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Raw foods for babies


Healthy Raw Vegan Baby Diet and Lifestyle Tips for a Modern Family – Healthy Blog

February 01, 2017 · Written by Foodtolive Team

Keeping your baby healthy and helping them grow into a strong and happy adult is every parent’s goal. Unfortunately, not everyone understands how important the diet is to the little ones and how much of an impact it has on the future well-being of a person. Introducing a raw vegan baby diet from the first months of your precious treasure’s life can go a long way in ensuring the child stays healthy and strong throughout its life.

Is Raw Vegan Baby Diet Dangerous

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the subject of raw and vegan diets, especially in relation to babies. Therefore, you are sure to encounter people who will try to persuade you that these choices are wrong and potentially harmful to the child. In order to withstand such an onslaught of prejudice, you must have conviction that comes from understanding the real health effects of a raw vegan diet.

Eating only raw foods can be healthy, and fulfill all of you and your baby’s daily nutritional needs. The most important benefit of this particular type of meal plan is that you get to enjoy the maximum benefits that produce has to offer.

In terms of the baby’s vegan diet, in particular, choosing to go raw is the most natural decision, as the first meals that a child should have are all comprised of fruits and veggies. These specific foods will lose most of their important nutrients when cooked, so eating them raw is actually the best of the possible choices.

Another essential thing you must understand is that NO diet is healthy if it doesn’t satisfy your nutritional needs. This means that you need to know exactly how much of every vitamin and mineral your precious growing baby needs and plan their meals accordingly. Food planning is a major part of healthy eating, so you must learn to not only count your calories but also watch out for deficiencies that often plague vegans, such as low levels of calcium, vitamin B12, and iron.

Your pediatrician must be on your side when it comes to planning a healthy raw vegan baby diet. They can help you create a well-balanced meal plan by determining your child’s real nutritional needs. Don’t forget that generalized articles on the subject offer only average dietary requirements. However, every person is unique and their personal needs may vary. You also must take into account seasonal differences in the raw produce that is available. Unfortunately, it may be impossible to sustain a 100% raw vegan diet for a baby if you live in the Northern regions, as your access to fresh fruits and vegetables is limited.

Even if you don’t require your baby doctor’s input in designing the meal plan, you must inform them about the child’s diet. This information is necessary for a medical professional in order to know what types of tests to perform, and how often. For example, a vegan baby must be closely monitored for the level of iron to prevent anemia.

A vegan diet is perfectly safe for kids, but there are some valid concerns regarding raw foods. Most important of these is the risk of contamination. It’s a very important matter, regardless of whether you choose to cook your baby’s foods or not. Products that are filled with pesticides and nitrates are really dangerous for a growing child. They also have a lower nutritional value.

Therefore, for a raw vegan baby diet to be truly safe, it must be organic. Even if you don’t buy specially certified products, you should do your food shopping at farmer’s markets and buy only from the people you trust. You should research the ways to cut the costs of organic foods in order to make this kind of diet more affordable for vegans.

As long as you make sure that the product your little one ingests is contaminant-free and their daily meal plan includes all the necessary nutrients, a raw vegan diet would be completely safe for your baby.

 

Preparing Healthy Raw Vegan Baby Foods

No matter what kind of baby food you make, there are some specific rules that you must follow:

  • Don’t introduce any potential allergens until your baby is at least three years old. This means excluding nuts and wheat. Be careful with citrus fruits.
  • Mash the foods thoroughly to prevent choking.
  • Try every new food by itself for a few days to see the baby’s reaction to it.
  • Clean your hands, produce, and all utensils thoroughly before you start making baby foods.
  • Start introducing your baby to raw foods starting with sweet fruits.
  • Never add sugar to baby foods.

A blender or a food processor is the most essential kitchen appliance for making raw vegan foods for babies. In essence, all recipes for these dishes are similar. You just mix various ingredients and process them into a smooth mass for the precious little one to eat. This allows you a lot of room for experimentation as you can make any combinations based on the fresh produce you have.

Avocados, bananas, and apples should be always present in your home as they make the best ‘basis’ for vegan baby foods. Avocados, in particular, can be introduced starting at 3 months of age. As your baby gets older, you can get them into the habit of munching on fresh avocado slices.

Some of our favorite recipes for raw vegan baby foods are:

 

Shrek Meal

Ingredients:

  • ½ fresh avocado
  • 2 florets broccoli
  • 1 handful baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup fresh green peas
  • 100 ml water (filtered)

Mix the ingredients together and serve right away. Bear in mind that raw baby foods don’t keep well. You should always make them fresh to stay on the safe side.

 

Orange Monkey Food

Ingredients:

  • ½ apple
  • ½ carrot
  • ½ banana
  • ½ slice pineapple (optional)

You’ll need to process this one longer to ensure that carrots and apples are properly mashed.

 

Calcium Baby Juice

Ingredients:

  • 2 handfuls watercress
  • 2 handfuls parsley
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 pineapple
  • Coconut water (as much as needed)

The coconut water and pineapple juice make the concoction delicious so your little ones will enjoy it, despite the ‘bitter greens’. A single cup of this recipe provides a baby with a sufficient amount of calcium for a day and would be perfect as a breast milk replacement for little vegans. Note that after the child is one year old, their need of calcium will increase, so you’ll have to add other sources.

 

Raw Vegan Baby Lifestyle Tips: How to Form Healthy Habits

One of the challenges of maintaining a vegan diet that parents rarely anticipate is peer pressure. Small children may not understand the ecological and general health benefits of being a vegan. This issue can be exacerbated by other kids who lash out at anything different, and in a nursery school setting, eating a meat-free lunch can be a good enough reason for this.

Such incidents are unfortunate, but they happen, and you must know how to combat these problems on a level a little child would be able to understand. The easiest way is to take kids out on a farm where they can see animals and explain how meat-free lifestyle helps protect them. However, these topics can sometimes be too stressful for small children, so you have to be more subtle.

The best way to go is to monitor the child’s social circles to ensure they don’t face any undue pressure until they are actually old enough to support their dietary choices. Your own position is also very important in this case. You must lead by example and starting your baby on a raw vegan diet from the first months of their life would be a good choice. This way, they would grow naturally accustomed to these eating patterns.

You should also emphasize the importance of a vegan lifestyle in every aspect of your life, starting with vegan clothing to using cosmetic products and detergents that don’t harm the environment. Regular talks with your child regarding the importance of caring for the planet would help make them more aware of the benefits this lifestyle has. This should be a sufficient support for any arguments they might get into with other kids when they get older.

Whatever you do, never forget that your child is a tiny individual whose freedom of will you must respect. If they want to experiment with cooked foods or meat when they get older, you have to let them. At this point, it’s your ability to guide your child to make healthy dietary decisions that would determine whether they would stick to the raw vegan diet of their early days.

 

Feeding Babies Raw Foods

13 Mar 2018

Author: Hippocrates Wellness Team

Read time: 3 min

Category: Archive

By Andrea Nison

Many new parents and parents-to-be often feel overwhelmed and pressured at the beginning of their parenting journey to make sure that they are prepared and have everything they need to provide for this new child coming into this world. There are so many decisions to make regarding furniture, strollers, clothes and the latest trendy gadgets that you can spend so much time researching and reviewing items that you purchase only to realize that you didn’t actually need or even use these “must haves” at all.

Once I had my first daughter, who is now 9 years old, I realized that you really don’t need all of these items to provide for them and make sure their needs are met. My daughter was happy and content just being held, nursed, changed and loved, and it wasn’t that difficult! I soon understood that keeping things simple for us was really the best way, and that mentality also held true once we started introducing solid foods into her diet.

I remember hearing Brian Clement suggest to a new mother that her baby didn’t need to start eating solid foods until close to her second birthday, once all of her teeth had emerged. He told her that as long as she was breastfeeding, then her breastmilk provides the baby with all of the nutrients she needed for those first two years of life. I always kept that in mind with my children, and tried not to be influenced by well-meaning people that my baby needed to start eating solid foods so early in their lives.

I exclusively breastfed both of my daughters their first year, and then slowly introduced fruits into their diet after their first birthday. Starting with soft fruits like avocados, berries and bananas, I cut them into small pieces at meal times and let her sit with me at the table. Sometimes she was more interested in imitating me than actually eating, but it was fun. When introducing new foods to young children, it’s important to introduce each new food separately and then make sure that there is not a negative reaction like a rash or allergy to the food. If there is a reaction, then continue breastfeeding and wait until it passes to try a new food again.

I have found that there really is no need for “baby food” as long as you have a knife and cutting board, you can cut fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables for your children. Children love to experience the new textures and colors of these foods in their raw and fresh state, not overly cooked and pureed into a mush that has no taste or even any nutritional value. Allow them to experiment with new foods in their original state, and give them time for their teeth to come through before feeding them solid foods. Just remember to keep it simple!

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10 foods that are eaten raw / And why it is so healthier - an article from the "What to eat" section on Food.ru

1. Bulgarian pepper

salads or vegetable cuts. Moreover, the emphasis is on the fruits of red color.

Peppers are rich in antioxidants and substances that fight free radicals, which prevent premature aging. The product is rich in vitamin C: in fresh red pepper it is three times more than in the same serving of oranges. But it is worth stewing or frying peppers, as the amount of vitamin decreases by 2. 5 times.

Interesting fact

Red bell peppers are considered the most useful, followed by yellow, and third by green.

2. Cauliflower

Perfectly digestible fresh without any heat treatment. It is especially useful for women, because it contains phytoestrogens, which help maintain youth and health, delay the withering of the body.

Raw cauliflower contains substances and vitamins of groups B, PP and A, which protect the cardiovascular system, stimulate the brain, improve metabolism and fight excess weight.

Advice

If you are on a diet, have raw cauliflower florets as a snack. This will help to overcome the feeling of hunger with benefit.

3. Onion

Raw onions are not particularly favored because of their specific smell. But its beneficial properties reconcile us with this "side effect". In addition to the well-known protection against viral diseases in the cold season, eating onions has a beneficial effect on the joints. Essential oils and vitamins in its composition contribute to the production of insulin, the prevention of atherosclerosis and lower blood cholesterol levels.

Onions increase acidity, thus stimulating the gastrointestinal tract. But the use of fresh onions in large quantities, due to the same property, can harm those who suffer from gastritis, ulcers and other diseases of the digestive system.

4. Flax seeds

The popularity of this superfood among supporters of healthy and proper nutrition is growing day by day. Raw seeds can be added to salads, smoothies, porridge or kefir. The product contains an important and useful microelement selenium, beauty and youth vitamins A, E, F and Omega-3, which are perfectly absorbed, strengthening the body systems from the inside.

In addition to fatty acids, flax seeds are rich in fiber, which is no less important in digestion and cleansing the gastrointestinal tract of toxins. After regular use of this product, a person feels energy, strength and lightness.

5. Oatmeal

We used to consider oatmeal for breakfast healthy. It contains not only carbohydrates, but also proteins, fats, many vitamins, as well as fiber and trace elements: phosphorus, magnesium, silicon. Oatmeal in the daily diet has a positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, prevents bloating, and improves intestinal motility.

You can make the dish even healthier if you do not boil the oatmeal, but pour yogurt or milk over night, add fruits or berries before serving.

6. Lentils

It turns out that you can not only cook soup or porridge from lentils, but also eat them raw. To do this, you need to germinate a legume, and then use it in the same way as other healthy seeds - add it to salads, getting valuable vegetable protein and vitamin C.

Lentils contain folic acid and iron, these trace elements have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system and immunity.

7. Sea fish

The main component of popular rolls, sushi and sashimi in authentic dishes is consumed raw. But it must be a sea fish of a fresh catch, then it is safe.

By the way, raw fish is eaten not only as sushi and not only in Japan, but also in other countries with access to the sea. For example, in Italy, crudo is very popular - freshly caught fish or shrimp, poured with lemon juice and olive oil, with salt and pepper, and in Korea - heh fish in a special marinade with soy sauce, in Yakutia - stroganina from whitefish.

Fish dishes contain a lot of phosphorus, calcium and useful polyunsaturated acids Omega-3 and Omega-6, which give vitality to the body. Champions in the content of nutrients - sea bass, salmon, dorado.

8. Meat

Carpaccio, ceviche, tartare are some of the most popular raw meat dishes. Gourmets order them in restaurants, and nutritionists support such a choice: such meat is absorbed by the human body twice as fast and is healthier than a low-rare steak.

A prerequisite for a safe meal is a quality product. And only beef is used. It should be of the highest quality, not frozen, cut into either thin slices or cubes, depending on the dish. The meat is lightly marinated either in mustard with mayonnaise, or in lemon juice and spices.

Raw marbled beef has less fat and cholesterol, more protein, as well as phosphorus, calcium, iron, zinc and selenium, B vitamins and other nutrients and amino acids. Another bonus is that raw meat dishes fill you up faster.

9. Mushrooms

Almost all edible mushrooms can be consumed raw. However, it is important to be sure of an environmentally friendly place for mushroom harvesting. It is better to give preference to mushrooms grown on farms - champignons and oyster mushrooms. These mushrooms are safe for health, contain a whole range of useful substances, and are sources of protein.

Eating raw mushrooms improves brain activity, stops inflammation, removes toxins and supplies the body with vitamins B, E, D.

Raw champignons or oyster mushrooms are usually added to salads along with vegetables, seasoned with a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil.

10. Eggs

The famous mogul and egg nog involve eating raw eggs, while classic French tartare is served with raw egg yolk. All these dishes can be eaten if you are sure of the quality of the eggs.

Experts recommend using labeled store eggs in these dishes. This means that the product passed production control and was additionally checked by the quality service of the distribution network.

Egg composition is unique and balanced. Vitamins, amino acids, micro and macro elements are easily and quickly absorbed thanks to lecithin and phospholipids. Eating raw eggs improves the condition of bones, skin and hair, reduces weight and normalizes the functioning of the digestive system.

What can be done?

Diversify the diet, gradually adding products in their original form. It is important to pay great attention to their quality and freshness, to purchase ingredients for healthy "raw menu" dishes only in trusted outlets.

Read more about products on Food.

ru:

  • Top 10 healthy foods for preschoolers. What should be in the diet of a child 3-6 years old

  • Top 7 seafood. And healthy recipes according to Food.ru

  • Top 20 cheeses. Guide to types and varieties

Raw food diet: what is it, what is it, what is the harm and benefit

. Doctors are talking

An endocrinologist revealed the truth about the dangers of a raw food diet

Updated January 31, 2023, 15:54

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Heat treatment negates the beneficial properties of products. This idea was taken as the basis of their diet by raw foodists. Why the raw diet has become popular and is it true that cooked food is so harmful?

Content

  1. Diet
  2. Harm
  3. Benefit

What is a raw food diet

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Raw food diet is a food system based on the consumption of only non-thermally processed foods, mainly vegetables and fruits. People who follow such a diet find that heating, such as boiling or frying, loses their beneficial properties, nutrients and enzymes. Strongly minded raw foodists are convinced that heat treatment of food makes it toxic.

The founder of this nutritional system was the Swiss nutritionist Maximilian Bircher-Benner [1]. He was of the opinion that the most valuable foods are raw vegetables and fruits, which contain the energy of the sun. When heat treated, they become less useful. And he considered animal products, in particular meat, to be the least valuable for the human body. Thanks to his raw food diet, muesli (grated raw apple with a little milk, nuts and oatmeal) was born. In his clinic, the nutritionist combined raw food and vegetarianism with a strict diet, sleep and wakefulness.

While some studies support the ideas behind the raw food diet, others question them. The study of the effect of heating on products showed that some of the trace elements are actually destroyed during the cooking process [2]. But at the same time, the content of trace elements in products is affected not only by heat treatment (and there is a difference in the types of preparation), but also by cutting or freezing. Moreover, steaming and sous-vide cooking can, on the contrary, improve the nutritional properties of foods. For example, if you want to preserve the beneficial flavones in onions, you should bake or boil them.

Pexels

Another aspect of the raw food diet was the idea that the digestive enzymes naturally found in certain foods, such as avocados and pineapples, make food healthier and easier to digest. Cooking denatures these enzymes, changing their shape so that they cannot work effectively. However, according to a 2002 study, the digestive system independently produces many enzymes that extract nutrients from food [3].

Thus, the raw food diet is still considered a controversial concept, which has its advantages and disadvantages.

Patimat Magomedovphysician-nutritionist, endocrinologist of the clinic "Semeynaya"

“The raw food diet began to take off after magazines and television broadcast the diet as the choice of world stars in the 2000s. This is a food system in which only raw, uncooked foods are eaten. It is allowed to heat food only up to a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius. In the diet of most raw foodists there are fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereals, and legumes. But there are more strict options.

Raw food diet

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One might think that a raw food diet is equivalent to a vegetarian diet, and in some cases this is true, but not always. Since this diet is not strict, there are several varieties of it .

  • Strictly vegan, in which only non-heated plant products are allowed to be eaten.
  • Raw vegetarian diet supplemented with eggs and dairy products.
  • A raw food diet that includes raw meat and fish.

The diet of raw foodists may include products of plant origin :

  • vegetables;
  • fruits;
  • legumes;
  • cereals;
  • raw nuts;
  • various seeds;
  • cold pressed oil, unrefined;
  • nut milk;
  • yeast;
  • algae.

All must be unheated.

You can also eat products of animal origin if they have not been heated:

  • raw beef because it is safer than raw chicken;
  • raw eggs;
  • milk and milk products, unpasteurised;
  • raw fish.

Allowed:

  • fermentation, i.e. pickling or salting, but in cold water;
  • sun drying;
  • soak in cold water overnight or longer (beans or cereals can be cooked this way).

Foods to avoid:

  • processed vegetables, fruit, meat and eggs;
  • fermented milk products prepared by heating;
  • alcohol;
  • refined oils;
  • tea and coffee.

What is the harm of a raw food diet

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A diet that includes only raw foods may be beneficial for some, but it also carries certain risks.

She's hard to balance

Since most raw foodists still adhere to a vegetarian diet, it is difficult for them to maintain a balance of vitamins and trace elements in the diet. For example, there are studies showing that it is often vegetarians who receive less vitamin B12 in their diet [4]. This element is rich in animal products such as meat and poultry offal, seafood, beef and egg yolk. Deficiency of this vitamin can lead to anemia, heart disease, and problems with the nervous system [5]. The same can be said about calcium and vitamin D, the deficiency of which is typical for raw foodists who follow a vegetarian diet [6].

Causes dental problems

The raw food diet is based on eating a large amount of vegetables and fruits and juices from them. In their raw form, they negatively affect the condition of the teeth, thin the enamel and lead to destruction. Studies have shown that it is a raw food diet that leads to significant tooth erosion [7].

May cause impaired fertility

A strict raw vegan diet is low in calories, resulting in dramatic weight loss. For women, this is dangerous because it can cause a violation or cessation of menstruation - amenorrhea [8]. Moreover, studies have shown that the higher the proportion of raw foods, the higher the risks of this condition. When following a diet consisting only of raw foods, the likelihood of amenorrhea increases seven times.

Increases the risk of food poisoning

There are foods that require heat treatment to be eaten. Otherwise, they can lead to serious food poisoning.

In particular, meat (particularly chicken), eggs, unpasteurized milk and shellfish may be hazardous in their raw form. But unprepared plant foods can also be harmful. For example, red beans are toxic if eaten raw [9].

Patimat Magomedova:

“Doctors around the world do not recommend sticking to a raw food diet, because this food system is not balanced. Prolonged adherence will inevitably lead to macro- and micronutrient deficiencies. Most often it is a deficiency of protein, calcium, iron, folic acid (B9), vitamin B12. Also, this diet, being highly restrictive, may be a risk factor for developing an eating disorder.

Various studies have been conducted on the benefits and harms of a raw food diet. So, in a Finnish study, raw foodists were found to have low levels of omega-3 PUFAs. In children growing up on a "raw" diet, short stature and a tendency to neurological diseases were noted. Raw-food women were more likely to experience menstrual irregularities in the form of amenorrhea. Of the pluses, it is worth noting that body weight is reduced (which is quite expected, given the sharp restrictions in the choice of food), blood cholesterol and triglycerides.

I often hear and see how dietitians and nutritionists prescribe complex schemes of numerous dietary supplements (multivitamin complexes) and protein shakes to the followers of a raw food diet in order to make up for numerous deficiencies. Can a dietary supplement that has not passed proper control have an effect comparable to trace elements obtained from food? Unfortunately no. And, as practice shows, very often additive manufacturers indicate inaccurate information about the composition and dosages, as a result of which toxic hepatitis can develop.

Who is strongly discouraged from adopting this style of eating? Children under 18, pregnant and lactating women, the elderly and people with chronic diseases. If you still decide to go to the raw food camp, then before you do this, I recommend a face-to-face consultation with an endocrinologist and a nutritionist.

Is there any benefit from a raw food diet

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Scientists note that there are positive aspects to such a diet. The health benefits of fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts have long been known. Due to the high content of these products in the diet of raw foodists, the functioning of the cardiovascular system improves, sugar and bad cholesterol levels decrease, and with it the risk of diabetes [10, 11].

In addition, what may be dangerous for someone else will be salvation. Weight loss can be an unpleasant and dangerous side effect of being underweight. However, for people who are overweight or obese, losing weight from a raw food diet will be beneficial [12].

High fiber content is good for digestion, it affects the growth of beneficial bacteria, which, in turn, can reduce inflammation in the intestines and reduce the symptoms of diseases such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis [13, 14, 15].

Anastasia Nikulnikova doctor-gastroenterologist "SM-Clinic"

“The benefits of a raw food diet can be seen as the preservation of vitamins, trace elements and minerals necessary for the life of the body. Rejection of saturated fats and trans fats, formed during thermal processing, prevents the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Diet helps to reduce body weight. Dietary fiber contained in fresh fruits and vegetables improves intestinal motility and normalizes stools.

A raw food diet can become a short-term (about 2–5 weeks) diet therapy option for obesity, hypertension, gout, urolithiasis, allergies, skin diseases and other diseases.”

Sergey Leonovchef, founder of the ZOGigay online academy of healthy eating, author of master classes in anti-age cuisine

“A raw food diet is often seen as a form of detox. The diet includes freshly squeezed juices from vegetables and fruits, smoothies and salads. I think it’s not worth changing your diet so drastically and adding exotic and out-of-season foods to it. Why? For centuries, from generation to generation, people pass on their microbiota to their descendants. Thanks to this, we get used to certain foods, and we hardly endure those that are uncharacteristic of our diet. Therefore, I always advise not to get carried away with mango, pitahaya and lychee nectar, but to eat currants in summer, turnips and plums in autumn, sauerkraut and black radish in winter.

But if you have never eaten such fiber-rich vegetables, limited to cucumbers and iceberg lettuce, then introduce the radish carefully, little by little. Make a salad with a mixture of grated radish, carrots, cucumber and Chinese cabbage. Be sure to add fat, ideally olive oil, homemade mayonnaise or sour cream. So the load on the intestines will be minimal.

I strongly advise everyone to start pickling vegetables on their own, as it is difficult to buy a quality product without added sugar and preservatives.

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