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5 Reasons to Choose Plain Yogurt for Kids
Don’t be fooled by the varieties of yogurt in your grocery store. When introducing your kids to yogurt, you may be tempted to choose those that are targeted for kids, which are typically loaded with added flavors, colors, and sugars. Don’t be fooled. Here are five reasons to go PLAIN when choosing yogurt for kids!
P- Perfect Snack by Itself
Yogurt is a versatile snack that provides many health benefits. What more could parents ask for?
Live Cultures
The live cultures improves your immune system, reduces depression, reduces the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and improves overall bowel health.[i]
Controlled Body Weight
Full-fat yogurt and dairy have added health benefits. A Canadian research study revealed that children who drank one cup of whole milk per day had a lower body mass index that those who consumed 1% or skim milk. [ii]
L- Less is More
Choose a yogurt with few ingredients. You don’t need added sugar (aka sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, can sugar, agave nectar), artificial flavors, dyes, stabilizers and preservatives. These items are what turns yogurt from the perfect snack to an unhealthy snack.
Too Much Sugar is a Bad Thing
According to a Dr. Hema form the “My Little Moppet” blog, the chemicals used to refine sugar are harmful to children. Excess sugar also causes tooth decay and may depress immunity. Children with a high sugar diet are also prone to cardiovascular, diabetes, and obesity. [iii]
Children are Already Getting Too Much Sugar
The American Heart Association recommends a limit of six teaspoons per day. According to the National Cancer Institute and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, children as young as 1 to 3 years already exceed the daily recommendations and typically consume around 12 teaspoons of added sugar while children 4 to 8 years old consume an average of 21 teaspoons per day. Older children, 14 to 18 years, consume an average of 34.3 teaspoons of sugar per day. [iv]
A- Addiction to Sugar is Real
Sugar has powerful effects on the reward system in the brain. This leads to classic signs of addiction, comparable to drug abuse, and activates powerful reward-seeking behavior that can drive overeating. [v] Sugar causes opiate and dopamine activity in the reward centers of the brain, just like drugs of abuse like cocaine. [vi] Choosing plain yogurt is one way to reduce sugar consumption in your child.
I- In Control
Choosing plain yogurt puts you in control, and if you want to add a little sweetness, try fresh fruit or honey. Wholesome additions let you choose what goes into your yogurt without all added junk. Plain yogurt is also so versatile, that you can serve it in a variety of ways: in cereal, with granola, on fruit, in smoothies and veggie dips, or topped on a baked potato.
N- Nutrients are in Abundance!
Calcium
Many children and teens do not get enough calcium. One survey found that among children aged 9 to 13 years, only about 12% of girls and 17% of boys consumed the recommended daily amount of calcium. For older teens, 42% of boys and only 10% of girls consumed enough calcium daily. A single serving of organic whole milk plain yogurt provides 20% of the recommended daily value. [vii]
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps the body absorb minerals like calcium and builds strong teeth and bones. According to researcher Michael F. Holick, professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine, vitamin D deficiency can not only cause rickets (a desears that can lead to bone deformity and fractures), it can also keep a child from reaching their genetically programmed height and peak bone mass. Vitamin D also functions as a hormone with many other jobs in the body, including regulation of the immune system, insulin production, and cell growth. [viii] A single serving of organic whole milk plain yogurt provides 10% of the recommended daily value.
Protein
When children eat protein, they stay fuller longer and snack less. A single serving of Kalona SuperNatural Organic Whole Milk Plain Yogurt provides seven grams of protein.
CLA
Full-fat grass-fed yogurt has conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which may help reduce body fat and inflammation and also improves body composition.
What Yogurt Should I Choose for my Kids?
Try Kalona SuperNatural Organic Whole Milk Cream Top Yogurt.
At Kalona SuperNatural, we aim to provide the best yogurt for you and your family. We know your commitment to a healthy household, we work with small family farms to bring you delicious, certified organic products from grass-fed cows. We deliver our dairy products to you in the most natural state possible.
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Have you already fallen in love with our products? We want to hear about it. Share your experience on social media using the hashtags #supernaturalparent and #supernaturalkid.
Sources
[i] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-yogurt-for-health
[ii] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/well/eat/regular-milk-may-beat-low-fat-for-kids.html
[iii] https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/why-no-salt-and-sugar-for-babies-until-1-year-of-age/
[iv] https://www.familyeducation.com/life/sugar/are-we-too-sweet-our-kids-addiction-sugar
[v] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/
[vi] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306452205004288
[vii] Moshfegh, A. J., Goldman, J., & Cleveland, L. (2009). What we eat in America, NHANES 2005–2006: Usual nutrient intakes from food and water compared to 1997 dietary reference intakes for vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Retrieved April 21, 2012, from http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12355000/pdf/0506/usual_nutrient_intake_vitD_ca_phos_mg_2005-06.pdf (PDF – 756 KB)