Homemade Baby Food: Tips and Recipes
It's very important to choose the right ingredients when preparing baby food at home. Here are some useful tips and ideas!
Baby food mixed with cereal can be quite beneficial for children. This is because cereals contain essential nutrients. However, in order to make the best of them, you have to prepare cereals properly. Today, we’ll give you some homemade baby food ideas.
First of all, you should bear in mind that there are many different types of cereals, and not all of them have the same quality. Therefore, in this article you’ll find the necessary information to prepare high-quality baby food, and this way, complement your baby’s diet.
Homemade baby food ideas: choosing the right cereal
To prepare baby food properly, you must choose the main ingredient first. We always recommend using oatmeal, because of its high quality.
Due to oatmeal’s high amount of fiber, it can act at the intestinal level and favor bacteria growth, which is why it’s considered a prebiotic food. In fact, people of all ages should eat oatmeal, in order to help avoid digestive problems.
On the other hand, it’s important to highlight that oatmeal provides high-quality carbohydrates. Unlike wheat, oatmeal is a less processed food. As a result, it helps assimilate sugar more slowly.
Remember to be careful with this cereal if you suffer from celiac disease or gluten intolerance, because it contains avenin, a protein similar to gluten.
Baby food with fruit
Even though cereals are the main ingredients, don’t forget about fruits. Fruits contain essential micronutrients and the necessary antioxidants to maintain body balance.
Apples and oranges are a very good choice to include in baby food. This is because apples provide prebiotic fiber, and oranges contain a high amount of vitamin C. According to a study on nutrients, vitamin C is essential to strengthen the immune system.
What dairy products can you include?
It’s time to talk about one of the most problematic food products: dairy. Most nutritionists recommend this product.
Dairy products contain the amount of proteins necessary to promote children’s proper development. They also include essential micronutrients, like calcium and phosphorus. In fact, some of them contain vitamin D.
Therefore, we recommend using cow’s milk to prepare baby food – unless babies are allergic or lactose intolerant.
On the other hand, you should always use full-fat milk. This is because when you eliminate de fat, fat-soluble vitamins get lost. As a result, dairy products lose a significant amount of nutritional density.
Avoid adding sugar
One of the most common mistakes parents make when preparing baby food is adding sugar or products that contain sugar. Sugar consumption is capable of having a negative impact on children’s health, increasing the risk of contracting diabetes or becoming overweight.
Remember that fruits already contain fructose. And, this should be enough to sweeten baby food, without adding more simple carbohydrates.
Prepare baby food with healthy cereals
Finally, we’d like to point out that it’s always best to provide homemade baby food, instead of buying the industrial type. This is because ultra-processed food may contain additives, which can be harmful for your baby’s health.