, and never use sweets as a reward for good behavior.
Honey is a very tasty and healthy product, but you shouldn’t get too carried away with it.
It is also worth paying special attention to a very tasty and natural product - honey:
- It has many beneficial properties that other artificial sweets do not have.
- It contains a huge amount of vitamins, which makes honey an excellent means for the prevention and treatment of colds and helps strengthen the baby’s immunity.
- Improves digestion and increases the baby's appetite.
- The antimicrobial properties of honey will help protect the child’s body from the negative effects of viruses and bacteria, which is especially important at an early age, when the immune system cannot yet fully destroy all harmful microorganisms.
But, despite such beneficial properties of honey, it is impossible to say for sure whether it can be given to children for sweets. The thing is that honey can cause a severe allergic reaction. In this regard, you should not give pure honey to a child under 3 years of age. It is best if this product is included in small quantities in cereals, cookies and other baby food products.
When a child reaches the age of three, he can already enjoy this delicious sweet little by little, but no more than 1-2 teaspoons in various dishes.
If your baby has had cases of allergies to other foods, then you should definitely consult your pediatrician before consuming honey.
Remember that sweets can also be harmful to your baby’s body!
When answering the question whether children can have sweets, and how much sweets a child can have, one cannot help but mention that sweets can cause harm to the baby’s fragile body. First of all, frequent consumption of sweets significantly increases the risk of developing caries, that is, destruction of tooth enamel, which will cause the child a lot of inconvenience in the form of toothache and frequent visits to the dentist.
It is preferable to give children low cocoa content chocolate at an early age.
Also, consuming foods containing large quantities of sugar can lead to the development of obesity. Recently, the problem of childhood obesity has reached enormous proportions, especially due to the appearance on the market of a huge variety of sweets in beautiful colored packages, which magnetically attract children's attention and cause a burning desire to try it all. And for parents, in turn, it is very difficult to refuse to buy their child’s favorite treat.
Of course, no one wants to harm their blood, but sometimes refusing to buy sweets will bring much more benefit, because obesity is not only an aesthetic problem that affects a child’s self-esteem. It can cause dangerous diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Obesity reduces the baby's immunity, which increases the risk of infectious diseases.
But fears are fears, and you still can’t do without something tasty! When choosing from today’s variety of sweets for children, think about those that you can prepare at home. It is much better to treat your child to natural homemade delicacies or dried fruits, and also to ensure that the main sources of carbohydrates - fresh vegetables and fruits - are always present in the children's diet. This will allow the child to grow up healthy and active! You can’t forbid a sweet life
