The yoghurt section in the grocery store seems to be expanding every year, and it’s no wonder why! Yoghurt is a versatile food that can be eaten as part of a meal or snack, and can be incorporated into many recipes from dips to dressings to desserts. Yoghurt contains protein, fat and carbohydrates, as well as the nutrients calcium, potassium, phosphorus and is often enriched with vitamin D.
This nutritional profile makes it easy to see why eating yoghurt is good for growing bodies. Babies and toddlers have tiny tummies, making it hard for them to eat a large volume of food at one time. This is why feeding them nutrient-dense foods such as yoghurt is so important.
Aside from the obvious way of serving yoghurt – simply scooped right out of a bowl with a spoon – its versatility lends itself to many meal and snack ideas that make it easy to get more yoghurt into your baby and toddler’s diet.
Here are some delicious ideas:
Yoghurt is a perfect first food for your baby. There is no preparation involved, and they’ll love the cool, creamy texture and mild flavour. Don’t assume they need sweetness! Babies have no expectations that yoghurt “needs” to be sweetened, and oftentimes love its tanginess.
Once your baby progresses to enjoy a variety of fruits and veggies, you can mix yoghurt with mashed fruit such as banana, or blend sweet potatoes with yoghurt and a dash of cinnamon.
Older babies and toddlers love to self-feed, so making a thick muesli with yoghurt-soaked oats mixed with fresh or frozen berries will stick to the spoon making it easier for them to feed themselves. Make sure to soak oats at least four hours or overnight.
Yoghurt parfaits make a simple breakfast – layer yoghurt with fresh or frozen fruit and whole grain cereal or granola.
Have a teething baby? Freeze yoghurt into popsicle moulds, or fill them with leftover fruit and yoghurt smoothie to make a soothing treat.
A dollop of plain yoghurt on a baked sweet potato makes for a tangy topping.
Make a savoury dip with plain yoghurt, dried herbs, a pinch of salt and squeeze of lemon juice. Pair with cut up crunchy vegetables.
Have a DIY yoghurt bar for dessert with a variety of delicious toppings, like crushed nuts, fresh cherries and whole grain cereal. You can crush some Happy Family Organics Tot Super Smart Multi-Grain Alphabet Snacks (R95.05) for a delicious, healthy yoghurt topping. They contain organic sweet potatoes, a touch of cinnamon buckwheat, flax seeds, and 160mg of Omega-3s.
Another way to introduce yoghurt during snack time is to offer is as a delicious dip for your Happy Family Organics Baby Superfood Puffs (R74.54). These delicious snacks encourage self-eating and are enriched with vitamins and minerals. They melt in baby’s mouth and are available in tasty flavours like strawberry and beet, banana and pumpkin and purple carrot and blueberry.
Mix yoghurt and peanut butter for a creamy dip for apple and pear slices.
Happy Family Organics products are available at all Baby City stores, Babies R Us, Wellness Warehouse, Selected Clicks, Selected Spars, Selected Pick N Pay stores, Selected Baby Boom, selected Dis-Chem and selected Medicare pharmacies, and online from Takealot.com, Babiesafrica.com and Faithful to Nature
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