Is Coffee Good For Children?

If I ask you to sit back and analyze how many cups of coffee do you have in a day most of you might come up with a figure of 3 or more; A cup with breakfast, another during the morning commute, a few lattes at the office, and an espresso after dinner…… Children tend to copy what their elders do and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you if one day your child asks you for his/her cup of coffee to give you company.

Should you fulfill his/her desire? What age is appropriate for letting your children start having coffee? These are some questions which might come to the minds of many inquisitive parents who are concerned about the well being of their children. Well, here is some help regarding the same.

1.Children who consume more than recommended amount of caffeine are 60% more likely to become obese.
2.It contains empty calories, that is, calories which have no nutrients. If your kid fills up his/her stomach with these calories then his/her input of other important nutrients like vitamins and minerals is hindered thus leading to nutritional deficiencies. For example if your kid is substituting caffeine for milk, then he is actually cutting down on calcium which is needed to make bones and teeth strong. It is also known to retard growth in children. Studies show that 5mg of calcium is lost for every 6 ounces of coffee consumed.
3.As caffeine is diuretic, it flushes out a lot of water (in form of urine) from the body leading to dehydration. Kids need to drink plenty of water to keep them hydrated and not get dehydrated by drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks.
4.It can aggravate heart problems and nervous disorders and if your child gets addicted to coffee then this might put his/her life at risk.
5.It contains compounds which combine with iron and make it difficult to be absorbed by the body. This might lead to iron deficiency in some cases.