Have you ever wondered about the effects of offering coffee to children? Although it is common for children to come into contact with this drink, it is essential to be aware of the potential negative impacts. The caffeine present in coffee can cause stomach irritation and mood changes in children, requiring a careful approach and attentive to the body’s signals.
According to experts, such as Livia Muniz, a nutritionist specializing in maternal and child nutrition, it is recommended to delay the introduction of coffee into children’s diets as long as possible and limit its daily intake. This is due to the fact that caffeine can be harmful to the stomach of young people, whose gastric mucosa is still developing.
Guidelines from the Ministry of Health suggest waiting until the age of 2 to start offering coffee, and even then only sporadically. In the United States, the guidelines go further, indicating that caffeinated drinks are not suitable for children under 5 years of age. The recommended amount is half a cup of coffee diluted with milk, at separate times from meals so as not to harm iron absorption.
Although coffee intake is not the only determining factor for growth, symptoms associated with excessive consumption, such as changes in sleep and reduced iron absorption, can negatively impact children’s development. Furthermore, it is important to remember that coffee is often consumed with sugar, an ingredient that should not be introduced into children’s diets before the age of two, and even after that age, its consumption should be limited.
