Q: Is it okay to give a 16-months-old yogurt everyday? What is the recommended serving per day? And what will happen if we give too much? Can my child consume any type of yogurt ( including froyo ) or the ones for children only ? Thanks. (VY)
A: Dear VY,
Let’s start by looking what is in a yogurt. The content profile of a yogurt says it contains milk solids, sucrose, milk fat, vitamins and mixed live cultures. (It also contains permitted stabilizers, flavouring and colouring). Yogurt is a good source of calcium for kids and is important for bone health. The amount of calcium in it is about 200mg, which is equivalent to almost 6-oz of milk. The recommended calcium intake for toddlers 1-3 years old is 500 mg. Hence, no worries about giving yogurt to your toddler as it is a reasonably good source of nutrient.
Besides that, it also contains mixed live cultures, which we know them as lactobacteria and encourages a healthy intestine. Yogurt is usually well tolerated by injured intestine, especially in times where your child may have diarrhea. Diarrhea is very common to children who have problem digesting their food, or is being introduced to new food. Even though your child may have lactose intolerance, yogurt doesn’t have to be avoided because the lactose in it has been converted to lactic acid.
However, what we should be concern about is the sugar content in it. Yogurts customized for children are usually sweeter to increase palatability. We certainly do not want to encourage sweet tooth in your child in such a young age. In a yogurt, sugar or sucrose comes in the form of carbohydrates. For instance, if the content of carbohydrate says 20g, it means that the sugar level is about 4 teaspoon.
According to a guideline by the American Heart Association (AHA 2009), most women should consume no more than 100 calories, and men no more than 150 calories, of added sugar. These numbers average out to about 6 to 9 teaspoons, or 25 to 37.5 grams, of sugar a day. Preschoolers with a daily caloric intake of 1,200 to 1,400 calories shouldn’t consume any more than 170 calories, or about 4 teaspoons, of added sugar a day. Children ages 4-8 with a daily caloric intake of 1,600 calories should consume no more than 130 calories, or about 3 teaspoons a day. Well, the guidelines did not have a recommendation for Asian toddlers, but we can roughly estimate that in the 1000 calories of intake recommended for Malaysian 1-3 year olds, consumption of sugar should not be more than 150 calories or 15% of their daily intake. This is equivalent to 7 teaspoon of sugar.
So, can we give yogurt daily to our kids, it’s a resounding YES. You don’t have to give the whole cup of yogurt, 3 tablespoon of yogurt is already about 50 calories, and contained 2 teaspoon of sugar.
Then again, it is always best to go NATURAL. You can attempt to make your own yogurt to avoid the preservatives contained. Or buy the natural yogurt to avoid the sucrose and sweetness. Then, you can add cube/blended/mashed fresh fruits in it or his favourite cereals or even with a few drops of honey, or use it as a dip for biscuits! You can also freeze them and make ice creams out of it.
A natural yogurt is very versatile. Happy Experimenting & Feeding!
( answered by Ms. Kimberly Wong Yuin Y’ng , BSc Nutrition (Hon) (UKM), Master of Health Science (Nutrition) (UKM) , Community Nutritionist at a Government Maternal and Child Clinic )
Comments
5 responses to “Yogurt for kids ?”
my son is 6 years old. every nite bfore go to sleep, he will consume goat milk, around 200 ml.
besides goat milk, any other products which is good for kids?
he is quite picky in food.
he is in skinny size, 20kg, 116 cm.
Dear Madam,
Although your son may look skinny, but at 20kg and 116cm, his BMI of 14.9 is in the normal range of weight for height for a 6 year old boy. Besides goat milk, you can also opt for the more conventional way of consuming fresh milk or full cream milk, or making from milk powders. A child only need 2-3 cups of milk a day. Allow him to eat a variety of food, remembering that variety is healthy.
Being a picky eater is common amongst children. If your child is picky, you can encourage his intake by including him in meal preparations, or teach him about food through media or other mediums. Patience is definitely the key. If your son is eating and growing well, there is no need to worry.
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Dear doctor, thank you for your article. Is there any other natural ways of adding calcium into the child’s diet? My son is 2 yrs old and eats well but he only drinks about 3-5oz of goat milk per day n alternate days of yoghurt smoothies.
Thanks in advance for your reply
Dear Madam Jasmine,
Calcium can be found in spinach, broccoli, cheese, yogurt, and milks. At 2 years old, it will be good if you can feed your son 2-3 times of milk a day. If he refuses goat milk, you can always opt for flavoured milk or make your own fruit smoothie every morning. Just blend a fruit (banana) and a cup of fresh milk, and your child will definitely love it.