Health food for babies
Baby's first foods: The 10 best foods for babies
These 10 first foods are ideal for your baby because they're full of essential nutrients, reasonably priced, easy to prepare, and delicious. Avocados contain healthy fats, while bananas are loaded with potassium. Blueberries are bursting with antioxidants, whereas broccoli offers fiber and folate. Both lentils and meat are packed with protein. Prunes can help with constipation, and yogurt helps form healthy bones and teeth. Sweet potatoes and winter squash are great sources of beta-carotene and vitamin C.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it's important to offer your baby a variety of healthy foods. There are lots of healthy, baby-friendly foods out there, but these 10 recommended by doctors and dietitians alike stand out from the pack. From vitamin-rich fruits and veggies to meats and beans loaded with protein, these superfoods are full of essential nutrients, reasonably priced, easy to prepare, and delicious.
Many are also favorite first foods. Before introducing solids, talk to the doctor about your baby's readiness for solids, and which foods to introduce and when. Then introduce foods one at a time, waiting at least three days after each new food to watch for any allergic reaction.
Avocados
BabyCenter parents are all about avocado as a first food. This buttery fruit-vegetable is rich in healthy unsaturated fats that help boost brain development. In fact, the fat composition of avocados is somewhat similar to that of breast milk.
Serving ideas: Mash avocado with a fork, or make baby guacamole.
Bananas
Known as a good source of potassium, this grab-and-go fruit also contains vitamins B6 and C, fiber, and magnesium.
Serving ideas: Make banana and mango puree. Or, for your little one's first smoothie, puree banana and peach chunks with whole-milk yogurt.
Blueberries
Blueberries are bursting with antioxidants. The deep, brilliant blue of these berries comes from flavonoids that benefit your baby's eyes, brain, and even urinary tract.
Serving ideas: Blend or mash blueberries well and swirl a spoonful of the juicy purple puree into yogurt, or top silky coconut milk rice pudding with blueberry compote.
Broccoli
This cruciferous vegetable is a rich source of essential nutrients, including fiber, folate, and calcium. Introduce your baby to broccoli's bold flavor early, and you'll be expanding their tastes and encouraging a lifelong love of green vegetables.
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Serving idea: Steam until soft, cut into pieces small enough for your child to eat safely, and then chill. Steaming takes the bite out of broccoli, and some babies prefer the texture and taste when it's cold.
Lentils
Beans and other legumes pack lots of lean protein and fiber. But unlike larger beans, little lentils simmer into a pleasing mush just right for baby bites. They're also one of the cheapest healthy foods you can buy.
Serving ideas: Cook finely diced carrots along with the lentils.
As your baby gets older, double up on nutrient-rich foods by making lentil and spinach stew.
Meat
Lack of iron can cause anemia. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends meat as a first food because it's such a great source of protein, zinc, and iron, especially red meat and dark poultry meat. Plus, babies absorb iron more easily from meat than from iron-fortified cereals, another common first food.
Serving ideas: If your baby is new to solids, try our easy turkey or chicken puree recipe. As they get older, introduce new flavors with chicken curry with green beans and zucchini or shepherd's pie.
Prunes
Whether you call them "prunes" or "dried plums," these humble fruits don't sound glamorous – but they're soft, sweet, and full of fiber. Your baby may suffer from constipation when switching to solids, as it's a big change for their system. Add pureed prunes to your baby's diet to aid digestion and keep things moving.
Serving ideas: Serve pureed prunes alone or mixed with other foods, such as oatmeal, cereal, or applesauce, for a naturally sweet treat.
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are one of the more popular first foods for babies, who tend to like both their sweetness and texture. These colorful root vegetables are packed with beta-carotene, vitamin C, and minerals, including iron and copper.
Serving ideas: Serve sweet potato puree alone or swirled into pureed chicken or turkey.
Winter squash
Orange- or yellow-fleshed hard winter squashes such as butternut, acorn, and pumpkin boast many benefits, one of which is they're exceptionally rich in beta-carotene, recognized for being great for eyes. Squash is also an excellent source of vitamin C. Natural sweetness and a creamy texture add to the appeal of winter varieties.
Serving ideas: Roast a winter squash like butternut, scoop out the flesh, and puree it for an easy first food. As your baby gets older, introduce new flavors and textures with dishes like smashed chickpea and butternut chili.
Yogurt
Creamy yogurt is rich in calcium and vitamin D, necessary for healthy bones and teeth.
Your baby can have it at 4 to 6 months, long before they'll be ready for cow's milk.
Opt for plain yogurt with no added sugar. Also look for a brand with the most live cultures, which help regulate the good bacteria in your baby's digestive tract. Make sure you pick up whole-milk yogurt – babies need the calories from fat.
Serving ideas: Yogurt is fine on its own, or swirl in pureed berries or other fresh fruit, applesauce, or mashed avocado.
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Best Foods for Baby (and What to Avoid)
When it comes to feeding baby, there’s no “Top 10” list of superfoods for you to print out, stick on the fridge and follow to a tee. (Sorry!) In fact, experts agree that limiting your little one to only a few “best” foods in their first year (or any year, for that matter) would actually do them a disservice. “The first year of life is when the palate is trained,” says Tina Ruggiero, MS, RD, LD, coauthor of The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet.
“The three rules I tell my clients to follow are: Go for color, think fresh and introduce new flavors and different textures at age-appropriate stages. Following these guidelines, parents will find more than 10 fruits, more than 10 vegetables and more than 10 proteins to try.” And while you’ll also want to talk with baby’s pediatrician for guidance, adding the following great options to baby’s diet—and avoiding a couple first-year no-no foods—will get your kiddo off to a healthy start.
Breast Milk
If you’ve been breastfeeding baby, know that just because your little one is now ready to start solids doesn’t mean you should stop nursing. After all, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for about six months, and then continuing to breastfeed along with giving solids until baby is 12 months old—or longer, if it works for both mom and baby. “The very best food for the first year is breast milk,” says Loraine Stern, MD, FAAP, coauthor of the book Nutrition: What Every Parent Needs to Know.
If you’re using formula, continue until baby is 12 months old or until your pediatrician gives the okay to stop.
Best age for breast milk: Birth and older
Iron-Fortified Cereal
Baby is born with a natural supply of iron, but it’ll be depleted by the time they’re around 6 months old, Stern says, so introducing iron-rich foods is essential. One that fits the bill: Iron-fortified cereal. It doesn’t have to be the traditional first food of rice cereal—oatmeal and barley are good options too—just make sure you start with a single-grain formula.
Best age for iron-fortified cereal: 4 to 6 months and older
Avocados
Avocados are a great first fruit to offer baby, because they’re loaded with monounsaturated fats (that’s the good kind!) and have a mild taste and smooth consistency. They’re super-easy to prepare too: Simply mash a very ripe avocado with a little breast milk or formula until it reaches a pureed consistency.
Best age for avocados: 6 months and older
Sweet Potatoes
Okay, so there’s no baby superfood—but sweet potatoes come pretty close. According to Ruggiero, they’re one of the most nutritious foods for baby. Why? They’re rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A—and that’s important for good vision, healthy skin, normal growth and protection from infections. Plus, many babies like the soft, pudding-like texture of pureed sweet potatoes, says Susan Casey, RD, CD, pediatric clinical dietitian at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Best age for sweet potatoes: 6 months and older
Meat—like chicken, lamb or beef—is an excellent source of protein, as well as iron, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and zinc. Just make sure it’s pureed to a smooth texture. (According to Nutrition, for infants, “even finely chopped meat may be hard to handle and cause choking.”) Try mixing the pureed meat with breast milk and a favorite veggie puree if you’re preparing it yourself, or buy plain pureed jarred meats.
Best age for meat: 7 to 10 months and older
“Beets are an extraordinary nutrient source,” says Ruggiero. “They’re a good source of folic acid, high in potassium and beta-carotene, and they’re a sweet veggie—which babies take a liking to quickly.” Roast or steam them until they’re super-soft; then mash them.
Best age for beets: 11 months and older
Yogurt
Plain (not vanilla) whole-milk yogurt is another protein-rich option for baby—plus, it contains calcium and beneficial live active cultures. (Confused as to why yogurt made with cow’s milk is okay for babies, but actual cow’s milk isn’t? “Very simply, lactose is already broken down with the culturing of the yogurt, and milk proteins are either removed or limited, so it’s easy for baby to digest,” says Ruggiero.)
Best age for yogurt: 9 months and older
Cheerios
Believe it or not, many experts love good old-fashioned Cheerios. The little O’s in the yellow box are an excellent finger food and a good source of fiber.
“I don’t think childhood would exist without Cheerios,” says Stern.
Best age for cheerios: 9 months and older
Check out The Bump’s Finger Foods chart:
Image: The Bump
Foods to Avoid Giving Babies
There’s a plethora of healthy options out there to feed baby–but there are some things you do want to avoid. Make sure anything you offer your little one isn’t a choking hazard, and hold off on the following items:
Honey
Tempted to sweeten up baby’s bland pear sauce with a touch of honey? Don’t. According to Nutrition, “Honey is linked to infant botulism, an illness that can be fatal.” The tummies of babies under age one simply can’t deactivate the botulism spores that might be in honey, Stern says. So avoid this food until baby has passed their first birthday.
Cow’s Milk
Babies can’t easily digest cow’s milk, which is one reason why experts recommend waiting until the one-year mark before offering it.
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
Plus, more from The Bump:
Dig In! A Guide to Starting Solids
A Fool-Proof Guide to Making Baby Food
The Best Finger Foods for Baby
Proper nutrition for children - the basics of a healthy diet for every day
Many parents are much more responsible for organizing the nutrition of their children than they are for their own diet. And it’s completely in vain, because the formation of a culture of healthy nutrition for children is formed not only by compiling an ideal menu for a child. The eating behavior of the whole family is extremely important, which the baby pays attention to and which in the future forms his own eating habits and preferences.
The importance of proper nutrition for children
The development of the child's body is influenced by a combination of factors, but the most important role belongs to food. The development of the child, the formation of basic skills, not only in childhood, but also in adulthood, depends on a diet that is correctly compiled in early childhood.
Proper nutrition improves mental acuity, memory, mood, promotes proper growth and development of the body, helps maintain weight and metabolism. With a balanced healthy diet, you can prevent the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, arterial hypertension and a number of others.
Proper nutrition is one of the main ways to maintain health and a high quality of life for a long time. Most human eating habits are formed in childhood and remain with him for life. Therefore, it is very important that the baby eats properly from the first days of life.
What is the right diet for a child
A healthy diet for a child every day is food that contains all the necessary nutrients.
Unfortunately, today many children make their choice in favor of fast food, and parents do not limit them in any way. Yes, it is quite tasty and such dishes are prepared quickly, which means that you can quickly feed the child without wasting your time preparing food.
But the fact is that fast food is extremely unhealthy, not only for children, but also for adults. It leads to the development of obesity, disrupts metabolic processes, affects the digestive organs, which does not fit into the idea of healthy nutrition at all.
Here are the basic principles of proper nutrition:
- every day on the table there should be products that completely cover the body's need for nutrients;
- nutrition should be balanced;
- food is recommended to be boiled, baked in the oven, steamed, but it is better to refuse fried, smoked, pickled, canned food, as well as fast food;
- if the child has intolerance to certain products, then the menu should be adjusted accordingly.
When to teach a child to eat healthy
It is important to teach your child to eat healthy from an early age. This will help shape your eating habits. A study was conducted in which nutritionists observed the eating behavior of one and a half thousand children from birth to the age of six. It turned out that children who were given little fruits and vegetables in the first year of life refused to eat them at 6 years old. The best age for teaching a child to proper nutrition is from 6 months.
By the way, the baby gets acquainted with many tastes even before his birth. While in the mother's abdomen, he swallows amniotic fluid. The taste of this liquid depends on what a woman eats during pregnancy.
After birth, the baby is breastfed and the taste of milk also depends on the mother's diet. This may be why breastfed babies transition to complementary foods much more easily than formula-fed babies.
It has been proven that the child's perception of new foods is highly dependent on whether they were present in the mother's diet during pregnancy and lactation.
Therefore, a woman needs to be extremely careful about her diet at this time. It should be hypoallergenic, balanced and rational.
Some food preferences are noticeable in a child in the first months of his life. For example, he may enjoy eating salty and sweet foods, while refusing sour or bitter foods. In part, this is a protective function of the body, which, just in case, tries to avoid bitter foods, as they may contain toxic substances. However, not all bitter foods are unhealthy.
Healthy diet for children
The formation of healthy eating habits in children begins with the right diet. Most of all, the body of children and adolescents needs protein. It is a building material for a growing organism, and also compensates for energy losses. The younger the child, the more protein he needs. The most valuable and useful protein product for babies is mother's milk. Also in the children's diet should be vegetable proteins, which are found in legumes and grain products.
Many legumes in terms of protein content can be compared with products such as meat, eggs, cottage cheese, fish.
In addition, the child's body needs essential amino acids that are not produced by the body and must be supplied with food. Amino acids play a huge role in the metabolic processes occurring in the body, and perform many other functions.
The diet must contain fats. These are more concentrated sources of energy than carbohydrates. In addition, the composition of fats includes vitamins A and E, important for the child's body, as well as phospholipids, PUFAs. For children, the best sources of fats are milk, butter, eggs. But the abuse of fats is highly discouraged, as this leads to metabolic disorders, digestive disorders, decreased appetite, and the development of obesity. In addition, excess fat leads to a violation of the absorption of proteins.
Young children need less carbohydrates than fats and proteins. An excess of carbohydrates (especially sugar) impairs the development and growth of children, reduces immunity, and increases the likelihood of developing caries.
Useful sources of carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables, fresh juices, berries.
The children's body is also in dire need of vitamins (especially A and D). With a lack of vitamin D, rickets develops, hypovitaminosis A leads to disruption of the endocrine system. The most important minerals are calcium, iron and iodine.
The key to health for children is to limit the consumption of sweets. Cookies, jam, marshmallows, sweets can be given, but in small quantities and not every day.
Basic Rules
Here is a brief guide for parents on the rules of healthy eating for children:
1. The best example for children is their parents. Therefore, deciding to instill in your child the habits of proper nutrition, start with yourself.
2. Don't let your child snack on the go. The process of eating should take place at the kitchen table, without a phone, TV or tablet. It is necessary that the child was completely focused on eating, the only way to ensure the normal absorption of food.
3. When compiling a menu for every day, consider not only the benefits of the products, but also the tastes of the child, as well as the individual characteristics of his body (allergies, the presence of chronic diseases, and so on).
4. Set a clear diet. The baby should eat at certain hours. There should be at least four meals a day.
5. Buy only fresh and high-quality products in stores. Pay attention to the expiration date and composition.
Remember that by teaching your baby to eat right, you are laying the foundation for his future health.
Possible problems
If a child constantly eats improperly, abuses fast food and other junk food, then the following health problems may develop over time:
- lagging behind peers in development and growth;
- obesity;
- lack of iodine, iron, vitamins and other nutrients in the body;
- gastritis;
- deterioration in general well-being, lethargy, weakness, lethargy.
Some teenage girls start to go on a strict diet to fit the ideals imposed by the fashion world. This negatively affects their health, leads to disruption of the cycle, which in the future may cause the development of infertility.
Boys have other problems. Some of them, in an effort to find a beautiful muscular body, begin to get involved in hormonal drugs, and also eat improperly, which can also lead to health problems over time.
Thus, proper nutrition is of decisive importance for children, starting from birth. And the task of parents is to provide them with fresh, high-quality products and make the right diet. This will help you avoid many health problems in the future.
Is it necessary to force children to eat
Quite often, children refuse to eat healthy food, citing the fact that they do not like it. Should they be forced to do it against their will? Of course not. But it is quite possible and even necessary to convince the child to eat calmly and reasonably.
Remember how our mothers and grandmothers told many of us in an ultimatum form that until we had eaten all the food on the plate, they would not let us out from the table? And how did you feel about it? Surely, such a statement did not add motivation.
Many mothers take the fact that the child does not eat the food prepared by them as a personal insult. They believe that the child neglects care and does not appreciate the time spent on him. In fact, this position is selfish. Up takes a sense of resentment for the fact that the children rejected their care and love.
But this is absolutely not true. The child still loves them very much, and the reasons for the lack of appetite usually lie in a completely different plane. You just need to confidentially and calmly discuss the situation and understand what's going on.
Scientists have found that there is a link between forcing a child to eat and eating disorders in adulthood. In Western countries, a child is often forced to eat healthy food, motivated by the fact that it is fashionable, healthy, tasty, expensive.
And, for example, in some Third World countries, a mother will be ashamed if her child is thin, since in this case the neighbors will consider that the family is poor.
In general, motivation can be very different. Unfortunately, the total control of parents regarding nutrition often leads to negative consequences in the adult life of the child. The same applies to the ban on fast food, chips and other junk food. The forbidden fruit is always sweet, and the child begins to perceive such food as an inaccessible pleasure, which further increases the desire to eat it.
And vice versa, forcing the baby to eat wholesome food against his will, parents achieve the exact opposite effect. The child simply ceases to perceive this product as food, which will inevitably have a negative impact on his eating habits in the future.
Article sources:
- Nutrition of young children. Netrebenko O.K. Pediatrics. Journal them. G. N. Speransky, 2007.
p. 73-80 - Nutrition for preschool children. Inoyatova Kh.B., Nuriddinov Sh.F., Mamadiyarova M.A., Rakhmatova D.G. Academy, 2020. p. 4-7
- Analysis of the habitual diet of children aged 7-9 years. Bondarenko A.A., Makhankova E.A. FORCIPE, 2021
- Rational nutrition of young children. Lundina G.V., Yakovleva T.V., Vyatka Medical Bulletin No. 2, 2015. p. 70-73
Author of the article
Grek Elena Anatolyevna
Doctor of the highest qualification category
Specialty: gastroenterologist
Experience: 25 years
Proper nutrition of a child is a guarantee of health - Children's City Polyclinic No. 1
1 his child grew up healthy, smart, happy.
From childhood, we must teach our children to choose from the variety of products those that are really good for health. The nutrition of children is somewhat different from the nutrition of adults. If the child's nutrition system is built correctly, then the child develops normally, both physically and mentally.
Make your family's way of life by introducing your child to proper nutrition every day. There is no need to arrange constant lectures from this on the topic of what is useful and what is harmful. By actively communicating with your child, setting an example, you instill good eating habits.
Only good things should be spoken at the table. The situation should help the child to relax, then the appetite will be good and the mood will be friendly. Children can help you with serving and decorating dishes. When serving vegetables and fruits, ask the children what vitamins and minerals they contain and why they are so useful. In order to organize proper nutrition of the child, you need to follow several important rules:
Rule 1
Food should be varied.
This is an important condition for the child's body to receive all the substances necessary for growth and development.
Every day, the child's menu should include: fruits and vegetables; meat and fish; milk and dairy products; grain products (bread, cereals, cereals). Insufficiency or excess of food consumed by a child can adversely affect the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, contribute to metabolic disorders, increase overweight (even to various degrees of obesity) or lead to malnutrition.
If the child refuses to eat a healthy dish, invite him to experiment and make the dish unusual.
So, with the help of dried fruits and nuts, you can put a funny face on porridge, use ketchup and greens to draw a pattern on scrambled eggs, put mashed potatoes on a plate in the form of a snowman figure, etc.
What should not be used in children's nutrition:
- Offal other than liver, tongue, heart; blood, liver, raw smoked sausages.
- Deep-fried food and culinary products, chips.
- Curds, condensed milk with vegetable fats.
- Koumiss and fermented milk products containing ethanol (more than 0.
5%). - Confectionery with cream containing vegetable protein.
- First and second courses based on fast food concentrates.
- Vinegar, mustard, horseradish, hot peppers and other hot spices and food products containing them, including hot sauces, ketchups, mayonnaises and mayonnaise sauces.
- Pickled vegetables and fruits.
- Natural coffee and carbonated drinks, apricot kernels, peanuts.
- Products, including confectionery, containing alcohol.
- Food products containing a large amount of food additives in their composition (information is indicated by the manufacturer on consumer packaging).
- Dry concentrates for cooking first and second courses (soups, Dosherak vermicelli, cereals).
Rule 2
Your child should eat regularly.
Children's diet is essential for the body's absorption of nutrients. Preschool children are recommended to eat 4-5 times a day, every 3 hours, at the same time, distributing the diet as follows: breakfast - 25%, lunch - 35%, afternoon snack - 15%, dinner - 25% .
At school age, it is advisable to have four meals a day, every 4 hours with an even distribution of the daily ration: breakfast - 25%, second breakfast - 20%, lunch - 35%, dinner - 20%.
Try to stop snacking and teach your child to eat only at the table. If this still doesn't work, offer fruit, biscuits, juice for a snack - food that will help drown out hunger, but will not ruin your appetite.
An important health-improving measure for children-students is the correct organization of meals at school in the form of hot school breakfasts and lunches in extended-day groups, the diet of which should be 50-70% of the daily norm, which parents, unfortunately, have little are paying attention. Eating sandwiches, pizza, chips, chocolate bars is harmful because - this food is inferior in composition and also irritates the stomach, contributing to the development of gastritis.
Rule 3
A child's diet should replenish his daily energy expenditure.
