Cheese And Yogurt Can Be Complementary For MPASI, Doctor Reminds It To Be Right

Illustration of child MPASI (Freepic)

JAKARTA - In the process of introducing breast milk companion foods (MPASI), not a few parents began to consider the variety of foodstuffs, including processed dairy products such as cheese and yogurt.

These two types of food can be given to babies as complementary to the MPASI, but their use must be wise and in a limited amount. Yogurt and cheese are not the main menu, but rather suitable as an increase in taste or condition to increase the nutritional value and taste of baby food.

This was conveyed by dr. Yoga Devaera, Sp.A(K), Consultant for Nutrition and Child Metabolic Diseases from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia-RSUPN Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo. He emphasized that the use of yogurt and cheese in MPASI is allowed, as long as the portion is adjusted to the needs of children.

"Yogurt can be used, as can cheese, but both are only complementary, not as the main ingredient of the MPASI," explained dr. Yoga as quoted by ANTARA, June 11.

He added that parents should choose the type of yogurt that is natural and has an acidic taste such as freshwater yogurt without adding sugar, because it is closer to pure milk content.

In contrast, sweet yogurt, which is widely sold on the market, contains an additional amount of sugar in high quantities and is not suitable for babies, especially those under the age of one.

"Yogurt, which feels sweet, usually contains quite high sugar levels, because the original sour taste is covered. Even though not all babies can immediately accept acidic taste, they tend to prefer sweet tastes," said dr. Yoga.

The use of yogurt is recommended only as a topping or mixture material, for example to make fruit smoothie or as an additional layer on fire. This is to maintain the benefits of probiotics in yogurt, which can be damaged when cooked in high temperatures.

Meanwhile, for cheese, dr. Yoga reminded that although the taste is not always salty, cheese generally has a high sodium content. This can be a burden for the baby's kidneys that are not yet fully developed.

Milk processing products such as cheese, yogurt, and UHT milk have higher sodium levels than breast milk. Even though it doesn't feel salty, the sodium content still needs to be watched out for because the baby's kidneys are not as strong as adults," he explained.

Therefore, cheese is only recommended in small amounts and is used limited to providing flavor variations in the MPASI menu, not as the main source of children's daily nutrition.