Can babies eat honey cooked in food

When Is It OK for Babies to Eat Honey?

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

You may have heard about some of the benefits of honey. Parents looking for an alternative to sugar often turn to honey as a more natural choice. However, you should not give honey to your baby if they are under the age of one. Honey can cause botulism, which is a type of food poisoning, in babies under one year old. Babies should not have honey in any form, even cooked in baked goods.

Learn about the dangers of giving honey to babies and when it's safe for your baby to eat honey. When given at the right age, honey can be a part of your child's healthy diet.

Symptoms of Botulism

Giving honey to babies under 12 months has been associated with a rare, but serious, condition called infant botulism. Infant botulism is caused by exposure to the spores of a bacteria. Clostridium botulinum bacteria spores can grow and multiply in your baby's intestines. This produces a dangerous toxin that causes infant botulism.

Infant botulism occurs most often in babies under six months old. Most adults and older children have defenses in their intestines that prevent the spores from germinating and reproducing. Honey is not the only source of the spores that cause botulism. These spores can also be present in soil or dust. The symptoms of infant botulism can be mild or severe and can include:

Overall weakness or floppiness
Slow feeding
Constipation
Loss of facial expression
Reduced gag reflex

Nutritional Information About Honey

Because honey is a natural sweetener, many people think it's healthier than sugar. Honey does contain trace amounts of:

Vitamins
Minerals
Electrolytes
Enzymes
Amino acids
Flavonoids

However, to get the benefits of these nutrients, you would have to eat far more honey than is healthy. Honey is a sugar and is high in calories. Honey is considered an added sugar, so it should be eaten in moderation.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that you not give children under the age of 2 any added sugars at all. The sugar that naturally occurs in fruits, whole grains, beans, or dairy is not considered added sugar. These natural sugars are necessary for your baby to grow and develop. Added sugars may be labeled as sucrose, dextrose, and, yes, honey. These are associated with a higher risk of insulin resistance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes.

Once your toddler is two, the AAP recommends they have no more than 25 grams, or 6 teaspoons, of added sugars daily. Honey can be used in place of sugar as long as it doesn't exceed the recommended amount.

Benefits of Honey

Cough suppressant. One clear benefit of honey is how effective it is as a cough suppressant. In a study of 105 children ages 2 to 18 who had upper respiratory infections, honey was more effective at relieving nighttime coughing than cough medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the AAP recommend honey as a natural and effective cough suppressant.

Wound healing. Honey has also been shown to be effective in treating some wounds and burns. Honey has anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Some studies have shown honey to be as effective as conventional treatments for acute wounds and superficial partial-thickness burns. However, more studies will need to be done to recommend it for medical use.

Types of Honey

There are over 300 types of honey. You can buy honey that is either raw or pasteurized. Unlike some raw foods, raw honey is considered safe to eat for children over 12 months old. Raw honey is the least processed type of honey and probably has the most nutrients. Honey's flavor and color change depending on the type of plants that bees used to make it.

Some of the different types of honey include:

Acacia honey. This light honey has a floral scent but doesn't change the taste of foods you use it in.
Clover honey. This is the most common type of honey in the US. It's a light honey with a sweet taste. It has a bit of a bitter aftertaste.
Buckwheat honey. This is dark, full-flavored honey that is good in marmalade. This is also the type of honey that was used in the study as a cough suppressant.

Manuka honey. This is a dark honey that is made from the Manuka bush in New Zealand. It contains antioxidants, along with antibacterial and antifungal properties. It has been used topically to treat burns, cuts, and sores.

Can I Give My Baby Cooked Foods Containing Honey

You have probably heard that honey should never be given to babies under one year of age. The reason for this is that honey may contain bacteria that could lead to botulism. Once your baby reaches 12 months of age, his digestive system should be developed enough to kill the spores responsible for botulism infection.

We’ve received a few e-mails in the past from parents who have discovered this information after feeding honey to their babies, which – understandably – caused them a great deal of worry! If you do inadvertently give your baby honey, do bear in mind that – although botulism is a serious condition – it is rare.

The symptoms of botulism poisoning tend to appear within 18-36 hours – so if you gave the honey to your baby before then, it’s likely there will be no problems at all. If you gave it to him within that time frame, then the signs to look for include

constipation (usually the very first symptom)
difficulties in feeding – baby’s sucking action becomes weak
lethargy and lack of facial expression
weak cry
breathing difficulties
drooling more than usual

You should, of course, immediately consult your child’s doctor if any of these symptoms are present, or if you have any concerns.

Another question we are sometimes asked is whether or not it is safe to give babies cooked items containing honey, such as certain breads and breakfast cereals.

Our personal recommendation is to give these food items a miss until your little one is 12 months old. Opinion is somewhat divided on this issue -The National Honey Board, for example, states on its website

Spores are inactivated when manufactured food products (such as cereals or nuts) receive a roasting heat treatment. Graham crackers or cereal, for example, would not contain any viable microbial spores

However, other sources – including child health expert Dr Greene – state that

Because the spores are so heat-resistant, there is a theoretical risk for babies eating even processed foods containing honey.

Indeed, whilst honey may be cooked in the production of these products, it is not generally heat pasteurized, so botulism spores may still be present.

Our opinion in this situation is that the risk – however small – is not worth taking, since there are so many other wonderful foods that your little one can be consuming during his first year. Also, offering too many sweet foods – even those sweetened with honey – can lead to a preference for sugary flavours, which certainly isn’t a preference your little one is born with!

And if you DO need to sweeten any foods for your baby, then use a sweet fruit puree instead – our trust favourite is banana, which we use often to sweeten tart foods for our little one and which adds its own nutritious elements to the dish!

Honey - description, benefits and harms, calories, cooking methods.

Bakery

Chicken bagels

2 hours

water —

150 ml

dry yeast —

4 g

salt -

6 g

sugar —

12 g

vegetable oil —

15 ml

flour —

300 g

semolina

honey -

sesame

chicken fillet —

100 g

Bulgarian pepper —

100 g

black pepper —

2. 5 g

Dessert

Guryev porridge version

Baked mackerel with vegetable garnish

1 hour

mackerel —

2 pcs.

olive oil

black pepper

cardamom

grainy mustard -

1 tsp.

lemon peel

lemon juice

potato —

2 pcs.

vegetable oil

Bulgarian pepper —

1 pc.

bulb onions -

1 pc.

Cherry tomatoes

mustard

sour cream

greenery

Salads

Citrus couscous salad

15 minutes

couscous -

100 g

orange —

1 pc.

grapefruit —

0.66 pcs.

lemon —

0.25 pcs.

leaf lettuce

cashew nuts -

70 g

mustard —

1 tsp.

honey —

1 tsp.

olive oil

sprouted peas

Hibiscus tea with grapefruit

Almond oatmeal

10 minutes

Almond milk —

200 ml

oat flakes —

50 g

butter —

30 g

honey —

1 st. l.

banana chips

Red currants

pumpkin seeds

sunflower seeds

coarse flaxseed

almond

kumquat

black sesame

blueberry

Coconut panna cotta with peach

Salad with arugula and pear

what foods should not be eaten by children and how to teach them to eat right?

Proper nutrition of children is underestimated by many. After all, our parents, grandparents somehow grew up without this knowledge. But in fact, the older generations, who grew up in conditions of total scarcity, did not have to fight temptations. They just didn't exist. And the products that were available were much more suitable for the definition of proper nutrition than the food that children now eat. And it's not even about fast food, the dangers of which are known to almost everyone. Nutritionists and other children's doctors spoke about what foods children should not eat and how to teach them to eat right in an interview with MIR 24.

“Nutrition is one of the main factors determining the normal development of a child, it has the most direct impact on his growth and health,” says pediatrician, senior medical consultant of Teledoctor 24 Maria Mamedova . - It is most important to observe the principles of rational nutrition in children of early and preschool age. This period is characterized by intensive growth processes, improvement of the functions of many organs and systems, especially the nervous system, enhanced metabolic processes, and the development of motor activity.

What not to eat for babies and preschool children

Vinogradov pediatrician Vladislav Zyablitsky , in addition to harmful foods for children of all ages, pediatricians emphasize foods that children under 3 years old should not eat. Here they are.

Seafood such as shrimp, mussels, crabs (allergic).
Sausages, sausages, sausages (overflowing with flavors, dyes, preservatives).
Lamb, fatty pork, meat of waterfowl (geese and ducks) - contain an excessive amount of refractory fats of animal origin.
Melon and grapes (increase gas production and increase the load on the pancreas).
Everyone's favorite delicacy is ice cream (has an increased level of fat content, sugar content, harmful additives that can cause allergies).
Honey if the child is prone to food allergies.
"Adult" non-adapted milk (dangerous with allergies, problems with the gastrointestinal tract, reduced immunity of the child's body, metabolic disorders, atherosclerosis and arterial hypertension in the future).
Cakes, cakes, sweets, chocolate, puff or shortbread cookies, other confectionery. They are crammed with food additives, sugar, fat, but contain almost no nutrients.
Cocoa - due to the high fat content of the drink and the invigorating alkaloid theobromine.
Do not give tomatoes until 1 year of age (they overload the kidneys).
Only after 1.5 years is it permissible to give the child garlic, onion, bell pepper in small amounts.
Pickled cucumbers and pickled tomatoes should not be given until 2 years of age (due to bacteria).
Nuts, especially peanuts (very strong allergens).
Celery (excessively activates the activity of the pancreas).
Red and black caviar is forbidden up to 5 years (very allergenic, includes preservatives; contains excess salt, which is fraught with kidneys). For the same reason, salted fish is prohibited.
Mushrooms - the child's body does not contain enough enzymes to digest them. In addition, mushrooms accumulate radioactive substances and heavy metals.

Strictly not recommended for all children, regardless of age: salty crackers, chips, french fries, hamburgers and other fast food.

“The best way to avoid a child's love for such food is not to go to places where it is sold. Confidently walk past the bright signs of fast food restaurants, ignore the aroma of pies in a kiosk near the subway, forget about noodles and instant soups. After all, this food is a direct path to obesity, diabetes, to malfunctions of the immune and cardiovascular systems,” says Maria Mammadova. The pediatrician adds a few more to the list of products prohibited for preschoolers.

Semi-finished products . It is fast, convenient, but not useful for children whose gastrointestinal tract is imperfect - the processes of digestion, the production of enzymes and bile in preschool children are still immature. The nutritional value of semi-finished products is a dubious question, and one can only guess about the qualitative composition of their components. For the production of semi-finished products, vegetable proteins are often used, which are inferior to meat and fish in terms of amino acid composition. Excess salt in ready-made semi-finished products creates an unnecessary burden on the child's kidneys, food additives provoke allergies, spices irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa, starch and soy are poorly digested, causing functional disorders of the digestive system.
Minced meat for children's food is best prepared by yourself, as the store-bought often contains a lot of fat, connective tissue, and bird skin. The same applies to minced fish: it is prepared from low-value fish varieties, and only a production specialist can control the quality of the product.
Sausages . Some parents sometimes replace a full-fledged meat or fish dish on the children's table with sausages - for the same reasons of saving time. The cost of a kilogram of the most optimal quality sausages is almost equal to the price of meat (veal, beef, pork), and sometimes even higher. But this does not mean at all that meat of a certain category is present in the composition of the product in the amount stipulated by the regulations. According to GOST, premium sausages consist of beef, pork, powdered milk or cream and eggs. If the product is of a lower grade, then it contains up to 10% trimmed meat, starch and a protein stabilizer. However, on the shelves of shops there are mainly sausages made according to specifications - according to the standards created by the manufacturing enterprise itself. That is why the composition of the product changes and becomes “richer”: various fillers (cheese, paprika), soy, sodium nitrite (color stabilizer) and monosodium glutamate (flavor enhancer), ascorbic and citric acid, as well as salt and spices are added to it. All these components, depending on the concentration in the product, adversely affect the health of the child.
Smoked meat and fish products today are often produced not by the traditional method of smoking, which is also not very useful, but with the use of a special (and very harmful to the human body) substance that gives the product the necessary taste, smell and color.
Carbonated soft drinks . This is a fully synthetic product. And even a certain percentage of natural juice in the composition of some "soda" is not able to compensate for the harm that artificial dyes, preservatives, flavors, sweeteners and carbon dioxide cause to a fragile body. They not only affect the gastrointestinal tract of the child, spoil the tooth enamel, but can also provoke a lot of serious diseases. The best drink for a child is water (clean drinking, from two years old - non-carbonated, but not medicinal), freshly squeezed juice diluted with water, fruit or dried fruit compote, berry juice.
Vegetables and fruits "out of a can" . There are very few vitamins in products of enhanced heat treatment and long shelf life. Canned vegetables contain a lot of salt and vinegar, fruits - a lot of sugar. And if this is not home preservation, then also synthetic preservatives. Children should be introduced to such products no earlier than seven years. It is better to freeze vegetables, fruits and berries in summer and autumn in order to cook delicious vegetable stews, casseroles, berry fruit drinks and fruit desserts in winter. Or buy ready-made frozen products, remembering that the shock freezing method is the most gentle.
Mayonnaise and ketchup . Homemade mayonnaise, a product with a high fat content, can be given to a child only after three years, in small quantities and not systematically. From ready-made mayonnaise, which contains flavors, flavors, dyes, thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers and preservatives, it is better to refuse altogether. Ketchup also does not apply to baby food. There are a minimum of vitamins and nutrients in it, hot spices will harm the children's body, and they are produced using all the same preservatives and synthetic additives (to improve color, taste, aroma).

You can, but be careful: from sweets to spices

This group includes products that children, according to Maria Mamedova, can use under certain conditions, although they can only be introduced from the age of three and they should not be present in the diet constantly.

Sweets . Experts believe that chocolate is contraindicated for children under three years old. It creates an extra load on the pancreas, causes allergies, excites the nervous system of the crumbs, and can provoke caries. An alternative to chocolate are sweets made from carob, a sweet powder made from the pulp of carob. It tastes like cocoa, is very healthy and, unlike chocolate, has no "side effects".

The later the child gets acquainted with sweets, the better. But since everything sweet is a source of easily digestible carbohydrates that the body needs, as a dessert, you can occasionally offer your child a little marshmallow, marshmallow, marmalade, jam (while remembering the dangers of synthetic dyes and flavors). It is even better to replace store-bought sweets with berries and fruits, honey (if there is no allergy), dried fruits, sweets and homemade jam.

Flour products . Their regular use provokes excess weight. You can sometimes allow your child to eat a bun or a pie (for an afternoon snack), but it is better to limit yourself to biscuit cookies or drying. Products made from puff, shortbread, pastry, which include margarine, should be completely abandoned - its components increase the level of cholesterol in the blood and provoke the development of vascular diseases in the future.

Herbs and spices . They make the taste and aroma of food richer, but seasonings for children's food must be selected very carefully. After a year, greens (dill, parsley, cilantro) can be added to the child’s food, from 1.5-2 years old - onions, garlic (in hot dishes), from 3 years old - bay leaf. Spices used in adult dishes can irritate a child's esophageal mucosa or provoke allergies.

Ready mixes of spices, various flavoring seasonings should not be added to food for a child, because in addition to the main components, they contain a lot of salt and various preservatives.

Instant cereals . It is very convenient to use them - you do not need to wash the cereal, wait until it is cooked. It is enough just to pour boiling water over a portioned bag, in which everything is already included - sugar, fruit or chocolate, cream or milk. And also - flavors, flavor enhancers and other synthetic additives. The nutrients and vitamins that whole grains contain are lost during the numerous processing steps. Therefore, the use of such porridge in baby food is justified only in emergency cases. For example, on the road - it's still better than eating sausage or fast food.

How to teach a child to eat healthy food?

“First of all, by example,” says Maria Mamedova. - If the house does not eat junk food, then the child will daily want what he is used to from an early age. Scientists say that even during pregnancy and breastfeeding, the future mother's cravings for certain foods are passed on to the child.

It is important to prepare the right snacks in advance so that children between meals do not grab cookies or candy from the table, but fruit or granulated bran. Delicious and healthy at the same time.

If there is soda or sweet store-bought juice in the refrigerator, you can give a 100% guarantee that the child will drink it first of all, and not the vital clean water. Therefore, the water filter should be in the most visible place so that it constantly catches the eye.

“Watch what your child eats and praise the correct choice. Focus on those products, the consumption of which leads to health, beauty and excellent sports achievements: depending on what he is passionate about,” says Maria Mammadova.

Healthy substitutes can be found for most unhealthy foods. Potato and corn chips will replace dried fruit slices. Instead of candy, you can eat dried fruits and dried berries. It is important not to confuse with candied fruits, in which there is no less sugar than in candies.

Eating regularly reduces the number of snacks, which means better control of what children eat. If breakfasts, lunches and dinners are held at a common table with adults, then the opportunities to intercept a couple of sweets instead of soup are significantly reduced. But healthy snacks are also not harmful, this is the key to the good functioning of the digestive system. Make them accessible and child-friendly. What can be used if there is no time to cook?

Cut carrots, sweet peppers, cucumbers into containers.
No artificial additives and no saturated fat popcorn is a great whole grain snack.
Pour fruit and vegetable smoothies into small bottles.
Place the bowl of fruit where it can be easily seen.

Let the children participate in menu design so they become more interested in the outcome. It's always nice to get exactly what you ordered, what you like, for dinner. Do not force yourself to eat unloved foods, no matter how useful they may be. You can always find an equally useful replacement. And pay attention to the fact that healthy products are of high quality.

Reduce the amount of simple sugars in your diet. To do this, it is not at all necessary to put the child on a diet - just look at the label of those products that you buy out of habit, not paying attention to the composition.

Replace your traditional loaf with whole grain bread.
Instead of sweet yoghurt, choose natural yoghurt with a fat content of no more than 1-3%.
Make homemade cookies instead of store bought.
The best replacements for store-bought drinks are water and fruits or fruit and vegetable smoothies.
Try to avoid trans fats. They are most commonly found in processed foods, fast food, fried foods, frozen pizzas, pies, cookies, margarines, and sandwich mixes.
If fried foods are a big part of your diet, try gradually switching to stews, steamed or baked foods.

It is important to maintain a pleasant atmosphere while eating. It is better to postpone the showdown and "debriefing" for another time. TVs and tablets should also be turned off. When a person is busy watching a cartoon or TV show, his brain does not think about food, which adversely affects digestion and leads to obesity.

“By the way, the correct process of eating can be learned from babies,” says Maria Mamedova. “They only eat when they are hungry, they chew their food thoroughly, giving it all their attention. And they stop eating as soon as they are full. At the same time, children under three years old cannot be forced to eat foods that they do not like. And they choose, as a rule, exactly those that the body needs at the moment.

Schoolchildren and adolescents: six elements of their healthy diet

In school-age children, the need for basic nutrients and energy remains high and is due to physiological and biochemical characteristics: accelerated growth and development, differentiation of various organs and systems, especially the central nervous system, and the intensity of metabolic processes.

“It is important to follow a differentiated approach to determining nutritional needs depending on the type of student's activity,” says Maria Mamedova. - So, for schoolchildren studying in specialized schools with increased mental and physical stress (mathematical, with the study of foreign languages, sports schools, etc. ), the total calorie content of the diet should be increased by 10% of the age norm. During the child's stay in health-improving institutions (holiday camps, forest schools, etc.) due to increased energy consumption (intensive physical education, swimming, hiking, etc.), it is also advisable to increase the calorie content of the diet by 10% with a uniform increase in all nutrients and preservation a balanced diet."

According to the expert, a properly established diet is of great importance for school-age children. It is most expedient to establish the following diet: 1st meal - at 8:30; 2nd - at 12:00-13:00, 3rd - at 15:30 - 16:00, 4th - at 19:00. Breakfast and dinner should be 25% of the daily calorie intake, second breakfast - 15%, and lunch - 35% of the daily calorie intake.

If possible, school breakfasts should be hot. If this is not possible, then a milk-fruit breakfast (milk, bun, sweet curd cheese or processed cheese, fresh fruit) can be recommended. Lunch should consist of soup, a second course of meat (fish) and a side dish, a sweet dish (compote, jelly, juice or fresh fruit). It is desirable that before the first course there is a salad of fresh vegetables or a vinaigrette. A teenager can already be offered radishes, radishes with sour cream or vegetable oil, tomatoes, fresh cucumbers with green onions and sour cream instead of salad before meals. Vegetables stimulate appetite, promote the release of digestive juices and improve digestion.

According to Maria Mammadova, there are six groups of products that are simply vital for the full growth and development of a teenager.

Complex carbohydrates . These are the main suppliers of energy, which is so necessary with rapid growth. They are found in cereals and cereals.
Products containing protein . These are animal meat, poultry and fish. Protein is the main building material for soft tissues and internal organs. And, by the way, meat, especially red meat, contains iron, a lack of which can cause anemia in a teenager.
Vegetable fiber . It is nothing but vegetables, root vegetables and fruits. Fiber is necessary for the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract and cleansing the body of toxins due to the natural antioxidants contained in these products.
Vegetable fats . These are vegetable oils and various nuts. Eating these foods can be a great way to help a teenager avoid the common problems of hair loss and brittle nails at this age.
Milk and dairy products . These are irreplaceable suppliers of calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus in the nutrition of adolescents.
Pure drinking water . For normal functioning of the body, you need to drink an amount of water per day at the rate of 30 ml per 1 kg of body weight. That is, a teenager who weighs 50 kg should drink 1.5 liters of pure water, not counting other liquids.

And if the younger generation adheres to these simple nutritional recommendations, health and normal development will be ensured.

“If in adolescence a person does not get used to healthy food and does not begin to eat right, then it will be quite difficult for him to change his habits and eating habits. And problems associated with malnutrition can manifest themselves not only in being overweight, but also in the development of various diseases, ”says the doctor.

If you are serious about improving your child's diet, do not try to do it in one day. Here are a few steps to help you transition smoothly to a new diet.