Baby food: what are the first vegetables you can give your child. What foods can babies eat raw and at what age should they start feeding? What vegetables can a child have

Heat treatment of many products reduces the concentration of vitamins, microelements and some other substances in their composition. Therefore, any mother of a growing toddler who begins to try complementary foods wants to give her baby the maximum benefit and is interested in how old it is to start giving her baby raw foods.


Fresh fruits and vegetables are the most important sources of vitamins for a child's body

What foods are given to children raw?

In a child's diet in raw form, the following can be presented:

  • Vegetables... Salads are made of them after peeling and seeds are peeled, seasoned with vegetable oil or lemon juice. First, vegetables are grated on a fine grater, and a child over 2 years old can be cut into small pieces and seasoned with sour cream.
  • Fruits... They are among the first to appear on the children's menu in the form of applesauce and banana puree. Apple slices are given to the child in the hand to stimulate chewing from 6-8 months. To prevent the baby from choking on an accidentally bitten off piece, you can use a nibbler.
  • Berries... Due to the risk of allergies, their introduction into the children's menu must be very careful. For small children, they are rubbed through a sieve, ridding the product of seeds, skin and dense veins.


Are raw vegetables healthy?

Boiling most vegetables leads to the loss of a large amount of valuable substances that they contain. For this reason, doctors, including Dr. Komarovsky, advise including raw vegetable salads in the children's diet. However, you should not forget about moderation.

Some toddlers are addicted to raw vegetables and are ready to eat plenty of them. Sometimes this indicates a lack of vitamins (after looking closely at which vegetable the child prefers, you can understand what the baby is missing), but excessive consumption of raw vegetables should not be allowed. This will adversely affect bowel function and may cause bloating, colic and stool disturbances.

Watch, together with the kid, a cartoon in which the Blue Tractor, together with Professor Sour cabbage, sings a funny song about the benefits of vegetables:

A lot can be said about the benefits of raw vegetables:

  • Raw carrots are a source of carotene, pectin, vitamins, fiber and minerals. This vegetable is good for vision and skin condition.
  • Raw beets have a high content of iodine, iron and other minerals, as well as vitamin compounds. NS This raw vegetable strengthens blood vessels and has a positive effect on the blood formula, as well as protects the liver and supports metabolic processes.
  • Eating raw pumpkin, the child will receive fiber, ascorbic acid, carotene, potassium salts, B vitamins and other useful substances. Such a vegetable has a positive effect on the functioning of the intestines, has an anti-inflammatory effect, and also helps to remove cholesterol and toxins.
  • Fresh tomatoes give the child beta-carotene, B vitamins, potassium, vitamin PP, iodine, iron and many other compounds. Thanks to pectin, phytoncides and organic acids in their composition, such vegetables have a positive effect on digestion and metabolic processes. It is only important not to forget that they are often allergic, and greenhouse tomatoes are a source of chemicals harmful to children.
  • Raw onions are rich in essential oils, minerals, phytoncides, carotene, flavonoids, many vitamins and fiber. It stimulates the appetite and secretion of gastric juice, thereby normalizing the digestive tract.
  • Raw garlic contains many vitamins, phytoncides, trace elements and other useful compounds. It strengthens the defenses of the child's body, and also has a bactericidal effect.
  • Broccoli and cauliflower it is useful to eat both boiled and raw. These vegetables help prevent various diseases, including gastrointestinal pathologies and cancer. Fresh, these types of cabbage are very tasty and are liked by many children.
  • Raw turnips can be used to prevent constipation. Such a vegetable contains a lot of ascorbic acid, as well as vitamins PP, B5, A, B2, B1, sulfur, magnesium and phosphorus.

Pumpkin can be given to the crumbs both fresh and boiled.


Which vegetables are healthier after cooking?

Despite all the benefits that are noted in many raw vegetables, some crops have a positive effect on the child's body when boiled, baked or stewed:

  • Beet during heat treatment, it loses nitrates.
  • Baked potato is more useful, therefore, it is not advised to give raw potatoes to children, as well as a fried product.
  • Eggplant after baking, they are deprived of harmful chemicals, and their beneficial properties are manifested more actively.
  • Asparagus and tomatoes after heat treatment, they give the child's body more lycopene and vitamin A.
  • Baked or stewed zucchini contain more vitamin A and folic acid.

At what age should you give raw foods to your baby?

A child is introduced to raw vegetables at the age of 1 to 2 years, carefully observing how the baby's digestive tract transfers such foods raw. A one-year-old child is first given a small amount of raw vegetable, for example, grated raw carrots in a salad. If the crumb has endured such a dish well, the volume is gradually increased.


Onions and garlic can irritate the baby's mucous membranes.

Raw onions, like raw garlic recommended for children no earlier than 3 years of age. Such foods are limited in the children's diet due to their irritating effect on mucous membranes and rather difficult digestion.

Such raw fruits , how apple, banana and pear, appear in the diet of babies even before a year. Other fruits and berries in their raw form (peaches, grapes, strawberries, plums, apricots, citrus fruits, etc.) are introduced to the child after a year.

Calculate Your Complementary Feeding Chart

In general, pediatricians say that homemade freshly prepared vegetable puree retains more vitamins and trace elements than industrial canned baby food. But in some life situations (travel, repairs, gas or power outages, lack of time for mom), jars help out great.

How to introduce complementary foods

Vegetables, as later all new products in the child's diet, must be introduced gradually; at the initial stage, for each new species, the adaptation period should be at least a week. This means that during the week you do not give your baby more than one new vegetable. So, if any signs of intolerance appear (allergic reactions from the skin or a violation of the stool), you can clearly answer the question of which product caused them and know what to exclude from the further menu. In addition, the introduction of a new nutritional component is always a small "revolution" for the enzyme system of the child's body. Therefore, you need to give her time to adjust to it, having developed all the necessary "skills" for the correct high-quality processing. A week for this is the optimal time. After its expiration, you can give a new load.

At first, all the baby's vegetable dishes should be mono-component, since the presence of a mixture of vegetables in one puree greatly complicates its digestion. Vegetable mixtures can be offered to an older child when you know exactly the list of vegetables that are well tolerated by his body. And again, the mixture, albeit from well-tolerated vegetables, should be perceived as a new dish and it should also take at least a week to adapt it.

When choosing food for a baby's first year of life, it is especially important to pay attention to their quality and safety. Therefore, spoiled, shriveled, sprouted, etc. vegetables are best put aside immediately. Your child only needs the freshest food, which, you must be sure, did not use nitrates, GMOs, harmful chemical fertilizers or chemicals for transportation and storage. At this point, store-bought canned food has an undeniable advantage - in the production of baby purees, all raw materials are carefully monitored for the presence of harmful substances, and only selected vegetables are used.

When preparing the first mashed potatoes for a baby, in no case should you fill them with butter, milk or sour cream - this will complicate digestion, in addition, since we are talking about the initial stages of complementary feeding, the baby is simply not ready yet to consume products from cow's milk. Therefore, such additives in mashed potatoes can provoke an upset stomach. You can use all these dressings when preparing dishes for him when he grows up a little (after 1 - 1.5 years).

Likewise, WHO does not recommend adding salt to the food of children in the first year of life. The amount of sodium chloride sufficient for the health of a child of this age is found in natural concentration in the vegetables themselves, and therefore the introduction of refined additives will not benefit the baby. You should not be afraid that the baby will eat unsalted vegetable purees. Understand that now his taste is different from that of an adult, it is much sharper, and what seems bland to us, spoiled by the regular use of large amounts of salt and sugar, is not tasteless to him.

When the baby is 1 year old, breast milk should still be included in his menu, if possible, at least once a day or at night. It contains antibodies that help fight infectious diseases, and in the second year of life, the mother's breast plays a role not so much "nourishing" as protecting: the baby feels a sense of peace and security. The mother will produce exactly the amount that the baby needs, because breast milk perfectly adapts to his needs, including its unique nutritional and protective properties, so it is impossible to overeat.

Feeding with milk formulas, if the child was bottle-fed plus complementary foods for up to a year, should be slowly completed, since the mixture does not have such useful characteristics as breast milk. Most often, pediatricians recommend including a mixture in the child's menu at 1 year old a maximum of 1-2 times a day: in the morning and at night, strictly observing the rate indicated on the package for this age.

What dairy products can a child eat at 1 year old

Dairy products are rich in proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, therefore they are simply necessary for a child. The introduction of boiled cow's milk into the menu in 1 year is an individual decision made by the mother with the participation of the pediatrician and in the absence of the child's allergy to cow's milk protein. Many pediatricians, due to the risk of such an allergy, advise trying whole milk only after 2 years, and before that age they advise giving the mixture once a day.

About kefir

The Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences recommends introducing kefir just at the age of 1 year, or at least not earlier than the child is 9-10 months old and in a volume not exceeding 150-200 ml per day. Kefir has a high acidity, so consumption in large doses at an early age can lead to microscopic hemorrhages in the intestines, a decrease in hemoglobin levels. So, kefir from 1 year to 200 ml per day (no more) improves the functioning of the baby's heart and blood vessels, calms the nervous system, activates the kidneys and intestines, increases immunity, thanks to the lactic acid and bifidobacteria contained in it.

About yoghurt

Yoghurts are made on the ferment of Bulgarian bacillus and thermophilic streptococcus, in other words, on lactic acid cultures, which give yoghurts a unique taste and usefulness. But only live yoghurts that have not been heat treated are useful. How to find out: the maximum shelf life is 30 days at temperatures from +2 to +8 degrees, they contain minerals, vitamins and bacteria. Long-term storage yoghurts do not contain bacteria, but they are replete with preservatives and aromatic additives, due to which they can lie in their original form for up to 3 months without a refrigerator.

A 1-year-old child's menu should include "live" milk (not creamy!) Yoghurt, produced by a special baby food company. This yoghurt has a shelf life of only a few days and is low in carbohydrates and fats.

About cottage cheese

The consumption rate of cottage cheese in 1 year is 50 grams per day. Cottage cheese is useful as a storehouse of protein and calcium, but the rate should not be exceeded, since excess protein can cause a decrease in appetite and, in rare cases, obesity.

After a day or two, you can give your child a small amount of sour cream, finely grated cheese or cream.

What cereals can a one-year-old child eat

Porridge contains carbohydrates, minerals, vegetable proteins, vitamins. The most useful in this regard are buckwheat and oatmeal, oatmeal and corn - a source of selenium. It is not recommended to give semolina often due to its high gluten content and low amount of vitamins and minerals. Rice porridge contains vitamins of group B and E, minerals, including potassium and calcium, so twice a week rice will not only contribute to satiety, but also normalize digestion in children whose stools are too frequent and liquid consistency. Wheat porridge is recommended conditionally due to the high content of gluten, to which cases of allergies are so frequent.

What fruits and vegetables can a child at 1 year old

About fruits

In the menu of a child at 1 year old, you can already gradually include oranges, apricots, kiwi, strawberries, ripe mango, but the main ones, of course, should remain apples, pears and bananas, which can be added to oatmeal or rice porridge. Fruits per day should not exceed 100 ml, plus juice - also no more than 100 ml. Seasonal berries are useful: lingonberries, cranberry jelly, currants, blackberries, cherries. Please note: berries with seeds should be wiped through a sieve and only the pulp should be given to the child, and do not forget to remove seeds from cherries and cherries beforehand! Compotes from raisins, prunes, apples, rose hips are useful and tasty. It is not recommended to give grapes to a child at 1 year old because of the risk of increased fermentation processes in the intestines, followed by gas formation and bloating.

About vegetables

The leaders are carrots, potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin, boiled and mashed or cut into small pieces. From the new, you can enter legumes in the menu in small quantities: beans, green peas. But they should be given to a child at 1 GD strictly in small doses (they increase peristalsis) and carefully boiled. In order not to cook beans for 1.5 hours or longer, it is better to buy canned beans in tomato sauce. Just watch the composition carefully: it is ideal that only beans, salt, sugar, water are present and a small number of spices are allowed. Avoid beans and peas in cans of E-Supplements, Starch, and Uschus!

What meat and fish can be given to a one-year-old child

All meat dishes, be it crushed meat or meatballs, should be given only in the first half of the day so that they have time to be digested before bedtime. The child can be fed not only with pureed meat, but also made steam cutlets, meatballs, soup with meatballs. Leaders for this period: lean beef, veal, lean pork, chicken, beef tongue, if possible, rabbit and turkey.

What meat and meat products (including poultry) should not be given to a one-year-old child?

  • fatty pork
  • sausages
  • sausages
  • sausages
  • waterfowl meat (ducks, geese)
  • semi-finished products.

You should choose lean fish for the menu: pollock, cod, pike perch, sea bass. You can make steam cutlets, soufflés, stew with vegetables, or simply serve boiled fillets, pureed or in pieces. The main thing is to carefully remove all bones, including small ones, do not miss a single one! Caviar is rich in useful minerals, acids, but it should be given in small quantities (several eggs) and from a good manufacturer, since a child at 1 year old can cause severe allergies both the caviar itself and preservatives in jars.

Is it possible for a baby to have eggs at 1 year old?

Chicken eggs are rich in proteins, amino acids, vitamins, micro and macronutrients, therefore it is recommended to include one egg per day in the child's menu at 1 year old, except for cases of individual intolerance to chicken protein. You can cook a boiled egg, steamed omelet. It is strictly forbidden to give your child raw eggs and partially boiled ones! It is also good to give quail eggs, but not often, about 1-2 times a week due to their high fat and cholesterol content (more than chicken eggs).

How to give your child butter?

Butter with a fat content of 82.5% (herbal additives are often in butter with a lower percentage) should be smeared on bread or added to cereals and vegetable purees immediately before use. As a result of heat treatment, it loses its beneficial properties. It is also possible in a small amount of vegetable oils: corn, olive, sunflower without preliminary steam treatment.

Also, the child's menu at 1 year old should include:

  • white bread, not grain and not coarsely ground, since the last two are difficult to digest;
  • natural, unflavored, weakly brewed tea;
  • ordinary boiled water: as needed, including freely available after and between meals.

Preparing food for a one-year-old child

  • Be sure to consider the following recommendations for preparing meals for your baby at 1 year old:
  • all food from the menu should be adapted to the baby's ability to chew, bite, and assimilate: some children have 10 teeth per year, others 4, some digest well and recover twice a day, others require effort and regular drinking of prune compotes - consider individual characteristics of the child;
  • all food must still be pureed or mashed through a fine sieve;
  • in the absence of time to spin meat through a meat grinder and cooking steam cutlets, it is reasonable to buy ready-made baby food in specialized stores;
  • expand the child's diet at the expense of products allowed for this age, let's try new tastes.

How much should a one-year-old child eat?

Feeding a child from a year to one and a half, basically five times a day, the allowable intervals are 3-4 hours. If the baby drinks boiled cow's milk, then the milk he has drunk in a volume of at least 250 ml can be considered a full-fledged feeding. The richest lunch, the lightest in terms of calories, is an afternoon snack. For a day, a child of 1 year (full) eats a volume of 1000-1200 ml, excluding water and tea.

New, unusual food for the child should be started with small amounts (no more than 0.5-1 teaspoon) immediately before breastfeeding. Every day, increasing the amount of complementary foods by one teaspoon, after ten days, if the baby accepts the new food well, you can completely replace breastfeeding with it. It is better to start global changes in the child's menu with vegetable puree.

At first, the child is given a puree from one vegetable (mono-puree), then a variety of vegetables, at least 2-3 types, should be included in the puree. It can be carrots, cauliflower (it is better not to introduce white cabbage into the diet for up to a year, children often digest it very badly), zucchini, pumpkin, tomatoes, parsley root. You can use potatoes as a basis for mashed potatoes, but remember that its volume should not exceed half of the total volume of the dish.
In addition to white cabbage, it is better not to give green cucumbers and legumes at all to children under one year old.

What vegetable dishes can you cook for your child?

Making vegetable puree is simple. Chopped vegetables are boiled in slightly salted water (carrots, potatoes, zucchini should be soaked in water before cooking, but no more than half an hour). Then the water is drained, and the vegetables are rubbed through a fine sieve (preferably twice). Boiled milk or a decoction of vegetables and a teaspoon of vegetable oil are added to the resulting mass. The consistency of the puree should resemble thick sour cream. And, of course, try to keep it free of lumps. This can offend the baby: he, who is accustomed to liquid food, finds it unusual and unpleasant to feel something completely different from milk in his mouth.

When the child gets used to the new type of food, one feeding can be replaced with it, but it is better not to give it during those hours when the child is not very hungry.
Usually, mashed potatoes are offered for a 10-hour morning feed or a 6-hour evening meal.

After six months, you can season the vegetable puree with a small amount of boiled ground meat.
Boil green vegetables (asparagus, beans and peas, spinach) for a short time, steam or in boiling water - this way ascorbic acid is less destroyed. Yellow and orange vegetables - carrots, bell peppers and red peppers - are high in carotene. If they are digested, the carotene will go into the water, the water will turn yellow, and the vegetables will turn pale. Therefore, they also need to be steamed or in boiling water in a tightly sealed container. You also need to boil the beets, adding a little vinegar, lemon juice or sour apples to the water to keep their color.

Cook white vegetables quickly by dipping them into boiling water and leaving the dishes open.
The water should be drained before the vegetables are cooked (after about 15 minutes of boiling). On low heat, the potatoes are brought to readiness with steam in a tightly closed saucepan. During cooking, potatoes and root vegetables (carrots, beets) should be covered with water no more than 1 cm.

How to introduce the yolk (egg) into the child's diet?

At 4.5-5 months, the yolk, which contains vitamin D, is introduced into the child's diet. It is good if it is a fresh dietary egg. But in any case, you need to cook it for 5-6 minutes in boiling water. First, the child is given 1/4 of the yolk - it is better before breastfeeding (diluting it with breast milk) or put in porridge or vegetable puree. Every other day, you can give the same amount, and then, in the absence of any manifestations of diathesis, increase the amount to 1/2 of the yolk. The yolk should be injected very carefully, all the time observing the skin in order to notice the signs of diathesis in time! In the future, you can feed the child with a whole yolk every 2-3 days.

When can a child be given porridge, how to cook it?

After some time (usually 3-4 weeks) after the introduction of vegetable puree into the diet, when the baby gets used to the new food, you can give the second type of complementary foods - porridge. If the child has any allergic manifestations or in the family the closest relatives, especially the mother, had allergic diseases, it is better to cook porridge with a decoction of apples (dry or fresh) or vegetable broth, and not milk. At first, the porridge should be very liquid, not much thicker than milk, then it will be easier for the child to swallow it and it will not seem too strange to him.

At first, it is better to cook porridge from buckwheat or oatmeal. Do not overuse semolina. There is evidence that it contributes to a drop in hemoglobin in the blood, and in addition, binds calcium and phosphorus. It is recommended to introduce semolina into the diet no earlier than 7 months. But even then it is better to give it in a mixture with vegetables, fruits, meat broth. It is best to do without semolina and mixtures containing it for up to a year.

When can puddings be introduced to a child's diet?

After 10 months, you can diversify your baby's menu with delicious and nutritious puddings.

When is cottage cheese introduced into the child's diet?

At 4.5-5.5 months, you should start giving cottage cheese (of course, not bought in a store, but cooked in a dairy kitchen or at home).

When is meat introduced into the child's menu?

Meat, as the best source of highly assimilable iron and complete protein, is introduced into the child's menu at about 6-6.5 months. In the diet of a child under one year old, it is recommended to use lean beef, and preferably veal (tenderloin) or rabbit meat. Children with a cow's milk intolerance can be given pork puree. First, the meat is introduced in the form of mashed potatoes (start with half a teaspoon and gradually bring the daily portion to five teaspoons), and by the 10th month you can give meatballs or steam cutlets. Minced meat for cutlets and meatballs must be prepared from natural fresh meat, in no case should you use ready-made minced meat sold in the store!

At 10 months, you can give your baby steam cutlets from chicken or rabbit meat. This meat is perfectly digestible. When a child's teeth begin to cut, he can be given a chicken leg with a piece of meat (small sharp bones must be removed!) It is not recommended to give imported chicken legs to children under 1 year old.

When is fish introduced into the diet?

Low-fat fish in the form of mashed potatoes is introduced into the child's menu from 9 months of age. It is given 1-2 times a week instead of meat.

When can fruits and fruit juices be added to a child's diet?

Juices and fruit purees must be present in the child's diet. They are a source of vitamins, mineral salts, organic acids, stimulate appetite, stimulate the secretion of digestive juices, improve the motor function of the intestines, and contribute to the development of normal microflora in it. You can start giving vegetable, fruit and berry juices to your baby in the fourth month of life. Give a few drops of juice before meals the first time. If on the second day there are no rashes on the skin, add a few drops a day, bringing the amount of juice to 1-2 teaspoons.
You should start with juices from local fruits: for our territory - from apples, currants, cherries, and not from bananas.
Vegetables, fruits and berries used for juicing must be fresh and ripe, free from damage or rot. Before juicing, after rinsing with cold water, they must be doused with boiling water.

Juices can be prepared using a juicer or by hand. To do this, the fruit is rubbed on a fine plastic grater (in no case on a metal one, since the metal oxidizes and destroys vitamin C) and then the resulting gruel is filtered through two layers of gauze.

What rules should you follow when making juices?

It is important to remember that it is unacceptable to use metal utensils when making juices. In the summer, you should give your child juices from blueberries, black currants, cherries, cherries, vegetables grown on your site. Don't get carried away with exotic juices. The only exception is lemon juice. Don't give your kids too much fruit juice. Juices are high in calories, but not nutritious. They are given to meet the need for vitamins and minerals. Undiluted juices contain as many calories as milk or formula, but the nutritional value is much lower. They are even less nutritious than the fruits themselves, because the pulp is of particular value. In addition, children often have an insufficiently developed enzymatic system, so many children do not tolerate concentrated whole juices well.

It is better to dilute them with water in a 1: 1 or even 2: 1 ratio. Diluted juices well stimulate the activity of enzymes in the stomach and pancreas, thereby improving digestion. Fruit purees should be given from the age of 5 months. Fruit puree should serve as a dessert and should be given in small quantities. It is administered starting with 1/4 teaspoon and gradually increasing the amount to 30 g.

It is better to give the juice fresh, immediately after its preparation. If some of the juice remains, it must be used the same day, and before that, keep in the refrigerator. You can reheat the juice in a baby food warmer or in a bowl of hot water.
Before giving the juice, you need to wash the neck of the bottle with hot boiled water.

From a medium-sized orange, 50 ml is obtained, from lemon - 30 ml of juice, from 100 g of carrots - 50 ml, from 100 g of apples - 30 ml of juice.
It is best to give fruit and juices to children before meals, not after. A small amount of diluted juice, drunk 15 minutes before meals, perfectly stimulates the appetite. Use fruits such as plums, apples, and pears. Unfortunately, in recent years, we have to give up watermelons and melons. To make them mature faster, they use various chemicals, which is dangerous for children. But we are left with wild berries (cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries), which people have not yet tried to fertilize.

How to prepare jelly for a child up to one year old?

Various jelly can also be introduced into the child's menu.

Cranberry Kissel:

Cranberries - 30 g, potato starch - 10 g, sugar syrup - 30 g, water - 200 g.
Sort out and wash the cranberries, pour over boiling water and squeeze the juice. Cover the container with squeezed juice and place in a cool place.

Put the pomace from the berries in an enamel bowl, pour a glass of hot water, boil and strain the broth through cheesecloth.
Cool a quarter of a glass of broth, dilute the potato starch in it and strain through cheesecloth. Add the sugar syrup to the rest of the broth, bring to a boil, pour the potato starch into it and boil again, stirring well. After that, cool the jelly, stirring, so that a film does not form. Pour the cranberry juice into the chilled jelly and mix well.

Dried blueberry kissel:

Dried blueberries - 20 g, potato starch - 8 g, sugar syrup - 25 g, water - 300 g.
Sort out the dried blueberries, place in a colander and rinse thoroughly under the tap with cold water. Transfer the blueberries to an enamel bowl and cover with boiling water. After two hours, when the berries are swollen, boil them for 15 minutes at a low boil, drain the broth through a sieve, and mash the berries with a wooden pestle or spoon, pour in the broth and boil again for 10 minutes. After that, strain the broth through cheesecloth and squeeze the crumpled berries. (Pour a quarter cup of berry broth, cool, dilute the starch in it and strain. Add sugar syrup to the rest of the broth, bring to a boil, gradually pour in the diluted potato starch and boil, stirring all the time.

Kissel from dried fruits:

Dried fruits - 30 g, potato starch -8 g, water - 300 g, sugar syrup - 25 g. Sort and wash dried fruits, put in a saucepan, cover with hot water and cook over low heat until tender. Then strain the finished fruit broth through a sieve covered with gauze. Wipe the fruit lightly and squeeze in cheesecloth.

Cool a quarter of a glass of broth, dilute the potato starch in it, strain through cheesecloth. Bring the remaining fruit broth to a boil, add sugar syrup, diluted potato starch and boil again.
It is advisable to add rosehip infusion, lemon juice, orange juice or other natural juices to dried fruit jelly.

Winter in our northern strip is long, characterized by a long absence of our own fresh vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits are the main sources of four of the 13 known vitamins - C, folic acid, carotene, and some mineral salts (mainly potassium). A large role of vegetables and fruits is to maintain the health of the body due to biologically active phyto compounds (bioflavonoids, etc.), pectin, dietary fiber. Biologically active compounds neutralize foreign substances supplied with food, and pectins and dietary fiber promote the elimination of these substances from the body. How to solve the problem of obtaining all these irreplaceable components in winter?

Fresh vegetables and fruits

A large number of fresh vegetables, fruits, berries from different countries are in abundance on the shelves of our stores. When it gets cold, in other countries the season of fresh vegetables and fruits continues all year round. If you want strawberries, you want tomatoes, herbs, apples, pears - in winter, please. This, of course, is very helpful for moms to maintain their diet. baby as varied as in summer. Of course, the transportation and storage of fruits and vegetables leads to the loss of some nutrients, vitamins (especially C). Another disadvantage of "winter" vegetables and fruits, with all the glossiness of their appearance, is that they do not have the unique aroma and taste, and in some cases the benefits that summer ones have. In addition, in order for vegetables and fruits to retain their attractive appearance, they are treated with preservatives. Therefore, it is important to especially thoroughly wash the gifts of nature with warm water.

Fruits

  1. Oranges, tangerines- are winter fruits for us. In the countries of their growth (Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Spain), the ripeness season for them comes just in time for our new year. Therefore, they are the most valuable during this period. But in the summer they, on the contrary, become last year. Among the well-known advantages of citrus fruits, in addition to the high content of vitamin C, there is one more, orange contains a bioflavonoid - inositol, which has a beneficial effect on the state of the nervous system, improves bowel function. Freshly squeezed juices are prepared from citrus fruits, but you need to drink them within 10-15 minutes, because vitamin C is quickly destroyed. A big disadvantage of citrus fruits is their high allergenicity, they are excluded from the diet of children with allergies. Due to the content of essential oils that stimulate digestive activity, their use is not recommended during exacerbation of diseases of the digestive system.
  2. Bananas- also firmly entrenched in the diet of babies, they are available to us all year round. Although they are inferior to citrus fruits in terms of vitamin C content, they are still a source of it, as well as carotene and potassium. Bananas are allergenic and should be limited in children with allergies. Do not use if you have a tendency to overweight.
  3. Persimmon- is also a source of vitamin C, but along with this it also has a very sweet taste and is not recommended for overweight children. Caution should be given to children with allergies.

Vegetables

  1. Of course, this is the most popular for our country - potato- will serve as a source, do not be surprised, of vitamin C. Potatoes are not the leader in the content of this vitamin, but, given the large volumes of its consumption, it makes a significant contribution to providing the body with ascorbic acid. It also contains a lot of potassium.
  2. Cabbage- the most accessible white cabbage in winter. It is a source of vitamin C, bioflavonoids, a large amount of fiber. Sauerkraut- the record holder for the content of vitamin C. It can be offered to kid after 3 years ... In a small amount, in the form of a salad, 30-50 g. However, you should be aware that when sauerkraut, substances appear that may be allergenic to predisposed children - in the process of pickling, the cabbage undergoes fermentation, and fungal allergens appear in it.
  3. Carrot contains a large amount of carotene and fiber. Carotene is better absorbed from cooked carrots than from raw, carotene dissolved in oil is better absorbed by the body. It is not rich in vitamin C.
  4. Beet- good as a source of fiber, there are very few vitamins in it. It should also be remembered that both carrots and beets can cause allergies, so give to kid they should be used with caution.
  5. Onion garlic- at no other time do these vegetables acquire such importance as in winter. Due to their antimicrobial properties, they are indispensable during the seasonal climbs of colds. Their use is permitted from 8-9 months ... It is recommended to add onions and garlic when preparing soups or mashed potatoes, in chopped form. The amount is minimal so that their taste is not felt in the dish. Such principles are observed in children. up to 3 years . After 3 years it is possible to add raw onions to salads, and a small amount of chopped garlic, for example, in soup after it has been cooked.

Homemade preparations

Homemade preparations are traditional in our country, which preserve nutrients for us for the winter. When preparing certain canned foods, of course, a certain amount of vitamins is also lost, of which vitamin C is the most vulnerable ... Carotene is more stable. Most of the macro- and microelements (iron, calcium, potassium, etc.) remain, which, like vitamins, are necessary for the proper growth and development of your baby. Pectin in fruit and dietary fiber in vegetable preparations is also important. However, not all homework can be offered to babies. Almost any fruit preparations can be used after a year, for the preparation of compotes, jelly, fruit purees and other delicious dishes. It is more difficult with vegetables, they mostly contain vinegar and salt in various concentrations, depending on the recipe. Such blanks can be offered to children no earlier than 3 years old. And only as a salad or a pre-dinner snack. You can start with squash, eggplant caviar, which are traditionally used in baby food. From canned food of industrial production, after three years, you can take note of canned peas, corn, beans.

Frozen vegetables and fruits

For baby food frozen fruits and vegetables can be used. It is good if you prepared them yourself in advance, but you can use frozen industrial products. Moreover, this method of preserving all useful substances today has no competitors. Just remember that you need to defrost vegetables and fruits as quickly as possible. You can use the microwave to do this. A very varied menu can be made from these products. Starting from using them in salads (vegetable or fruit), adding them to soup, and as an independent dish - stews. If you are adding frozen foods to your soup, you should do so shortly before cooking ends. It should be noted that frozen vegetables are sold already blanched, so it takes 15-20 minutes to cook them.

Honey

During this period, a product such as honey is of great importance (in the absence of allergies). Much has been written about this healing product. It is taken for colds, coughs and a number of other ailments. It should only be reminded that honey retains its beneficial properties only when consumed with warm water (30-40 degrees C). In hot water, useful substances (vitamins, enzymes) of honey are destroyed. But this product has strong allergenic properties. Children with allergic manifestations that have arisen earlier when using other products are excluded from honey! In nutrition baby non-allergic, honey may already be present from 6 months , but only in the composition of industrial cereals, in them after special processing it is the least allergenic. Natural honey can be introduced after a year, starting with a quarter of a teaspoon, in the absence of baby allergies! Baby up to 3 years it is enough to give from half to 1 teaspoon a day, after 3 years - 1-2 teaspoons. Overall winter nutrition should be normal in terms of calorie content (i.e., the calorie content remains the same as in summer) and the content of all food groups, which also does not differ from summer foods. In order for your baby's diet to be balanced, it is recommended to include the following foods in it:

An approximate set of products for baby after a year
  • Milk (dairy products - kefir, fermented baked milk, kefir, yogurt) - 500-600 ml per day.
  • Cottage cheese 50 g, cheese - 3-10 g per day
  • Low-fat sour cream 10-15 g per day
  • Butter - 20 * -30 g ** per day
  • Vegetable 5 * -10g ** per day
  • Meat, poultry - 1-2 portions per day, 60 * -100g ** (5-6 times a week) Liver, other offal - 1 portion per week 60 * -100 g **
  • Fish - 1-2 servings per week 70-100 g Various vegetables - 1-2 servings per day -150-250 g **
  • Potatoes - 145-200 g
  • Salad - 1 portion per day 40-60 g
  • Cereals, pasta -50-80 g
  • Eggs - 1 a day 2-3 times a week 1 a day 5-7 times a week, 1-2 eggs a week in an omelette, the rest in dishes - cheese cakes, casseroles, etc.
  • Sweets 1 portion a day (confectionery) - 10-15 g
  • Fruit, vegetable juice - 1 portion per day - 150-200 g
  • Wheat bread 65-100g
  • Rye bread 15-50g
  • Fresh fruits (canned, frozen) - 1-2 portions per day 100 * - 200 g **
  • Dried fruits - 10–20 g per day (mainly used for compotes).

It should be noted that this is a desirable set, but not required. If child does not eat, cottage cheese 50 g per day, you can cook cheese cakes or casseroles once a week. And so with any product, because each baby and each family has its own eating habits.

Sample menu

Now let's see how to distribute these foods throughout the day. Let's start with lunch, because it bears the main burden in terms of calorie content and volume of the entire daily diet. For lunch to kid it is recommended to give a snack, in the form of a salad of frozen vegetables, or home-canned vegetables. After the appetizer - the first course - soup, borscht, cabbage soup, etc. of your choice. Up to 3 years prepare vegetarian soups, then - in meat or fish broth. Then a full-fledged high-calorie meat or fish dish with porridge or vegetables as a side dish. For dessert baby you can offer home-made canned compote (either from frozen fruits, berries, or dried fruits), jelly, or juice, or fresh fruit. Compotes with black currant included are very useful, as an important source of vitamin C. For a balanced intake of various vitamins, part of the serving of vegetables should be brightly colored vegetables, as sources of carotene are carrots, beets, tomatoes, pumpkin, etc. And part of the serving of fruits is fruits rich in vitamin C - citrus fruits, kiwi. Fruit can be replaced with berries (in any form) rich in vitamin C or rosehip decoction. For breakfast, as well as for dinner, babies can be given various cereal dishes, paying attention to the variety of cereals used. Milk porridge is good for breakfast. Moreover, if y baby a good appetite can be offered for breakfast with meat dishes, or fish in combination with a side dish. And for dinner, you can cook cereals with vegetables, fruits (such as pilaf with dried fruits). Porridge (both for breakfast and for dinner) should be alternated with cottage cheese dishes (in combination with carrots, apples, dried fruits, honey), and eggs (omelet). For an afternoon snack, the baby receives a fermented milk drink, or milk in combination with baked goods. It is good to include fruits or berries.

Sample winter menu baby 1-7 years (in grams)
Dishes 1-3 years 3-5 years 5-7years
Breakfast
Porridge
130- 150 180 200
Cocoa with milk or tea 100-150 180 200
Lunch
Fruit or vegetable juice
100-150 180 200
Dinner
Salad (from frozen vegetables or canned vegetables)
40 50 60
Vegetarian soup (up to 3 years old) with sour cream 100 -150 180 200
Meat or fish dish 50 - 60 70 80
Cereal garnish 100 -120 130 150
Third course (dried fruit compote, juice, compote, rosehip decoction) 100-150 180 200
Afternoon snack
Kefir, milk, yogurt
150 200 200
Bun, (biscuits, waffles) 40 –60 (10-15) 70 (20) 90 (30)
Fruits, berries (frozen, canned) 100 150 200
Vegetable dish (frozen vegetable stew), egg dishes (omelet, etc.), or curd dish 150-180 200 250
At night
Milk, kefir, drinking yogurt.
150 200 200

The last thing I would like to write about is the diet. baby for various reasons, it does not always correspond to the set of products that is recommended .. Therefore, it is advisable for children to take vitamin-mineral complexes for preventive purposes. What drugs and what course the doctor should advise on an individual basis. In winter, taking these drugs becomes especially relevant, due to the greater need for vitamins during colds.

Blanching is a quick treatment with boiling water for any food product.