It should be remembered that the children's organism is much slower than in adults digesting certain foods. The assimilation and withdrawal of certain substances has its own nuances, which must be reflected in the diet. The use of certain products should be limited, or completely prohibited. The prohibition of caffeine in baby food is complicated primarily because this substance can be found in very many products that are attractive to children. We can not always control what our children eat in school, than they are treated at a party.
Caffeine in its pure form is obtained from such products as coffee, tea, cocoa. A lot of caffeine is found in natural chocolate, cola. By the way, some varieties of coffee sometimes do not contain as much caffeine as tea, because manufacturers are trying to reduce the cost of the produced beverage and add all kinds of surrogates to instant coffee.
The situation is more complicated with drinks like cola. They contain a lot of caffeine, so advertising does not lie, and their use really enhances the mood and adds energy. In many beverages, caffeine can be kept hidden, and not even be displayed on the label. Independent studies have shown that in the US, about 70% of all carbonated beverages have caffeine in their composition. So far, things are a little better for us. However, only one in ten people is able to taste the caffeine content in a drink.
Using carbonated drinks, in addition to caffeine, children receive excessive sugar. It is the source of excess weight and dental diseases. At the same time in children's nutrition in our time, less milk - the main source of protein and easily digestible calcium.
Adhere to the prohibition of caffeine in baby food should be because it causes excitation of the nervous system, affects the heart and blood vessels, is addictive. The child's body absorbs caffeine much more slowly than it does in adults. Therefore, even a seemingly small dosage has a negative effect. Of course, you should not forbid a child to eat one or two chocolate candies, it's better than lollipops. But do not turn the consumption of chocolate into a daily habit.
Caffeine increases the systolic volume of the heart (it expands more during each heartbeat) and has a vasodilating effect. Therefore, under reduced pressure, often helps to drink a cup of coffee. Regular use of caffeine supports the body in this state for a long time, and giving up caffeine in turn leads to headaches, fatigue, drowsiness, mood swings, muscle pains, nausea and a condition similar to the flu.
Excitation of the nervous system can be reflected both in the increase in mood and in its lowering. It is well known that a chocolate bar helps to cope with depression. However, if your child refuses to go to bed, is hyperactive, capricious, perhaps it's the caffeine's fault. Therefore, chocolate or a cup of cocoa at night can cause the same consequences as a cup of coffee.
The constant effect of caffeine on the vessels gradually destroys them. The destruction of cerebral vessels can eventually lead to strokes and hemorrhages.
With refusal of caffeine, attention and reaction speed are sharply reduced. Therefore, the morning cup of coffee does not really help us wake up, it just restores the habitual state of the body. Deterioration of the brain and cardiovascular system occurs about a day after the refusal of regular use of caffeine and lasts for two weeks. Getting used to caffeine is very fast, also for a couple of weeks.
In children, the use of caffeine can provoke serious neurological disorders. For example, a nervous tic (spasm of facial muscles, often a twitch of the eye or upper lip) often appears if caffeine is regularly present in baby food. The prohibition of caffeine leads to the fact that the tick is gone.
Caffeine can enter the baby's food not only directly. If during the breastfeeding the mother will drink coffee, especially it concerns natural, ground coffee, caffeine will enter the milk.
The problem of the prohibition of caffeine in children's nutrition is also that the use of caffeine in nutrition causes children not only physical, but also psychological dependence. The child is not able to connect the occurrence of this or that state with what he used to eat before. Even some adults are not able to recognize their dependence on chocolate and coffee.