Choco foods how to#
How do you introduce cacao and chocolate to babies and toddlers with baby-led weaning?Įvery baby develops on their own timeline, and the suggestions on how to cut or prepare particular foods are generalizations for a broad audience. Processed chocolate products often contain common allergens like dairy, soy, and tree nuts (or are processed in the same facility as these allergens). ★Tip: When shopping for chocolate to share with toddlers and young children, aim for semi- or bittersweet products (which are likely to be lower in sugar) and take care to read the label for allergens.
Choco foods plus#
Cacao also provides a range of healthy fats to fuel baby’s energy, plus good amounts of fiber, iron, magnesium, and zinc. Nutritionally, cacao is an incredible source of antioxidants-the darker the chocolate, the higher the antioxidant concentration-as well as plenty of other plant compounds with numerous benefits for the heart, brain, nervous system, and gut health. For older toddlers, cacao and chocolate can be a healthy part of a varied diet, in moderation. In excess, sweeteners like sugar can reduce the diversity of foods your child is interested in eating and even increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes and negatively impact cardiovascular health. Further, cacao and chocolate products are often high in added sugars, which are not recommended until closer to age 2. In excess, caffeine can reduce appetite, cause jitteriness, affect sleep, and exacerbate reflux, and babies are more sensitive to caffeine than older children and adults. Cacao and chocolate contain caffeine and other stimulants, like theobromine, which can impact a child’s development and nervous system. Global demand for chocolate and cocoa powder has serious implications for the health and welfare of the people and land where cacao grows. ★ Tip: When purchasing cacao and chocolate products, check out the Food Empowerment Project and Slave Free Chocolate for reputable chocolate suppliers who are sourcing responsibly. During colonization of the Americas, Europeans adapted the drink by swapping milk for water and indigenous seasonings for sugar produced by enslaved people from Africa, where most cacao grows today. The frothy beverage traditionally consists of cacao, cornmeal, water, and spices like achiote, chile, and vanilla. This tradition continues: as popular as coffee is for some, atole made with cacao is a daily drink for others. Cacao is a sacred plant for the Mayan and Nahua peoples, whose ancestors used it for currency, medicine, ritual, and food-often in the form of a drink. Chocolate comes from cacao, the seeds of a tropical tree that originated in the Amazon and traveled with migration and trade to Central America.
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