Many people have kefir a special place in the daily diet. The popularity of kefir is associated not only with its taste qualities, but also with its many useful properties. This drink contains a lot of elements necessary for the human body. It consists of vitamins, proteins, lactic acid microorganisms. Kefir promotes the restoration of the natural balance of man, has a general calming effect, restores the intestinal microflora, improves appetite and has a therapeutic effect in children's dysbiosis.
Is it possible for children to drink kefir?
Not only it is possible, but also it is necessary. Knowingly there are kefir diets, because kefir provides all the necessary trace elements to maintain the human immune system and removes toxins from the body. Evaluating all the useful properties of this drink, many mothers have the question: when can you give kefir to a child and will it also be useful for children up to a year? There is no consensus on the introduction of this product in the baby's diet. This period ranges from 6 months to a year. But, as a rule, if the baby is breastfeeding, then kefir is recommended to him from the age of 8 months. And with artificial feeding, to expand the diet with this sour-milk product, it is possible already from 7 months. Delayed product introduction in infants is associated with their later adaptation to food. And you can try to taste kefir only when you have porridge, fruit and vegetable puree in your baby's diet.
The fact that kefir has useful properties does not mean that the baby will eat the yogurt with great pleasure. After all, for him the main indicator is taste sensations. Therefore, if the child does not drink kefir, and the time when it is desirable to introduce it has already come, do not despair, because there are various tricky ways how to make him fall in love with this drink. It is enough just to add yogurt or banana to kefir, but in no case should you sweeten it with sugar, since this will bring to nothing all the benefits from it. It is also worth noting that if your baby is full, then kefir or yogurt is simply necessary, and in cases of shortage of mass, cottage cheese will be the optimal solution.
Store kefir and yogurt, which adults consume, are not products intended for children under one year. They can cause an allergic reaction due to the dyes and preservatives contained in the composition. So which kefir to give to the child? The best option is to cook it yourself. But if you still tend to buy in the store, then when choosing it is necessary to carefully examine the composition, make sure that there are not all possible E. The shelf life should be minimal, this indicates the natural origin of the product.
How to make kefir for a child?
To prepare kefir for a child at home, take the store-kefir as a starter and add it to warm milk. In the proportions: for one glass of milk - one spoon of kefir. And leave in a warm place until the formation of a mass similar to jelly, this will be a one-day kefir. In the next 10 days, it can be used to make new portions. Also in the pharmacy you can buy special starter for kefir, and prepare kefir according to the instructions. Home-made kefir for children is much more useful than store kefir, because it contains much more
It should also be noted that such fermented milk products as kefir or cottage cheese are well tolerated even by children with milk allergy. This is due to the partial hydrolysis of protein in fermented milk products. In this form it is much better digested by the children's gastrointestinal tract.
How to give kefir to a child?
As with the introduction of any new dish for babies, start lure with kefir, should be gradually. On the first day, it is recommended to give no more than one teaspoonful and every day to increase the dose, until the age set at this age is reached.