Biscuits are the most popular and easily available snacks. Mostly the creamy ones are loved by children as well.
As an infant starts taking solids, biscuits come handy as they are soft and can be easily absorbed in the milk. Biscuits might be a convenient food, but they are just preservative-laden and lack the nutrients required for a balanced healthy diet.
Biscuits might seem tasty to the kids but are not at all recommended as they are not a healthy addition to the diet. They are not good for the babe and the kids too.
Why Should We Avoid Biscuits For Kids?
The ingredients used in biscuits are of zero nutritional value.
Following are mentioned, the ingredients present in store-brought biscuits that make them unhealthy to be given to a child.
1. Refined Flour
Refined wheat flour or maida is the main component of biscuits. Refined wheat flour offers no nutrition and also takes a long time to digest.
The digestive system and the intestine of babies are not fully developed and would take even more time to digest it.
This is the first reason for avoiding biscuits for a baby.
2. They Contain Trans Fats
Trans fat is a type of fat used in processed food to maintain its shape, flavor, and consistency.
The trans fat completely lacks in nutrition and can pose certain serious health risks(1). They cause an imbalance between good and bad cholesterol levels in the body. It is also known to be a cause of vision problems, nervous disorders, allergic conditions, diabetes and obesity.
3. Sugar
It is known to everyone that sugar is not advised for the babies.
When giving sugar through these commercial packs, we do not even know how much sugar our infant is consuming.
Giving a child food rich in sugar make them crave more for it and they might want to eat biscuits at the expense of a healthy meal(2).
Most often the sugar used in making biscuits is inverted sugar that is sweeter than glucose. Inverted sugar has small size crystals that help in making the composition more uniform. It also helps in holding the moisture well in various recipes.
4. Milk Solids
Milk solids are added to the preparation to give it a smoother feel. It refers to the dried products that are left after all the water is removed from liquid milk.
Milk solids prove to be harmful to the kids with lactose intolerance.
5. Emulsifiers
Emulsifiers are added to the biscuit preparation to stabilize fat and water.
Most emulsifiers are synthesized chemicals that are under strict legal restrictions, on how much it can be used in a food product.
Studies show emulsifiers can mess with the good bacteria that can cause digestive and bowel problems(3).
6. Added Flavors
Added flavors include vanilla or any other fruit flavor, all of which are completely synthetic. These cannot be considered to be given to the baby at all(4).
Milk bikies biscuits have calcium salt, vitamin, and potassium iodate that improves the nutritional value of biscuits but cannot be of any use to the baby.
Which Biscuits Can Be Good For Babies?
Store brought biscuits should be completely avoided for the babies, even if they display ‘healthy for kids’ in their label.
The best option is to make your own biscuits, as you would know about the ingredients used.
Choose the biscuits that fall in the following category:
- Whole wheat
- Homemade
- No artificial sugar
- No salt
- No baking powder
- No preservative or additive
For the babies who have started with solid foods, there are a lot of healthy options for food items to choose from. Make sure you make healthy choices for your child that includes fruits and vegetables. They are easier to digest and are healthy too.
If you feel the child is getting bored with the usual stuff, try to make biscuits at home for an occasional snack.
