It is impossible to imagine the modern world without sweets, there are thousands of varieties of each species. Take, for example, chocolate - it can be milk, bitter, with various additives: nuts, dried fruits, marmalade, etc. However, many of them contain many harmful substances that have not the best effect on our body. Many problems can be avoided if sweets for children are prepared independently from healthy products.
Overview of the most famous snacks
The modern market of delicacies is presented in a huge assortment. All kinds of sweets, marshmallows, chocolate bars, cookies, as well as all sorts of new sweets brought from China - all of them look so delicious that even adults cannot resist, not to mention small children. Here are perhaps the most favorite sweets of children: chocolate bars from Snickers, Twix, Kinder, fruit candy snakes and bears from Fruittella and many others. Unfortunately, most of them contain harmful substances. For example, caramel contains burnt sugar, flavors, and colorings. Caramel sweets are the most dangerous delicacy for children, because they stick to the teeth and get stuck in them, and if the child could not thoroughly clean the oral cavity, then the development of deep caries is guaranteed.
What sweets can children have?
Our body is very susceptible to all additives of chemical origin, and especially for children. That is why it is very important to feed a child only with natural products containing beneficial substances. However, not all little pranksters eat vegetables and vitamin salads, almost all children love sweets. If your baby is one of them, then offer him natural goodies.
Here is a list of the most wholesome and at the same time tasty treats that nature itself generously shares.
- Dried fruits are a storehouse of vitamins that children need so much. Prunes contain B vitamins (B 1, B 3 , B 5 ) and mineral elements such as sodium, magnesium, potassium and iron. And dried apricots and raisins are rich in potassium (K) and beta-carotene - these substances are involved in almost all processes related to metabolism in the body.
- Marshmallows and marmalade - these treats are loved not only by kids, but also by adults. If there are no dyes in the composition and there are no additives of group E, then you can safely give children fruit or berry marmalades.
- Halva is a delicacy that came to us from the East. It is made from nuts or sunflower seeds, white sugar is also added in large proportions. For this reason, it is recommended to limit the use of halva in children.
- The most useful and irreplaceable sweets are, of course, fruits! Fresh apples, pears, peaches and citrus fruits are much more healthy, so do not rush to prepare juices from them. In the daily diet of the baby must be present ripe gifts of summer and autumn. If your child refuses them, then try to cut the fruit into beautiful slices, garnish with icing and serve such an assortment on his favorite plate.
Drinking sweets
In the Soviet years, the favorite drink of many children was sparkling water. Remember, it was sold in small wagons? There were practically no artificial dyes in it; it was prepared in a special way from ordinary water and fruit syrups. But modern drinks contain a lot of harmful dyes, so it is better for children to drink natural sweet drinks. The five most useful include the following drinks:
- Compote - it can be cooked from any fruit or dried fruit, and it turns out to be very saturated and sweet even without sugar.
- Fruit drink - cook from berries, it is possible from frozen.
- Juice - made from a variety of fruits, it is recommended that young children dilute the freshly squeezed drink with a little warm water.
- All babies love cocoa, and if you boil it in fresh whole milk, then the benefits for the child's body will be even greater. There are a lot of mineral elements in cocoa powder: phosphorus, potassium and iron.
- Kissel is very useful for children with various diseases, it kind of envelops the children's stomach and prevents mucosal problems.
The following drinking sweets for children are also very useful: rosehip tinctures, herbal teas with mint or lemon balm and sour-milk drinks.
Bad sweets
It's no secret that a lot of what is sold in supermarkets usually contains a huge amount of chemical additives. For this reason, parents should read the composition of any baby product very carefully before purchasing it. The most harmful sweets include the following:
- Lollipops (such as "Chupa-chupsov") have the most devastating effect on children's teeth, so it is better to replace such candies with natural marmalades.
- Pops - usually they are very bright in color, children like their "explosive" effect, which actually acts as a reagent on ice - corrodes and destroys the mucous membrane and stomach.
- Instead of nutrients, chocolate-wafer sweets contain products such as soy, margarine, palm oil, sugar and dyes, which disrupt the metabolism in the child's body.
- Carbonated drinks, without exception, contain a huge amount of sugars and substitutes. Once in a child’s body, they can cause diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hormonal dysfunction of the pancreas.
However, do not categorically forbid your baby to eat sweets, because it is thanks to sugars that our body is provided with the necessary carbohydrates. They are needed for growth, the formation of nerve cells, and they are also powerful antidepressants. A child who does not get enough sweet foods becomes tearful, irritable, or aggressive.
Home Treats: Varieties
Each caring mother is simply obliged to be able to cook homemade sweets for children, so that they turn out to be both tasty and healthy! It's no secret that children often refuse to eat dishes that have become everyday, which is why mothers have to be creative in their cooking. In order to diversify your child’s daily menu, use the following list of sweets that you can cook at home. So, the easiest to cook goodies:
- ice cream (can be prepared from both fruit and dairy products);
- jellied jellies;
- chocolate pieces with dried fruits;
- pastille (from apples);
- natural marmalade.
Below you will find original recipes for sweets for children, which can be prepared independently from natural and healthy products.
Natural marmalade - a storehouse of vitamins
Every day, millions of mothers around the world are confronted with many issues related to raising their babies. What sweets can children have? This topic is the stumbling block between young mothers. Some believe that children need to be pampered and allowed to eat whatever their heart desires, but most adhere to a different point of view. They are confident that the kids deserve to eat quality products, among the latter should be present and healthy sweets for children. Here is a recipe for unusual marmalades, which even the most spoiled peanut will definitely like!
Necessary ingredients: gelatin - 20 g, orange juice - 0.5 cups, lemon peel - 50 g, sugar - 300 g, water.
Step 1. Prepare jelly (pour gelatin over the juice and leave for 10 minutes).
Step 2. Boil the syrup over low heat: add 5 tbsp. To sugar. l water and cook until it is completely dissolved, then add the zest of citrus fruits.
Step 3. Pour the gelatin mass into the ready-made syrup, mix thoroughly until smooth. Pour into molds and let cool.
Such marmalades can be eaten at least every day, because they are full of vitamin C (due to the addition of citrus fruits).
Homemade Chocolate: The Easiest Recipe
The most favorite treat for adults and children is chocolate. How to cook it at home so that it is not only tasty, but also healthy? We share the simplest recipe. So, for cooking you will need the most ordinary products: butter - 50 g, cocoa powder - 5-6 tbsp. l., milk - 200 ml, sugar - 2 tbsp. l., and you can still a pinch of cinnamon.
Step 1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, alternately add cocoa, sugar and milk.
Step 2. Simmer, stirring constantly. Boil.
Step 3. Pour into molds, let cool. Finished pieces can be laid out on a saucer and served with tea.
Chocolate sweets for children, the photos of which you see above, can be prepared for adults.
Chocolate Bar Options
You can experiment with chocolate endlessly, it always turns out amazingly delicious goodies. The following ideas will help diversify your choco dessert.
- During cooking, add slices of nuts and dried fruits to the chocolate mass, the best combination is obtained with candied fruits and raisins.
- The finished mixture of cocoa, milk and sugar can be poured into molds from a set of chocolates. When they cool, they will have a very beautiful and appetizing look.
- You can add a little hot pepper to your homemade treat. Remember that Maya made real chocolate? They cooked it with red pepper, such a drink was considered the "fiery gift of the gods."