Many mothers will try their best to let their children eat well after adding complementary food to their babies. I am worried that my child's nutrition will keep up and not lag behind other children of the same age.
Many mothers believe that meat is rich in fat and is a food that is not easy to digest and absorb.
Therefore, many mothers do not dare to give meat to their children even if they have added complementary food for a long time. Is this the right thing to do?
The wall lamp in our living room was burned, and we went to the neighbor's house to borrow a ladder. The neighbor is a stay-at-home mom with an 11-month-old son.
As soon as I entered the neighbor's door, I found that the neighbor's face was not very good, so I secretly asked her, what happened? Want to help?
The neighbor put the baby on the mat in the living room and beckoned me to sit down. Said with a heavy heart; She took her son for a physical examination, and the doctor said that the child's nutrition could not keep up, the child's height and weight were not up to standard, and he was a little anemic.
He also blamed the neighbor for not giving him meat when he was 11 months old, which was wrong.
The neighbor said with regret; After the child added complementary food at 6 months, I originally thought that meat, which is not easy to digest, should be very difficult for the child to digest when he eats meat at such a young age, and I want to wait for the child to eat meat when he is older, but I didn't expect that this will also affect the child's development.
How important is meat to babies?
Babies eat meat, which can supplement iron and prevent iron deficiency anemia.
In the process of growth and development of babies, meat is not only a delicious food source, but also an indispensable nutritional cornerstone for building a healthy body.
In addition to iron supplementation and the remarkable effect of preventing iron deficiency anemia, meat is also rich in high-quality protein, which is the cornerstone of the development of cells, tissues and organs in your baby's body.
Protein is the bearer of life activities, from the delicate and smooth skin to the strong and powerful bones, it is inseparable from its silent dedication.
In addition, the B vitamin groups in meat, such as vitamin B12, are essential for the development of your baby's nervous system.
It can promote the production of red blood cells, maintain the normal function of the nervous system, and help the baby have a keen sense and a lively personality.
Trace elements such as zinc and selenium are small experts in enhancing baby's immunity and promoting intellectual development.
When should my baby eat meat?
When should my baby eat meat? Don't be later than this time, or the nutrition may not be able to keep up.
The latest "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" released by the Chinese Nutrition Society mentions that infants can gradually introduce a variety of foods from the age of 6 months, and the first bite of complementary food should start with iron-rich pureed foods, such as meat puree, egg yolks, and iron-fortified baby rice noodles.
Therefore, after the baby is 6 months old, the digestive function is gradually improved, and mothers can slowly add meat assistance.
No matter how late it is more than 1 year old, I am afraid that the nutrition will not be able to keep up, after all, the baby is in a critical period of growth, the metabolism is vigorous, and the demand for various nutrients is also large.
How can I get my child to eat meat healthily?
(1) Give your baby as little fat as possible to eat meat
Livestock and poultry meat has a high protein content, and is also rich in iron, zinc, selenium and other minerals, especially red meat (pork, beef, mutton), rich in iron, and the absorption and utilization of iron contained in it is high, stable and undisturbed, is the best source of iron (including pork liver).
We give our children as little fat as possible. For example, chicken thighs, chicken breasts, pork loin, etc
There are also large differences in the fat content of different parts of livestock and poultry meat ingredients, and some fat content can be as high as 60%.
For example, the part of pork belly, fat beef, snow dragon beef and other ingredients that can be seen with white flowers is fat, and if children eat these fat meats into their bodies, they can quickly become fat on their bodies.
Therefore, when we choose meat for our children, we choose to avoid ingredients with particularly high fat content as much as possible, and it is best to remove the fat that is visible to the naked eye when cooking.
There are also some fatty meats that cannot be seen by the naked eye, but it can be judged from the taste alone, all juicy, fragrant, and tender meats are relatively high in fat, such as pork ribs, chicken wings, etc., as well as chicken skin, duck skin, chicken feet, etc., should be eaten as little or no as possible.
(2) Let the baby eat less processed meat products
Try to give children less ham, sausage, luncheon meat, bacon, smoked meat and other cured, fermented, smoked and processed meat products.
Of course, fried and barbecued foods are not good things, and they are also not suitable for children.
Also, children's food must be cooked separately with the freshest ingredients, preferably freshly cooked and eaten.
If the meat is not cooked in time, the meat needs to be stored in the refrigerator.
Meat cooking methods suggest that mothers choose healthy cooking methods such as steaming, stewing, boiling, and stir-frying.
Thank you for reading, I am a nursery teacher ~ Qi Xiang's mother, graduated from college with a major in food engineering.