Table of contents:
- Why should complementary foods for babies under one year of age avoid sugar?
- Natural ingredients to replace sugar for baby solids
- 1. Bananas
- 2. Pear
- 3. Apples
- 4. Carrots
Six months of age is when your little one tries and explores new foods. Usually at this age babies can be given complementary foods or what are called complementary foods. When the baby has entered the MPASI period, as parents you must be smart in choosing nutrition-rich food intake for him. So, if you want to be creative with the MPASI menu for babies under one year old, don't forget to avoid using sugar first.
Why should complementary foods for babies under one year of age avoid sugar?
Many parents add spices to their little one's food when they start solids. He said, this was done so that children did not get bored quickly with just the same food and tended to be bland.
Indeed, experts recommend that parents provide various types of food during complementary foods so that your little one does not become a picky eater. However, you must remember. MPASI is a way to train your little one to explore the taste and texture of food that must be given gradually.
Well, if from the beginning of the first feeding your little one has given sugar, this will make the baby accustomed to sweet foods. As a result, the next time you try to feed them vegetables that tend to have a bland taste, your baby will likely refuse them.
That is why, it is better to avoid added sugar in baby solids. Actually, not only sugar, you should also avoid adding salt to baby solids until they are one year old. The age of one year is considered as the ideal age because the baby's digestion is ready and the diet has begun to form.
Natural ingredients to replace sugar for baby solids
Although you are advised to avoid sugar in solid foods, this does not mean not giving your little one sweet foods at all. You can still introduce sweetness to your little one by using natural sweeteners. It is not difficult to find natural sweetener ingredients for baby complementary foods. Some natural ingredients to replace baby solids include:
1. Bananas
Bananas are the most popular baby complementary foods. Apart from their sweet taste and soft texture, bananas are an inexpensive and easy to find food. Not only that, the nutritional content in bananas is also abundant. Bananas contain phosphorus, potassium, folic acid and vitamin A which are good for your baby's health.
Presentation of bananas at the introduction stage of complementary foods can be done by scraping the banana flesh until it is soft and then serving it to the baby. There is also a mixture of puree or puree so that it adds flavor and does not make your baby quickly bored with the same food.
2. Pear
The nutritional content in pears is phosphorus, potassium, calcium and vitamin C. These content are good for the health of the baby. If you want to use pears as a complement, you can serve the fruit by cutting it into small pieces then steam or roll until soft.
3. Apples
Apples contain potassium, fostor, calcium, megnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C. Just like pears, you can serve apes by cutting them into small pieces and then boiling them until they're soft. Now, after the apple is soft you can immediately put it in the blender and make it into a puree (puree).
4. Carrots
Although carrots are not as sweet as the foods mentioned above, carrots are one of the vegetables that are widely recommended as complementary foods for breastfeeding for babies after entering the age of 6 months. The reason is, this one vegetable contains lots of vitamins and minerals, helps smooth the baby's digestive system, and prevents constipation because it contains high fiber. You can process carrots as finger food or puree like the food above.
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