Complementary food: meat

After a small break to talk about glute and proteins we return to the different food groups with Meat in complementary feeding.

Meat is an important contribution of protein, iron and vitamin B12 and is also an important source of zinc.

After six months, infants usually begin to need, precisely, a complement of zinc and iron (although there are children, especially those who experienced a late cut of the umbilical cord, which have iron reserves up to twelve months).

When can they start eating meat?

The meat begins to be offered from the sixth month and you usually start with chicken for being one of the least allergenic meats and the ones that best manages at the culinary level, although it could also start with the rabbit (some nutritionists say it is the best meat for babies, because it has few saturated fats and is rich in iron ).

Subsequently, turkey, veal (usually less liked), pork and lamb are added.

The turkey and the lamb can also start taking it with six months. The veal in principle too, although being a larger animal, It has a lot of collagen that is difficult to digest (unless we ask in the butcher shop if the veal was tiny, since if it is large, it would be preferable to wait at 10-12 months).

Pork can also be given at six months, although if we talk about ham or serrano ham, for its amount of salt and for the amount of preservatives and dyes they carry (basically sweet), I would wait for 12 months. Yes, pork tenderloin can be a good choice, which is a rather juicy and nerve-free meat.

Preparation

It can be boiled, roasted, grilled, fried, but not battered, by the egg.
If we grilled it, we should try to prevent it from roasting (the typical caramelization of the meat that appears in some areas), since those darker areas are the Maillard reaction, which adds flavor and aroma to the meat, but it can be carcinogenic

The meat has a consistency that makes it difficult for young children to eat so it is recommended chopped, chopped, mashed, cutting meat threads or offering an elongated fillet to start sucking and never in small pieces that can not chew until later.

An idea for when they are able to chew a little, even with the gums, is to make minced meat over low heat with a little oil until they get some balls that children can take with their fingers (being already chopped avoids the choking risk).

Once there are other tolerated foods, it is advised (as we said at the entrance of the vegetable) to accompany it with a small amount of vegetables or fruits because proteins and minerals are better absorbed (it is important to do it above all for a better absorption of iron).

How much meat should they eat?

The amount should be rather small, as I said a couple of days ago today we eat too many proteins and the vast majority come from animals. This makes us eat a lot of saturated, unhealthy fats if we take them too much. In return we should eat more legumes, with proteins of similar value but without these animal fats.

The recommended at 6 months is that take a maximum of 20 grams daily, which is equivalent to a piece of chicken (something like a third or a quarter of a steak) that provides about 4 g of protein.

A whole steak (80-100 grams), would contain about 16-20 grams of protein. Virtually the total protein that a child needs over a day (remember that children 6 to 12 months need about 20 grams of protein a day and that children 2 to 5 years still need less, about 14-16 grams)

That is why with those 20 grams of chicken (4g of protein), the 6-11 grams that the milk you are drinking can contribute and the amount that comes from cereals, vegetables and fruit we would arrive without problems at the amount of Recommended proteins.

Can they eat viscera?

It is not advisable to give viscera children as there is a risk of transmission of prion diseases.

Video: Feeding Babies: Starting Solid Foods. Kaiser Permanente (March 2024).