Baby food: Fromage frais vs yogurt
I know that Baby Girl likes both. I know she might have a slight preference for fromage frais. But initially I didn’t exactly know why yogurt brands, like Yeo Valley, are introducing fromage frais for little ones. In fact, I ended up Googling it, but whenever I Google mummy-topics I only seem to come across forums, so I thought it was better to ask an expert.
Here’s what Juliette Kellow, consultant nutritionist for Yeo Valley, said when I asked her about fromage frais:
What’s the difference between fromage frais and yogurt?
Kellow: Yogurt is made by adding harmless bacteria to milk, which causes it to ferment. This thickens the milk and produces its popular tangy flavour. Fromage frais is a smooth and creamy fresh soft cheese. Like yogurt, it’s made from milk that’s heated and has harmless bacteria added to it. But it also has an enzyme called rennet added to it, which helps to turn it into curds and whey. It’s the curd that forms the basis of fromage frais.
Why is fromage frais a good option for babies and young children?
Kellow: The smooth, creamy texture of fromage frais (and yogurt) makes it a particularly convenient weaning food – there’s no need for blending or mashing. It’s also a nutritious choice and provides protein, which is important for the growth or maintenance of muscle, and calcium, a nutrient that’s needed for the normal growth and development of bone in children. Getting babies into the habit of enjoying dairy products such as fromage frais (and yogurt) means they’ll be more likely to enjoy these foods throughout life from the toddler years into childhood, the teenage years and adulthood. And that’s great news as dairy products form an important part of a healthy, balanced diet at all stages of life.
Yeo Valley has launched a new range of Little Yeo’s Fromage Frais, which are ideal for weaning. The products are organic and contain no artificial sweeteners, colours or preservatives. One of the packs in the range (pictured above) also contain no added refined sugar, and Baby Girl has tested this and it was a great hit with her!
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Thanks, this is really helpful! I’d always assumed the main difference was that fromage frais contained more sugar than yogurt, which was obviously a misconception I’d picked up somewhere…
Glad to hear it was useful for you too, Jen!