Ingredients Of A Healthy Baby Meal
What A Balanced Meal Should Look Like For A Baby Below The Age Of 1
Find the essential ingredients that will make up a healthy, balanced meal for your child. A varied diet helps promote nutritional value in young babies.
Teaching children healthy eating habits from the time they are able to consume semi-solids is the first step to raising a healthy child who will show strong preferences towards a healthy diet. A varied balanced diet for a young baby is also nutritional and essential for his physicial and mental development. Here are the ingredients that go to producing a healthy meal.
Carbohydrates options for your child's diet
The first ingredient of a meal, much like its base, is a carbohydrate for your baby. For younger babies, aged between 6 to 10 months, rice can act as a staple carbohydrate. Alternatively, potatoes provide a different taste and helps vary your child's diet. However, it is important not to mix the two together as too much carbohydrate can result in constipation.
At 10 months to a year, you may want to introduce pasta such as spaghetti and macoroni to your child's meals. These new tastes can become a favourite all the way to toddlerhood.
Different types of proteins for your baby's meal
Protein is another essential to a meal. Chicken meat is often a favourite for children and is also known to be the least cause of allergies amongst infants. To avoid boredom of one flavour, you can also try other forms of proteins such as fish (cod, dory, salmon) or lean meat. Like all other foods, monitor your child's reaction to the different types of protein by introducing one new ingredient every three days. This will allow you to gauge an allergy should one occur.
Although eggs are a vital source of protein, paediatricians generally discourage eggs to be added to a baby's diet before his first birthday.
Vegetables that are good for babies
Vegetables usually are the cause of dinner time break-outs when children are old enough to protest. However, young babies are usually inclined and enthusiastic to try out new tastes. Add a maximum of two different veggies per meal to allow your child to experiment with different tastes. Popular vegetables are carrots, tomatoes, spinach, brocolli, gourd and cauliflower. The more varied and richer the colours the higher the nutrient content of these vegetables.
Garnishes that make meals tastier
Since doctors advise to adding artificial flavouring to your baby's meals (before the age of 1), do not hesitate to add garnishes to his or her food for flavouring. (For more information, click here). Baby food can taste extremely bland - but a few slices of onions, shallots, garlic and even ginger can help your baby enjoy her meal a little better. Not only will her food be tastier, garnishes such as ginger can help expel wind in her tummy.
Prepare a sippy cup during mealtimes
Breastmilk or formula in a beaker will help your baby wash down his food. Alternatively water will also be an effective drink to complete your baby's meal.
