At what age can you give a child cocoa, can you drink it at night? Cocoa: benefits and harm for children. What is the best cocoa for children? How often can you drink cocoa for children?

Benefit and harm for children. Tips for choosing the best drink.

Feeling of taste, perhaps, the most vivid and fastidious in man. We like to feel on the language ranges and shades of products, their combinations. But do we always think about their benefits?

Cocoa is a fragrant and invigorating drink, associated with many with childhood.

If you look at the history, cocoa mankind drinks a long time and with pleasure. Especially a lot of his connoisseurs among children.

But every young mother at a certain stage of growing up a child begins to worry about the benefits and harms of a particular product for the health of a baby.

Let's talk today more about cocoa and its benefits / harm to children.

Cocoa: benefits and harm for children

fragrant fresh cocoa in a kettle and two cups on a table

Useful properties of cocoa for a child's body are:

• rich chemical composition. These are vitamins, microelements, fiber, and natural acids / substances,
• medicinal qualities that are clearly manifested in colds, diseases of the digestive system and skin,
• low calorie and at the same time high nutritional value, due to which you are easily able to replace a childsecond breakfast, brewing a cup of fragrant cocoa,
• charge of energy in the morning, which is sometimes lacking in a hypodynamic baby,
• is a worthy replacement for chocolate if the child has a predilection for the latter.

However, there is also a harmful effect:

• is an allergy. It can both arise due to the use of cocoa, so be innate,
• overexcitation of the body. Although caffeine is present in cacao in scanty doses, it is contraindicated to an excessively agile toddler,
• disrupts the process of calcium assimilation. In different sources you will find conflicting opinions in this particular cocoa feature. A number of nutritionists and medical experts advise brewing cocoa with milk for children to level this feature of the beans. Therefore, make an independent decision intelligently,
• is contraindicated for children under 3 years of age.

If your child has an allergy from birth, from entering the cocoa into the diet, refrain at least until school age.

Think! Cocoa is strictly prohibited during pregnancy. If this fact takes place, then it means that you should be careful with this drink. Even Maya used it in special cases and only selected adult representatives of the tribe.

At what age can you give a baby cocoa?

cup of cocoa and fragrant mafin on the table for breakfast

Based on data from maternity sites, pediatrics and moms' forums, the age of the child for entering cocoa in the diet varies between 2-6 years.

Take into account the absence of contraindications indicated in the section above.

Can a one-year-old, 2 year old child drink cocoa with milk?

delicious cocoa from a carob with milk in a glass on the table

Milk in its qualities softens any other component that dissolves in it.

However, remembering the contraindications of cocoa and the threat of allergy, it is better to refrain from such an early drink on the table of one-year-old and two-year-old crumbs.

If your baby is absolutely healthy and from the moment of birth to 2 years old did not have serious diseases, allergies, active and well developed, try to treat him with a spoonful of flavored cocoa.

How often can I drink cocoa for children?

teenage girl holding a cup with delicious cocoa

Since the appearance of cocoa on the table of the child and up to school age, the permissible norm is 4 times in 7 days.

In this case, 1 time is equal to the cup, the volume of 50-70 ml. And it is better with milk and honey, and not with sugar.

Can I drink cocoa at night for children?

on the table a cup with a fragrant cocoa and a sugar bowl

Categorically refuse this and do not give in to the requests of the child. Because cocoa contains invigorating substances, they are able to literally "drive away" sleep and cause hysteria, bad behavior and mood swings.

What kind of cocoa is better for children?

freshly brewed cocoa in a cup on the table

If you are a cocoa supporter and love it yourself, that's why you are offering a baby, choose the product correctly.

Some tips:

• pay attention to the country of production - it should naturally grow cocoa beans. And this is not China,
• is the percentage of fat. In a quality product, it reaches 15%,
• the way of harvesting and the quality of grinding. A good cocoa without astringency is dried in the sun and in the ground alternately, and is ground to a dusty state that does not get lost in a person from rubbing with fingers,
• is a powder color. Ideal range from dark to medium brown without greyness,
• additives and flavors. In good cocoa they should not be.

If you are a supporter of a healthy lifestyle and against any mental "pathogens", replace cocoa with a carob. Outwardly, it is very similar to the first, and is similar in chemical composition, but without exciting components. The second positive factor is that the kerob itself is sweet, which means that when it is brewed, sugar is not needed for sweetening.

Carob buy in Ayurvedic or specialty stores for healthy eating.

So, we examined the benefits and harmful properties of cocoa for children, got acquainted with the opinion of the age of the child, from which you can introduce this drink into the diet.

Have paid attention to advice on choosing the best cocoa powder for brewing it to children, as well as with an alternative substitute for it.

Be aware of the choice of food for the baby and take care of your health!

Video: the whole truth about cocoa