Impressive Health Benefits of Yogurt : One of the top 10 allergens identified in both Canada and the US is milk and dairy products. Only a small percentage of people dislike curd. Every home can easily access curd as a food. Yogurt is packed with nutrients.
Impressive Health Benefits of Yogurt
- It’s rich in important nutrients :There are many primary elements in yogurt, which in turn keep you healthy.
- It’s high in protein :Yogurt provides a lot of protein.
- Some varieties may benefit digestive health :Yoghurt contains probiotics so it keeps your digestive system safe and also improves your metabolism.
- It may strengthen your immune system :The good bacteria in yogurt can strengthen your immune system.
- It may benefit heart health :Bad cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease by blocking arteries. In that case, consumption of curd reduces bad cholesterol.
- It may promote weight management :Yogurt contains protein so it fills up your stomach quickly, so you don’t feel hungry for long.
Yogurt is an excellent item to start with because new research suggests that delaying their debut will increase the risk of your youngster acquiring a dairy allergy. Since you can easily incorporate their powdered or butter forms into yogurt, other allergenic foods, like peanuts or other nuts, can also be introduced.
Additionally, yogurt is a fantastic source of protein and fat, both of which are crucial for the first year of life’s rapid growth. Keeping them on the right growth trajectory can be accomplished by ensuring they consume wholesome sources of protein.
For infants younger than 24 months, fat content is quite significant. High fat content is necessary to ensure optimal brain and nervous system development because an infant’s brain is developing quickly.
Despite having fewer probiotics than other fermented foods like kefir, many kinds of yogurt nevertheless contain living cultures that are healthy.
Probiotics are helpful for your baby’s overall gut health and immunity as well as for treating diarrhea and constipation and encouraging the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut.
Choose yogurt for your infant that contains live, active cultures, which contain the healthy bacteria that are good for gut health. Millions of microorganisms populate a baby’s gut microbiome before birth. The majority of the bacteria in the gut are beneficial. And preserving that balance depends in part on what our infants consume.
Prebiotic fiber found in many fruits and probiotics from fermented foods like yogurt assist maintain a healthy digestive system.
A good immune system and digestive health are supported by a healthy gut. When their kids experienced stomach issues, many parents used to steer clear of dairy. We now know that yogurt’s probiotics may treat diarrhea. Additionally, yogurt is a healthy snack to keep things going if your infant is constipated.
Health Benefits of Yogurt
Is yogurt good for infants?
Some varieties of yogurt also include live cultures, also referred to as probiotics, in addition to being a good source of calcium and protein. These are living bacteria that are put to yogurt after it has been made or are used to turn milk into yogurt. They encourage the development of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which scientists think may aid with digestion.
How can you know if yogurt contains these healthy bacteria? Yogurt should be labeled as containing live or active cultures, which signifies the organisms weren’t killed out during processing by heat. A label that reads “made with active cultures” just indicates that the yogurt was made with living cultures (as all yogurt is), not that it still contains any.
It might be challenging to determine whether a yogurt includes a significant quantity of healthy bacteria. One option is to search for the International Dairy Foods Association’s Live & Active Cultures seal. Products with this seal have at least 100 million live, active cultures per gram. A product without the certification isn’t inherently lacking in cultures because participation in the program is optional.
You might be perplexed as to why infants can have yogurt but not cow’s milk till they are at least 12 months old. Actually, your baby won’t be harmed by a small amount of cow’s milk, such as what is found in the occasional serving of yogurt. It simply isn’t a good substitute for breast milk or formula, which still constitute the majority of their food during the first year.
That’s because infants cannot fully or readily digest cow’s milk the way they can breast milk or formula. Additionally, cow’s milk lacks the optimum balance of nutrients and lipids that comes from breast milk or formula for your infant.
See our post on how and when to introduce cow’s milk to your child for additional details.
Full-fat yogurt
One of those incredibly nutritious foods, yogurt sometimes gets a terribly harmful makeover from being crammed with sugar and other sweeteners and flavorings. This is particularly valid for kid-targeted yogurts (remember Trix Yogurt?).
Yogurt has a naturally acidic flavor that newborns should get used to early on because it prepares them for later, more difficult tastes. Serving it simple showcases it without the widely recognized sweetness and fruity notes.
Infants and young children should only be given yogurt made with whole milk (often at least 5% milk fat). Greek or ordinary variations are available. Greek yogurt has more of the whey removed, resulting in a higher protein content and typically less fat in the final product.
It has a stickier texture and is thicker and creamier than conventional plain yogurt, which is also a little thinner and lower in protein and fat. Greek yogurt is more costly than regular yogurt.
It’s a good idea to taste plain yogurt before serving it to newborns and toddlers (particularly early in the introduction of solids) so that the child can get used to the tangy, creamy flavor without the sweetness.
Even plain yogurt comes with 11 grams of lactose, a naturally occurring sugar. These sugar-free, naturally occurring carbohydrates are ideal for infants (a query I frequently get regarding whole milk!).
Can I give Greek yogurt to my infant?
If you’d like, you can give your newborn Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt, however, has a higher protein content than regular yogurt, making it more difficult to digest. In order to ascertain how your infant responds to the yogurt, it is preferable to start with a smaller amount.
Additionally, because Greek yogurt is thicker, your infant might not like it. Waiting to try this thicker texture may be necessary for picky infants or those who are still getting used to solid foods.
Dairy products with reduced or no fat should not be given to infants. Lucky infants, they require the fat and will gain from it as well as the additional creaminess that comes along with it. Around 24 months (2 years), pediatricians typically advise switching toddlers to low-fat dairy products.
Finding full-fat Greek yogurt can be challenging, and you might need to read a lot of labels. One great manufacturer of whole milk, full-fat Greek yogurt with 5% milk fat is Chobani. Also available are 5% plain full-fat Greek yogurts from Fage Total and Stonyfield Organic. You may easily locate 4% milk-fat Greek yogurt, which is suitable for giving to your child.
Yogurt Preparation for Babies
Yogurt can be given to babies without necessarily requiring any extra preparation. The most crucial step is making sure there are no dangerous components present. In addition, Scott advises serving yogurt to infants while it’s still chilly or at room temperature. Yogurt doesn’t need anything added to it, but it can be combined with other infant foods, she explains.
Do you know how much yogurt to give your child? According to Largeman-Roth, there is no set limit. Yogurt is an example of a complementary food that doesn’t require measuring out, she says. “
Yogurt can, in general, be a nutritious first food for babies. However, Scott advises introducing one new food at a time and keeping a close eye out for symptoms of allergies, as is the case with all new foods.