Contents:
- Medical Video: When is it okay to give yogurt to my child?
- Benefits of yogurt for children's health
- Can you give yogurt to children with lactose intolerance?
- Yogurt is safe for children with lactose intolerance, if ...
Medical Video: When is it okay to give yogurt to my child?
Yogurt is known as probiotic food which is good for body health. Not only adults, children can also eat yogurt as a healthy snack. However, there are still many parents who wonder, can you give yogurt to children with lactose intolerance? Come on, find out the answer below.
Benefits of yogurt for children's health
Besides milk, yogurt is a food source with high protein and calcium. The nutritional content of yogurt is not much different from milk because it is both made from cow's milk or soybean juice. The difference is, yogurt has a texture that is thicker than liquid milk. Apart from protein and calcium, yogurt contains vitamin A, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin B2.
In the manufacturing process, yogurt is added to good bacteria that are healthy for the digestive system. Some bacteria that are often added includeLactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacteria bifidus and Lactococcus paracasei.
The presence of these bacteria in yogurt can restore the balance of good and bad bacteria so that the digestive system stays healthy. These benefits make children avoid various digestive disorders, such as diarrhea or diseases that affect the intestine.
Can you give yogurt to children with lactose intolerance?
Yogurt is generally safe for children's consumption, even for babies aged 9 to 12 months. At that age they have started to study solid foods other than breast milk, yogurt may be given. However, what if the child has lactose intolerance?
Lactose intolerance is a condition of the body that is unable to digest lactose, which is the type of sugar present in milk or milk products. When entering the body, the lactase enzyme should break down lactase into simple sugars, such as galactose and glucose as energy ingredients.
But in people with lactose intolerance, lactose will accumulate in the small intestine because it is not digested properly. As a result, lactose will enter the large intestine and intestinal bacteria will break down lactose and cause various symptoms, such as nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, or cramps.
If your baby has lactose intolerance, paying attention to the intake of food or drinks that contain lactose is important to avoid the appearance of symptoms. Even though yogurt is a dairy product, it turns out that children with lactose intolerance may consume this food. How come?
Yogurt contains lactose which is lower than milk. Because the bacteria added to yogurt has turned lactose into lactic acid. This makes the digestive system in the body easier to break down lactose and does not trigger symptoms.
Yogurt is safe for children with lactose intolerance, if ...
The benefits of yogurt for children are a snack you don't want to miss. However, this healthy snack can also be risky if given carelessly, especially for children with lactose intolerance. So, you have to choose the right type of yogurt and the intake is still monitored. Lactose intake for children who have this condition should not exceed 10 grams per day.
Yogurt on the market usually contains additional sweeteners, dyes and thickener. For children with lactose intolerance, you should choose greek yogurt that is more thick. Greek yogurt contains less than 6.8 grams of lactose for a portion of yogurt measuring 600 grams. While nonfat yogurt contains 14 grams of lactose and ordinary yogurt contains 8.5 grams of lactose in the same portion.
Then, also pay attention to how to give yogurt to children. Yogurt should be given in small portions in stages, not immediately eating a lot. Consult your doctor before giving yogurt to your baby if you have certain conditions, including lactose intolerance.
