Can children eat sweets? Forbidden foods

Let's figure it out together at what age you can give a child candy and how to do it right.

The concept of "sweets" includes sweets, chocolates, caramel. It is not recommended to give sweets to children under one year old, since the baby's immune and digestive systems have not yet adjusted their work. Sugar can cause fermentation in the intestines, and hence problems with stools and rashes.

Children prone to diathesis do not need sugary foods until they are 2 years old. Their introduction is possible, but later and with caution.

A child under one year old can be given sweets in the form natural sugars. These are fruits and lactose of mother's milk. Do not sweeten water and kefir.

harmful products

Dried apricots, dates, raisins are not only foods rich in magnesium, potassium, but also have a pleasant sweetish taste. They can also act as a dessert for the crumbs.

Excessive consumption of sugar up to a year can provoke:

• occurrence arterial hypertension at an older age;
• the occurrence of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus;
• other endocrine disorders.

Psychologists say that early accustoming a baby to sweets is akin to addiction. A study was conducted, and children who often received chocolate in childhood, at an older age, can not deny themselves eating sweet foods.

The benefits and harms of honey for babies

honey is very strong allergen. It is better for children with severe allergic mood to refrain from using it.

Honey is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals that are important for the growth and development of the child. Has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Also, honey can increase immune-resistant properties. child's body.

Previously, grandmothers advised mothers to give a spoonful of honey on the tip to calm the baby. It contains sugars that have an energy effect on cells, improve interneuronal connections, and are a source of positive emotions.

As we have already found out, children under one year old do not need sweets in any form. You can start after a year with marshmallows or marshmallows, marmalade without sugar powder. It is better to give after the main course, preferably in the afternoon. If allergic reactions occur, the product is excluded.

After 3 years, the child can begin to give sweets in the form of cakes or pastries. At this point, the digestive system is almost completely organized and can process these products.

For exclusion food poisoning pay attention to the expiration dates of sweet products with protein creams.

Parents themselves shape the eating habits of their children. With excessive consumption of sweet foods, there may be a risk of developing metabolic disorders, which in the future will lead to obesity, diabetes and other endocrine diseases.

Try not to reward your child with candy. It is better to once again praise him or hug him. Do not form in the baby food addiction to candy.

Teeth and sweets

Artemova I. O., doctor, pediatric dentist: “Of course, childhood without sweets is not childhood. Try to clean your milk teeth or rinse your mouth after eating sweets. In this way, caries of milk teeth can be avoided.

Sweets for children according to Komarovsky: "It's not the most best food for kids. It is especially harmful to teeth and appetite. Of course, you won’t do much harm to your health if you give sweets for dessert after dinner, but such delicacies are best avoided between feedings. Do not keep sweets at home, do not show the baby that they are in the house. Try not to go shopping with your child and do not buy sweets in front of him. If the child has a tendency to be overweight, then it is better to refuse sweets altogether.

It is very easy for a child to accustom to sweets, as it brings him pleasure. Try at least 1 - 2 times a week to give sweets for dessert, observing the age limits. With a tendency to allergic reactions, sweets must be completely excluded from the diet.

Most babies are terribly sweet. Sometimes it seems that there would be their will - all breakfasts, lunches and dinners would consist exclusively of cakes, ice cream and sweets. So how much sugar does a child need, and when should you cut back on sweets?

Not too sweet

Love for sweets is inherent in the child at the genetic level. The first food in a baby's life is breast milk, which gives sweetness milk sugar- lactose. At artificial feeding with milk mixtures, the child receives lactose and maltose. The introduction of complementary foods expands the range of carbohydrate sources - fruit and vegetable juices, mashed potatoes, cereals, which completely cover the needs of the child's body in carbohydrates. As a rule, they do not contain table sugar - sucrose, and the desire of some parents to sweeten this or that dish to their liking so that the child eats more is completely unacceptable. This adult behavior can lead to perversion taste sensations in a child, the rejection of unsweetened foods and, as a result, overeating, excess weight.

Introduce little by little

After a year, children are allowed to introduce a small amount of table sugar, as well as sweets, into their diet. For children from 1 to 3 years old, the amount of sugar per day is 40 g, from 3 to 6 years old - 50 g. You can start your acquaintance with sweets with various mousses that are prepared on a berry-fruit basis (from fresh and freshly frozen berries and fruits) . Then you can enjoy marshmallows, marmalade, marshmallows, as well as various types preserves, jams, marmalade. Marshmallows and marshmallows are based on fruit and berry puree whipped with sugar and egg whites. When treating a child with marshmallows for the first time, it is better to choose vanilla or cream, later you can offer marshmallows with fruit fillers.

Marmalade is a jelly-like confectionery product obtained by boiling a mixture of fruit and berry puree, sugar, molasses (a product of starch processing), and pectin. It is better not to offer the child chewing varieties of marmalade, as they contain a lot of dyes, besides, it has a hard texture, and the baby swallows it without chewing.

Shouldn't be greasy

From the age of three (not earlier), you can offer cakes and pastries that do not contain fat-based creams to an older baby, and lean varieties ice cream (not ice cream). The use of sweets should not be in the nature of encouragement for the child and, of course, they should be given after the main meal or for an afternoon snack.

Caramel - no!

Before the age of four, caramel and lollipops should not be given to children, as there is a risk of choking. As for chocolate and cocoa, as well as marshmallows in chocolate, sweets in chocolate, and so on, it is better for a child under the age of three not to encounter them. Chocolate contains a lot of fat and creates a load on the enzymatic system of the stomach and pancreas of the child. It is not recommended to use it at all for small allergies and children with altered pancreatic functions. If there are no contraindications, then from the age of three you can give a little white and milk chocolate, and from 5-6 years old - the rest of its types.

bee delicacy

Separately, let's talk about honey. He not only has a high nutritional value(due to easily digestible sugars - glucose and fructose, its calorie content reaches 335 kcal / 100g), but also healing properties. Floral Bee Honey favorably affects the digestive organs, improving secretory and motor activity stomach and other organs, stimulates appetite and has some laxative effect on gastrointestinal tract. In addition, honey has antimicrobial properties against a number of bacteria, causing violation intestinal microflora, increases the body's resistance to certain viruses, has an anti-inflammatory and expectorant effect in respiratory diseases.

However, the use of honey in the nutrition of preschool children is limited by its high allergenicity. Up to 3 years, the use of honey, as an independent product, is not advisable. He may enter various products baby food industrial production(porridge or cookies), but its amount is negligible there. After 3 years, you can introduce honey into the diet of children, but occasionally, no more than 1-2 teaspoons, adding it to some dishes as a treat. If the child suffers from allergies, you can use a natural delicacy only after additional consultation with the attending physician.

Consequences of the sweet life

When treating a child with various sweets, it should be remembered that their excessive consumption can lead to a number of diseases. For example, to caries - the progressive destruction of the hard tissues of the tooth with the formation of a defect in the form of a cavity. Scientists have proven that sucrose has a pronounced ability to cause this disease. A low incidence of caries in children is observed when the level of sugar intake is about 30 g per day, which is approximately the same as physiological norm its consumption.

Another problem is obesity, caused by excess food intake compared to the level of energy expenditure, the so-called alimentary obesity(from lat. alimentary - food). At the same time, the body weight of the child is 20% or more higher than normal values for this age. These children have functional changes in the central nervous system, endocrine glands weakened immune system, increased risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. There are also psychological consequences obesity: it often reduces the child's self-esteem, leading to depression.

Naturally, none of the parents accustoms the child to sweets consciously. Poor nutrition begins with attempts to solve a problem poor appetite. Children, unlike adults, do not have the habit of eating regularly. Their appetite can vary greatly from day to day. This difference may be due to physical activity.

Pediatricians believe that there is no need to persuade or force a child to eat. There are no voluntary starving children. However, one should not succumb to the myth that the child instinctively chooses the food he needs. It is the parents who, in early childhood, should form the child's love for proper diet. The kid needs to instill a taste for vegetables, fruits, soups and cereals. And of course, you can’t follow the child’s lead, offering him sweets and confectionery if he refuses to eat.

It is quite obvious that normal loving parents are very sensitive to the nutrition of children. Feeding the young is one of the most important manifestations of the parental instinct, and modern civilization with its cult of food, powerful food industry and a huge assortment of edibles in all its manifestations creates excellent conditions for the mentioned instinct to be fully realized.
Average moms and dads, as a rule, have the opportunity to purchase food and are not inclined to save on raising beloved offspring. Since a child has to be fed daily and at least three times, it is not surprising that a particular nursing person (usually a female) has a rather large personal experience organization of the process and quite definite views both on the process of eating itself and on the composition of products - both qualitative and quantitative.
A situation in which the child not only eats the offered food, but also enjoys it - healing balm per capita of nursing relatives. On the one hand, feeding a child deliciously is not a problem, on the other hand, I really want the food to be also healthy. Not surprisingly, the most popular cookery guide is called “The Book of Delicious and healthy food". That is, the concepts of “healthy” or “healthy” food are very relevant. Attempts to expand your own horizons and figure out what is tasty and healthy at the same time can terrify any sane parent.
Because sweet things are the best.
And sweet, according to thousands of doctors, nutritionists and journalists, is harmful.
Even a superficial acquaintance with what has already been written on this topic can cause bewilderment and indignation. For it is completely incomprehensible why on the wrappers of sweets, packages of cakes and jars of jam it is not written in bright and large letters: "The Ministry of Health warns: eating sweets is harmful to health."
The list of diseases associated with the consumption of sweets is frighteningly large: obesity, diabetes, caries, allergies, intestinal disorders and even misconduct!
So it turns out that a variety of goodies can be both a source of pleasure and a cause serious problems with health. And the first impression is that the payment for pleasure is unreasonably high. So what to do? Categorically ban or learn to use? The question is rhetorical.
Let's study.

A bit of theory

The much-loved sweet taste of food comes from sugars. Sugars are soluble carbohydrates. Depending on the chemical structure they are divided into several groups. The simplest and most elementary in structure - monosaccharides : glucose, fructose, galactose. A little harder - disaccharides : lactose, maltose and the famous sucrose (the same granulated sugar or refined sugar). There are also so-called polysaccharides (fiber, starch, glycogen), but they already belong to the group complex carbohydrates and actually sugars (sweets) are not.
Whatever complex structure nor possessed a carbohydrate absorbed by a person, as a result of a small or large amount chemical reactions it will turn into a monosaccharide - usually glucose. Glucose is the main source of energy. Any energy - for skeletal muscles, and for the heart, and for the brain. It is clear that what easier carbohydrate, the more energy is available, it is also clear that any disaccharide will turn into two monosaccharides: maltose into two glucoses, sucrose into glucose and fructose, lactose into glucose and galactose.
The sweetness of sugars is different, and if the sweetness of the most famous and familiar sucrose for us is taken as one, then the following numbers can be obtained: fructose - 1.74, glucose - 0.74, lactose - 0.16.
The most important point: main function carbohydrates in general and sugars in particular - providing human body energy. About 60% of all energy produced is associated with the metabolism of carbohydrates. The main function, but not the only one. Carbohydrates accumulate in the body in the form of glycogen, are part of all organs and tissues without exception, without them the synthesis of either enzymes or hormones is impossible.
It is clear that they have nothing to do with the complex processes of "organ building", i.e., with the performance of the so-called plastic function of sugar. Their role is completely different - important, but, by and large, primitive - providing energy, and that's it. Not so little...

From theory to practice

Clever chemical terms and theoretical arguments regarding the importance of carbohydrates in nutrition at the root, at first glance, contradict the numerous arguments about the harmfulness of sweets. Does a child need energy? And how! So, it turns out, candy? Turns out it's possible, but...
If a child ate potatoes, or wholemeal bread, or oatmeal, then the body received a sufficient amount of complex carbohydrates (in the form of starch, fiber, pectin), and these carbohydrates will sooner or later turn into monosaccharides and become a source of energy. But in addition to carbohydrates, the child also received B vitamins, and ascorbic acid, and many other essentials - calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc. Yes, energy needs can be easily met by replacing a bowl of oatmeal with a dozen caramels. But what about everything else? Looks like oatmeal is better.
And one more important point. Let's repeat the phrase from the previous paragraph: "Carbohydrates will sooner or later turn into monosaccharides." How important is it - sooner or later?
Polysaccharides, such as starch, are converted to glucose gradually but relatively quickly ( we are talking about hours). The resulting glucose is gradually absorbed from the intestine, and the pancreas produces a moderate amount of insulin, which, in fact, regulates further glucose metabolism. Disaccharides (all the same sucrose, for example) are converted into glucose and enter the bloodstream much faster (we are talking about minutes). In this situation, the pancreas works in a completely different way, because in a short time must produce a significant amount of insulin. Not surprisingly, the consumption of sugar significantly increases the load on the pancreas. Again, it turns out that oatmeal is healthier.

To eat or not to eat?

Is it possible to completely eliminate sugar from the diet? Theoretically, it is impossible, if only because to an infant more than half of all energy is supplied by milk lactose, and in practice it will not work. For in all cereals, vegetables, fruits and berries there is glucose and fructose, and in dairy products - lactose.
But let's put the question differently: is it possible not to include additional sugar in the child's diet? i.e. do not add consciously available and sweet sucrose in food. Do not eat or drink sweets, forget about ice cream, sweets, cakes, pastries, jam, chocolate and much more ... The answer is unequivocal: you can. Is it necessary?

Three sources...

Regarding the importance of sweets in the life of a person in general and a child in particular, three main aspects can be distinguished.
Sweets are:
1) source of health problems;
2) a source of easily digestible energy;
3) source of pleasure.
Let's consider all this in order.

Sugar and health
The main thing to emphasize in relation to health is that a small amount of carbohydrates generates much more problems than their excess.
The energy reserves of the child's body in comparison with the organisms of his father and mother are simply incomparable. Exercise stress, emotional stress, diseases in general and fever in particular - all this leads to an increased need for carbohydrates, but the body's own reserves are small, and the need for constant carbohydrate nutrition significant.
Carbohydrate deficiency is manifested by a significant change in metabolism. The body begins to use fat as a source of energy, which in enough present in a very small number of children. In addition, many amino acids are included in energy metabolism, and they are needed for something completely different - for protein synthesis, i.e. for growth.
An excess of carbohydrates, and most often it is an excess of sugars, leads to the formation of adipose tissue, but for this to happen, the carbohydrate load must be very significant. The extreme manifestation of such excesses may be obesity .
The most well-known disease associated with impaired carbohydrate metabolism is diabetes . The reasons for the development of this disease remain a mystery to this day, but there is no evidence in any textbook of the fact that the development of diabetes is associated with the use of sweets.
But the influence of sugars on the occurrence caries proven convincingly, and this fact does not raise any doubts. Glucose and sucrose, with the active participation of microbes inhabiting the oral cavity, form acids that contribute to the destruction of tooth enamel.
Excess sugar is one of the factors that contribute to the strengthening of fermentation processes in the intestines. The consequence of the latter may be a violation of the breakdown and absorption of certain substances, as a result - a serious risk of skin allergies .
Some doctors cite seemingly compelling evidence that sugar is one of the factors contributing to hyperactivity and aggressiveness in children. For the sake of truth, we note that no less number of doctors and no less convincingly refute these data.
Preliminary summary regarding sugar and health problems.
The fundamental feature of the child's body is that carbohydrate metabolism it is much more intense than in adults. Children not only absorb carbohydrates more actively, but are also more resilient to carbohydrate loads. We are not even talking about the fact that the pancreas of the boy Petya is much healthier than the similar organ of his dad ... And taking into account all of the above, we conclude: the extra sweets absorbed by children, of course, do not bring any benefit. But the risk of excess sweets for adults is many times higher.

Sugar and Energy
Since sugar is a source of easily digestible energy, the main rule regarding its safe absorption is the creation of conditions under which the child can use this energy. A child who does not overheat and moves a lot (active games, sports) has enough opportunities so that problems with excess energy do not arise. Sugar is incompatible with in a sedentary manner life, many hours of vigils near the TV and computer, clothes that make it impossible to move.
A very important point. In the life of children there are situations when the need for easily digestible energy is very high. Sport competitions, brainstorming while preparing for exams, illness. Talking about the usefulness of sugars in these circumstances is very appropriate. It is not for nothing that a plentiful sweet drink or a dropper with a glucose solution is a common method of treating acute infectious diseases. And if there are no problems with allergies, then a bar of chocolate on the night before the exam will not even hurt.

Sugar and pleasure
Eating sweets is an obvious source of pleasure. If this process is regulated and does not give rise to health problems, then why not have fun?
The main thing is that pleasure does not become the meaning of life and does not give rise to other problems.
The “other problems” mentioned are appetite, or rather the lack of it, and allergic reactions to specific sweets, and the presence of real health problems (obesity, for example).

Results

The ability of sweets to have a significant impact on the health of our children is greatly exaggerated. For the use of sugars is only a fragment, not the most fundamental component of such a global concept as a way of life.
Tired of the struggle for existence, a father can show his love for a child by buying sweets. Or maybe a fishing trip. In the first case, the child will spend the day off eating sweets in front of the TV, in the second... What is better? What is more useful? Who is guilty? Is it candy?
Cakes and pastries do not just appear in the house. They are brought in by adults. If the child has excess weight or lack of appetite if he does not play sports and does not walk on fresh air, then the question is: why did the mentioned sweets appear in the house? Maybe first we need to solve pedagogical problems, organize a normal way of life, and only then spend money on goodies?
Sweets are the easiest, most affordable and most primitive way to bring joy to a child. There are other ways. Requiring a lot of time and money - active joint recreation, skiing, cycling, comfortable, non-constricting clothing and much more, allowing you to spend energy in such an amount that neither sweets nor chocolate will matter much.

(Translation of this article into English language read .)

When a small hand reaches for a candy in a beautiful wrapper, one mother will simply remain silent, the other will say a categorical “no” to this. Which of them is right? Can children eat chocolate or not? At what age can you start to please the child with delicious sweets?

Give can't be taken

Where in this sentence to put a punctuation mark, many mothers do not know. So, why can't children have chocolate until they are 3 years old?

Excitatory action

Many parents know about chocolate only that this product is high in calories and very nutritious. The composition of this sweetness includes cocoa beans, cocoa butter, as well as a substance such as theobromine. This element has similar properties to caffeine. Getting into a child's or adult body, it has an exciting effect on the nervous and cardiovascular system. When a child consumes a lot of chocolate, it has an extremely negative effect on his general condition.

The increased content of theobromine in the body of a child causes:

insomnia;

Excitation;

Irritability;

Anxiety;

Headaches and dizziness;

Violation of the heartbeat, arrhythmia, tachycardia.

allergic reactions

One of the reasons why chocolate should not be given to children is high probability occurrence of allergies. Big use such sweets can lead to itching, skin rash and even fever.

If the child has already had allergic reactions to the use of certain products, it is worth giving him chocolate with extreme caution. It is better to completely abandon this venture until an older age.

Load on the digestive system

In addition to the dangerous theobromine, chocolate also contains a high amount of fat, which makes it so nutritious food. This, in turn, places a serious burden on the child's digestive system particularly on the liver and pancreas. The strongest negative impact renders on digestive tract chocolate, which contains in large numbers palm oil is present. Today there are a lot of tiles and just chocolates contain this ingredient.

Caries

This item is not in vain worth the very last. Chocolate can cause dental caries in a child only if eaten in very large quantities. moderate use this product not able to harm the teeth, which cannot be said about other types of sweets. Chocolate contains an aseptic substance that inhibits the action of harmful bacteria in the oral cavity.

If given, how much, how and what?

Sweet-toothed parents will certainly agree that chocolate is one of the tastiest treats of all sweets. It is especially difficult for them to forbid a child to eat sweets. In addition, a baby who has tried chocolate once will ask for more in 95% of cases.

The daily norm of this product for a child should not exceed 40-50 grams. If you use chocolate more, it will definitely not bring any benefit to the body. The kid is different increased activity or has overweight? Reduce daily allowance at least 2 times.

Do not scold the child if you did not follow, and he ate more chocolate than expected. Be sure to include foods containing iodine in your baby's diet. The ideal solution is to add iodized salt to your food. This substance will help protect at the same time and thyroid gland and baby teeth.

Since the child's liver and pancreas have not yet fully formed before the age of 3, his nutrition should be sparing. It is better to replace chocolate with marshmallows, marmalade or marshmallow. Any of these products must be prepared without the use of dyes. The baby is allowed to eat no more than 10 grams of sweets per day.

Children over 3 years old can already try chocolate. It is necessary to give it to a child in an amount of not more than 25 g per day. This will help to avoid overexcitation of the nervous system, allergic reactions and constipation. It is very important that the chocolate is of high quality and does not contain palm oil and other harmful ingredients. But even quality product can't eat on an empty stomach!

Parents who do not want to deprive their baby of a happy childhood and with early age they begin to feed him sweets and chocolate, often they do not understand that by their actions they are depriving the child of a happy, and most importantly, healthy, future. After all, the health of our children is in our hands. The kid will definitely try delicious chocolate, you just need to remember that everything has its time!

All children love sweets. This fact is beyond doubt. Doubts among thinking and responsible parents raise the question of whether sweetness will harm the child. When chocolate and other treats can be considered healthy, and when they harm the health of the baby, says a well-known pediatrician and author of books and articles Evgeny Komarovsky.

Why do kids love sweets?

Chocolates, sweets, cakes and cookies are attractive to children because of sugar, which is a soluble carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are different: monosaccharides - glucose, fructose are found in sweet fruits and disaccharides - lactose and sucrose itself (the very sugar that parents are so worried about).

Any carbohydrate entering the human body, after a long chain of chemical reactions, eventually turns into a monosaccharide - into glucose. The child is actively growing, moving a lot, he needs more energy than an adult. Glucose is the source of energy. In addition, glucose is needed by the body for the synthesis of enzymes and hormones. After the candy, the child feels more cheerful and cheerful, his mood improves and this is not just. He receives extra energy, in the end, he enjoys his favorite taste, and pleasure is the production of endorphins, the so-called hormones of happiness.

However, parents should understand that carbohydrates are found not only in sweets, but also in cereals, fruits, vegetables, meat, and milk. Therefore, the question of where the baby will receive energy from is not so unambiguous. Parents know that the plate oatmeal healthier than candy, but the pleasure of porridge will not be the same.

So moms and dads have to “balance” between common sense considerations and the natural desire to please the child, to please him.

Possible harm

Lack of carbohydrates harms the child no less than their excess. If you completely deprive a child of carbohydrates, then his metabolism will change dramatically. There may be problems with the synthesis of enzymes and hormones. Energy reserve of a child is much lower than that of an adult, and the energy for growth, activity, and even brain activity much more is required.

Excessive consumption of sweets, and, accordingly, carbohydrates, leads to the growth of adipose tissue, may begin childhood obesity. If the metabolism changes in the direction of excess carbohydrates, then diabetes mellitus may develop.

Despite the fact that this opinion has been supported by doctors for decades, there is convincing evidence of the relationship between sweet and diabetes not yet.

Most real harm from sweets for the child's body - potential caries. The microbes that inhabit the oral cavity are very fond of glucose, become activated and begin to destroy tooth enamel. The child's intestines also do not remain indifferent - an abundance of sweets causes fermentation processes in it, and this increases the risks of development allergic reaction.

Despite the frightening claims of numerous experts in the field of nutrition and child health, says Yevgeny Komarovsky, the harm from sweets for children is greatly exaggerated. The pancreas responsible for insulin production and carbohydrate metabolism in children is much healthier and stronger than the pancreas of adults. Therefore, the abundance of sweets is more dangerous for moms and dads than for their children, although, of course, you should not abuse it.

How to give your child sweets?

It is theoretically possible to wean off sweets, says Komarovsky, but it is not necessary. Indeed, in the life of a child there are enough situations when the energy needs of a growing organism increase significantly. This may be the beginning of attending kindergarten, and the period of exams at school, and important competitions, and preparation for creative competition. During this period, the child consumes energy at a rapid pace. Candy, cake, which moms and dads will buy at this moment and give to their child, will definitely not harm.

During the period of illness, when the baby's temperature rises, energy costs also increase, and therefore a spoonful of jam, a piece of chocolate is also a kind of medicine. But if the child leads a predominantly home lifestyle, does not play sports, free time spends at a computer or TV, it is better to limit sweets as much as possible, since carbohydrates and inactive image lives are incompatible, says Komarovsky.

A few words about chocolate

The proteins found in cocoa beans, from which chocolate is made, often cause allergies in children. But what older child, topics less likely allergic reaction. Evgeny Komarovsky does not recommend giving chocolate to children under 2 years old. And after this age, you can begin to introduce chocolate into the diet in small pieces, observing the measure. Maximum amount chocolate for a child of 3 years - no more than 25 grams.

For children, you should not choose bitter varieties of chocolate, in which the cocoa content is higher, it is better to give preference milk chocolate. Both a cocoa drink and a piece of chocolate are high-calorie foods, and therefore they should be given from the standpoint of common sense and in accordance with the principle of energy consumption - if the child has a load (physical and brain), then you can pamper him with these delicacies, if there is no load, it is better to give compote, fruit drink, jelly.

Chocolate also contributes to the production of "hormones of joy", in small quantities he won't do any harm.

In the next video, Dr. Komarovsky answers all the questions of parents about sweets.