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How To Make Healthy Food For Babies: Ten Options:
Cooking healthy food for your babies is easier than you might think. In this article, you will get the best tips and some new ideas you can use.
If you have already started supplementing your baby’s diet with regular food, you should read this article. Here you will learn how to make healthy food for babies without much effort.
Take a look at these options, but remember to always talk to your pediatrician before trying anything new. It is also worth noting that it is now that the baby begins to develop his sense of taste, so it is worth trying a variety of flavors.
You can of course customize these recipes according to the food your baby has already tried and likes. Remember that it is recommended to add dishes one at a time to detect any food allergies.
Making healthy food for babies
This list is just an example. Follow the recommendations of your pediatrician when introducing new foods to your child.
Before you start making these useful recipes, it is important to know what foods you can add to your child’s diet depending on their age.
Let’s take a look at some general suggestions:
- Up to 6 months of age: Almost exclusively breast milk or infant formula. Even if you feed with a bottle, you should only gradually add some baby food to your diet between 4 and 6 months.
- Between 6 and 12 months: Fruits, legumes, cereals, vegetables, eggs, meat, fish, chicken, and olive oil.
- Between 12 and 24 months: Yogurt, soft cheese, and milk.
- 3 years and up: Nuts, apple pieces, raw carrot, etc.
Tips for making healthy food for babies
When you shop
- Buy fresh fruits and vegetables and try to use them within three days so that they retain their properties.
- Choose lean meat. A good way to prepare healthy food for babies is to choose lean meat without too much fat. If necessary, you can cut off the fat before cooking. Talk to your pediatrician to find out the best options and quantities for your child.
- If you use BLW (baby-led weaning), remember to use soft meat in small pieces. Do not forget to talk to your doctor about what you plan to use.
When you cook
Hygiene is important when cooking.
- Remember to wash the fruits and vegetables, clean the work surfaces, and use clean utensils for all food. It is important to avoid contamination of the food.
- Minimize the amount of salt you use. The amounts you use should be minimal to avoid damaging your baby’s kidneys. Until one year of age, the child’s intake should not exceed 1 gram a day. They can consume up to 2 grams at the age of three.
- Choose olive oil instead of other fats. Olive oil has monounsaturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E. Consuming unrefined olive oil are always recommended in small amounts when starting to supplement the baby’s diet.
- You can use olive oil for cooking, baking, and frying (as long as you use minimal fat).
Other ideas
- Use broth: Vegetable broth can be great when cooking rice or other grains, such as quinoa. Broth can give cereals many exciting flavors.
- Add milk to purees: If you try to puree your baby, you may notice that it becomes too thick. Add water or milk to make it a little thinner. Even breast milk can be used.
- Freeze the food you do not use: It is a good idea to freeze small portions of food so that you have until later.
10 ideas for making healthy food for babies
Take a look at the foods recommended by your pediatrician and let your imagination set the limits.
Meals for your baby
- Rice with chicken and vegetables: Choose which vegetables you want and cook them with small pieces of chicken until everything is ready. Set aside and cook the rice with broth. When you are done, you can whisk the food to make it a puree, mash with a fork or serve in pieces.
- Zucchini cream: Cook a large potato, a large zucchini, and an onion (peeled and cut into pieces) until done. Use a potato press or fork to get the consistency you want.
- Lentils with vegetables: Cook the lentils together with a peeled and chopped carrot, half a chopped onion and two peeled and pitted tomatoes. When the food is ready, you can mash or serve it as it is.
- Short noodles with tomato sauce: Make a sauce with onion, tomato and carrot cut into small pieces. They will add nutrients to the short noodles.
- Omelet with vegetables: If you have already started to include eggs in your child’s diet, you can make an omelet with different cooked, chopped vegetables. It is light and delicious.
- Vegetable puree with fish: Cook a small zucchini, a potato, leek, and half an onion together with 80 grams of fish without bones. When everything is ready, mix it.
- Meatballs with vegetables: You can freeze these meatballs to always have wholesome meals ready for your baby in minutes. Boil a carrot, a leek, 40 grams of green beans, and 40 grams of lean meat. Drain the excess liquid, grind everything, and shape into meatballs. Instead of frying, you can run them in the oven.
Desserts for your baby
- Mash an apple, a pear, and a banana: Boil an apple and a pear (both peeled, pitted, and diced). When they become soft, take them out and mix them with the banana. If you want the mashed fruit to be lighter, you can add the milk your baby usually drinks. Do not use sugar.
- Banana and orange: This dessert is extremely simple. Mash a banana with a fork and mix with the juice of half an orange. Now it’s ready!
- Yogurt with fruit: Give your child mashed fruit or just small pieces of fruit in yogurt. It will love it!
Conclusion
Making healthy meals for babies is not complicated. You just need to choose healthy ingredients, use fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains, and cook them without added fat, salt, and sugar.
Remember that a child’s stomach is small, and therefore you should not force it to eat. It may seem like a small amount to you, but it’s probably more than enough for your child.
Doctors recommend that you let children eat on their own because they will eat the amount they need.
