After the baby is over half a year old, the diet can finally be a little different, and it is time to put supplementary food on the agenda.
At first, I gave my baby what supplementary food, but many parents were worried and chose to choose. I felt that eggs were more nutritious (after all, they could grow into a chicken). Egg custard and egg puree were also very easy to make, so let’s do it.
Although eggs look nutritious, if they are the baby’s first supplementary food, they may not be the best choice.
Faults of Eggs
From the point of view of nutritional composition, eggs are rich and comprehensive in nutrition, with vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats… not only many kinds, but also sufficient in content.
But why not recommend eggs as the baby’s initial supplementary food?
1. Can’t effectively supplement iron
After the baby is half a year old, the nutrition provided by breast milk will gradually fail to fully meet the needs of the baby’s physical development. At this time, it needs to be supplemented by supplementary foods, and the most important nutrient is iron.
Usually, 99% of the iron in babies who are exclusively breast-fed needs to be provided by supplementary foods.
In eggs, iron mainly exists in egg yolk, with a content of 6.5 mg/100g, which seems not low. However, unfortunately, the iron in egg yolk belongs to non-heme iron, with a poor absorption rate of only about 3%, far less than the heme iron contained in meat (absorption rate above 20%).
如果想要通过鸡蛋给宝宝补铁, 效果并不太理想.
2. May cause allergy
Although eggs are rich in protein, they are also one of the most common food allergens for children. Think about whether the baby at home has any uncomfortable symptoms such as itching, rash and tummy after eating finished products?
There are mainly 5 kinds of allergens in eggs, which are basically in egg white. However, this does not mean that eating egg yolk is safe, and it is also likely that egg white will be accidentally stuck when separating egg yolk, causing baby allergy.
In short, eggs, including yolk, are not recommended for the baby’s first supplementary food.
If you don’t eat eggs, then eat what?
After crossing eggs off the list of the first candidates for supplementary food, parents should ask: Should supplementary food start in what?
The < < Guidelines for Feeding Infants Aged 7-24 Months > > said: Starting from iron-rich muddy foods, gradually adding them to achieve a variety of foods.
Rich in iron is the basic requirement for choosing the baby’s first bite of supplementary food. It is recommended to choose iron-fortified baby rice flour, meat mud, liver mud, etc. They are all iron-rich and well absorbed supplementary food.
After the baby has received the supplementary food rich in iron, other kinds of food will be gradually introduced to provide the baby with more comprehensive nutrition.
Did you give up the egg?
Although eggs are not the best choice for the first bite of supplementary food, they are still a nutritious and good food, so it is a pity to give up.
If you can’t be the first, you can line up later.
First, let’s look at the nutritional characteristics of eggs:
Egg white
It is mainly composed of 84% water and 12% protein, in addition to a small amount of carbohydrates, B vitamins and minerals.
Yolk
Egg yolk can be said to be the nutritional core of eggs. Water accounts for 50% in an egg yolk, in addition to 15% protein, 28% fat and about 3% carbohydrate.
Because it is rich in oil, fat-soluble vitamins in eggs are basically concentrated in egg yolk, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. However, B vitamins and various mineral elements are also much more in egg yolk than egg white.
In addition, lecithin contained in egg yolk is helpful to synthesize neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Lutein and zeaxanthin are good for eye health.
These nutrients are helpful to the growth and development of the baby.
Apart from the poor effect of iron supplement, eggs are still excellent in other aspects.
Of course, the premise is to add a pair.
After the baby has received supplementary foods such as fortified rice flour and meat paste, he can try to add egg yolk first.
After steaming the eggs, take out the yolk and grind it. First, feed it to the baby separately with a small piece to observe whether there are any uncomfortable manifestations such as allergy.
If the baby does not have adverse reactions, it can be eaten together with rice noodles and other supplementary foods.
However, egg white, due to the high risk of allergy, is not recommended to be eaten too early for the baby. When the baby accepts egg yolk, he can be considered to add protein.
If the baby has had allergic reactions, or the parents of Bao Bao have egg allergy, more attention should be paid when adding eggs, and it is best to consult a pediatrician before eating eggs for the first time.
Finally, I would like to nag you again. Eggs must be steamed well. They must be steamed well.