Complementary food: vegetables

After several days talking about supplementary feeding I start to break down the different types of food according to the groups that are most recommended at the beginning of the complementary feeding (vegetables, fruit, cereals and meat) and I do it with the vegetables, although it could have started with any other.

Vegetables and vegetables are an interesting source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. They have little caloric value (adults, to lose weight, we eat a lot of vegetables) and that is why it is recommended to give a small amount and accompany it when possible with other foods such as legumes, rice and / or meat.

Up to 12 months should be offered after taking a milk (because the most important thing is still milk), although if the baby takes a bottle some meals can be made without the presence of milk (because with two or three bottles you can easily reach the 500 ml recommended while breastfeeding should take several shots a day to reach the same amount).

Returning to the issue of calories, so you can get an idea of ​​the energy they provide, the carrot has 35 Kcal per 100 grams, green beans 33 and tomato 19. Breast milk provides an average of 70 Kcal per 100 ml.

I suppose that seeing these figures you will reach the same conclusion that I reached. Some pediatricians rush to introduce vegetable and meat porridge (or even fruit porridge) so that children get fat and, seeing the figures, it makes no sense.

On the one hand, it must be taken into account that if an infant is fed on demand and is healthy, he does not need to gain weight. Just as there are adults with more appetite and others with less, there are children with more or less caloric needs. Just as there are tall and thin adults, there are tall and thin children.

On the other hand we have already seen that vegetables have very few calories. Even the typical Spanish vegetable porridge with chicken has a variable amount of calories depending on the amount of chicken or oil that is introduced (and you can not put too much meat, which we go over protein), with an average of 50 Kcal per 100 grams of porridge, less than 70 Kcal of breast milk.

By this I mean that it makes no sense to place hopes on vegetables and meat as a method of fattening if they have fewer calories than breast milk and artificial milk.

I have already said it in other entries, but just in case I say it again, complementary feeding is intended to provide new nutrients to babies, but above all to allow them to learn to eat as we adults do and to know new textures, smells, flavors and colors.

Vegetables

The potato is a vegetable that can start offering at six months.

The turnip and beet contain a high amount of nitrates (if you remember the entries on the water, an excess of nitrates in the diet of the children can cause methemoglobinemia), so it is advisable to avoid them at the beginning and start with them towards 12 months, which is when they tolerate and effectively manage these foods.

The carrot also concentrates nitrates, but it contains beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A) that is beneficial for babies. They can start eating carrots at six months, although there are guides that recommend offering them from 7-9 months on the subject of nitrates (really all vegetables concentrate nitrates to a greater or lesser extent, the riskiest being the ones that concentrate the most).

Vegetables

They can start taking them from six months avoiding spinach, cabbage and asparagus (and in general leafy vegetables), which are rich in nitrates and are recommended for 12 months.

Some of the ones they can take are green beans, onion, zucchini (seeded), leek, sweet potato, squash, celery and broccoli.

The tomato deserves to be lied apart. It is more allergenic than other vegetables and many children are caused by skin rashes around the mouth (by contact), which make a similar reaction in the stomach suspect.

There are authors who recommend it after 12 months and others who comment that after 6 they can already take it (I lean more towards six months and if we see skin reaction remove it).

Preparation

They are cooked (vegetables and vegetables) with little water to take advantage of the nutrients that remain in the broth and drain well to not fill the stomach with the broth.

When you make vegetable porridge, you usually cook several vegetables at once. It is not wrong, but it can also be done individually if desired.

A little oil can be added to increase the caloric value. If you plan to store it for another time it is preferable to freeze it to leave it several days in the fridge as it can form nitrates.

Vegetables can be crushed or crushed with a fork or you can prepare small pieces that can be picked up with your fingers. The Russian salad is ideal (without sauces or condiments).

If we choose this solution we must think that at six months they are not usually able to take small pieces, so it is better to give them rather large pieces, the size of their fist and a little more, since it will be that excess that they can eat.

The potitos

Ideally, the food is as natural as possible and that is why it is recommended that you cook at home instead of buying baby food. These are usually recommended for isolated days when you eat out or don't have time to cook.

Personally I do not see the utility because if one day you can not give vegetables, then it is not given. Absolutely nothing happens. That day he is given something else or simply given milk. In addition, it should be borne in mind that many vitamins are lost in the manufacturing process and some brands add additives that may be allergenic to some children.

In case of opting for them, it is very important to look at the composition because sometimes they introduce food too soon (fish in a pot labeled “from 6 months”, for example) and take into account that the mixture of ingredients has already been tested by the baby (that we have already given all the foods that contains the potito at some time and has not caused any allergic reaction).

Photos | Flickr (superbez), Flickr (jessicafm)
In Babies and more | If you do not like vegetables, it is by instinct, Tomatoes in infant feeding, Potitos or purees: health and economy, Complementary feeding: "Baby-led Weaning"

Video: 6 Vegetable Puree for 6 months baby. stage 1 - homemade baby food recipe. 6 months babyfoodrecipe (March 2024).