At six months of age, babies begin to eat solid foods and to try new flavors. Little by little they incorporate flavors because now they need more nutrients for their development. How to prepare cereal porridge homemade and other dishes becomes an important task for parents. After all, they say that eating is learned. So, nothing better than healthy dishes but with flavor and personality so that the baby learns to broaden his palate.
But this path should not be abrupt, the ideal is to start little by little. Remember that until then, the baby is only used to the taste of milk, that is, any other flavor will be no less than new. There are babies who open their mouths wide after trying the first spoonful, but in other cases the road is long and different alternatives have to be tried.
The importance of cereals
One of the things to consider when introducing new foods is color, flavor and texture. It is important to start introducing them on an ascending scale, starting with flavors that are not too strong. There are those who start with the pumpkin or the banana, the first for being soft, the second for its sweetness. Then other vegetables, cereals, meats and others are introduced. no one is born knowing how to prepare cereal porridge and other foods so keep in mind that you can add condiments and some additional products to make them more tasty, such as grated cheese, cream, etc.
Cereals are among the first solid foods to be introduced when starting complementary feeding. The reason is because they are easy to digest while being very rich in nutrients, with a great contribution of carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, fats, minerals and fiber. These provide great energy for the growing needs of the baby linked to its development. What are the most consumed cereals? You can choose oatmeal, different types of flour (corn, wheat, barley, rye), rice, rice grits, wheat grits, quinoa, millet,
Cereal porridge recipes
As an example, I bring you a recipe that seems very tasty to me because it is a porridge that mixes many cereals with the detail that, in case the baby is more than one year old, you can also add honey. Remember this important detail, because children under one year old cannot taste honey until their first birthday. Is oatmeal carry:
4 grams of corn flour.
4 grams of wheat flour.
4 grams of barley flour.
4 grams of rye flour.
4 grams of oatmeal.
200 ml of breast milk or formula.
1 teaspoon of honey (if the baby is over a year old)
In a bowl, place the milk and then add the flour little by little, mixing very well so that there are no lumps. If you can't add honey, you can opt for sugar, although there are pediatricians who recommend avoiding sugar for up to a year.
Another recipe that is one of my favorites, both for its simplicity and its nutritiousness, is the cereal and fruit porridge. In this case, it is about repeating the previous recipe but adding 50 grams of one or more fruits of your choice, such as banana, apple, melon, peach, pear, etc. If you also want to add orange juice, the porridge will be even tastier and sweeter.
To consider
When prepare cereal porridge, always remember that you will use the cereal as the main solid food and some liquid to mix, which can be breast milk, formula, vegetable broth, juices or water. To this, you can add other ingredients, such as vegetables, noodles, fruits, etc.
Although there is always the option of choosing industrial porridge, the ideal is to prepare homemade cereal porridge because industrial foods lose nutrients because they go through a process called hydrolysis to make them more digestible. The consequence is that many of them have added sugar or need to be fortified with the addition of additional nutrients.