When it comes to fruit, many parents think it is rich in nutrition and a [large family] of vitamins. It is good to give Eva more food.
Fruit is indeed a good thing, but there are many misconceptions about babies eating fruit.
Today, Dr. Clove invited Liu Suiqian, a certified clinical nutritionist from the Australian Dietitian Association, to help mothers answer their questions.
Myth 1: Fruit is fastidious, and babies should eat it [avoid eating it]
Speaking of eating fruit for Eva, the most tangled thing for mothers is probably what kind of fruit to eat for Eva. Many mothers leave messages with clove mothers: I heard that eating XX is not good, can’t they really give Eva food? Can babies under one year old eat XX?
In fact, the absolute [taboos] of fruits really do not exist. From a scientific point of view, there is no what fruit that babies absolutely cannot eat.
A healthy diet should pay attention to [balance], so should fruits. Eat in moderation and not much.
The types of fruits are added in accordance with the addition principle of other supplementary foods: they do not affect the baby’s appetite (milk quantity), and there is no obvious discomfort after eating, and each baby can add an appropriate amount according to its own situation.
If you find the baby’s mouth is red and swollen, diarrhea and other discomfort after eating, you need to stop adding it immediately.
Myth 2: Fruits are rich in nutrition, the more the better.
The more the better, the more food there is, but not fruit.
The dietary guidelines of China and the United States do not separately emphasize the fruit intake of babies of different ages, but Australia has explanations on this, which can be used as a reference:
- 1-2 years old: 75-100g, about half of the medium-sized kiwi fruit or medium-sized banana 2-3 years old: 150g, about a medium-sized kiwi fruit or medium-sized banana 4-8 years old: 225g 9-11 years old: 300g
For babies under one year old, it is suggested that the total amount of fruits in one day:
- 6-7 months: add supplementary food at the beginning, a small spoon is good for 8-9 months: about 20-30g per day for 10-11 months: about 50g per day
For babies who are too thin or do not eat well for three meals, eating too much fruit may affect their normal appetite, thus making the babies thinner and thinner. For babies who are too fat or have a good appetite for three meals, fruits will provide too many unnecessary calories, thus making the babies fatter and fatter.
Therefore, the more fruits, the better. Mothers still need to grasp this amount.
Myth 3: Fruit is delicious and appetizing before meals.
Sweet and sour can stimulate appetite, which may be the feeling of many people.
In fact, the sour taste of fruit comes from the organic acid. Although organic acid can stimulate appetite, if the fruit is not ripe enough, it is easy to stimulate gastric mucosa for babies with weak digestive tract, and the result may be good intentions to do bad things.
Therefore, it is still not recommended to give the baby too much sour fruit before meals. If it is ripe, one or two bites are fine. Eating too much may still be the same problem: I can’t eat any more.
Myth 4: Eating fruits after meals helps digestion.
If the baby is already full, eating fruit again is equivalent to increasing the amount of food eaten and increasing the digestive burden.
Of course, if it is only a little bit, it is also fine. After all, the baby’s body is also very severe, but the dietary fiber [digestion aid] in this little bit of fruit is also a little bit. Oh, not much. If it is a large amount, compared with the limited dietary fiber, it is more obvious to increase the digestive burden.
Should this fruit be eaten in what?
Either eat with rice, such as fruit and vegetable salad; Either arrange to eat between meals, for example, about 2 hours after a meal.
Myth 5: Don’t like vegetables, just eat fruits
The thing is, most vegetables do contain more vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber than fruits. However! Fruits contain more sugar, organic acids and aromatic substances than many fresh vegetables, and do not need to be specially heated to eat, and their nutrition is not affected by cooking.
Therefore, no one can replace anyone with vegetables and fruits.
If the baby doesn’t like vegetables, mothers should set a good example first, and then try to make vegetables, meat and eggs into stuffing, vegetable and meat pie, balls, etc. in life. Maybe the baby will also love vegetables!
Myth 6: The more expensive the fruit, the more nutritious it is.
The nutritional value of fruits has nothing to do with the price. It is only related to the variety and origin. The nutrient content of different fruits varies and there is no way to compete.
What really affects the price is the mode of transportation, transportation distance, output, packaging method, brand factors…
Myth 7: Fruit puree and fruit juice are more nutritious,
The most suitable way to destroy fruit is to eat it in one bite! ].
Note that [eating in one bite] does not really mean eating the whole bite in one bite. When giving it to your baby, you must pay attention to the risk of suffocation, especially fruits such as litchi, grapes, nuts and cherry tomatoes. Before giving it to your baby, you must ensure that the food has been cut into small pieces or mashed.
Even a 6-month-old baby who has just added fruit can scrape the pulp directly from the cut fruit with a clean spoon and feed it to them. This kind of puree scraped directly is different from the kind of puree made by cutting the pulp into small pieces and grinding it.
The former method involves less processing process and short exposure time of fruits in the air. However, the latter is relatively complicated to do, and it is easy to cause the pulp to oxidize for a longer time in the air, which not only increases the oxidation loss of vitamin C, but also increases the chance of pulp being polluted by microorganisms (such as bacteria) in the environment.
As for fruit juicing, it is absolutely forbidden for babies under 1 year old.
For babies over 1 year old, don’t drink fruit if you can eat it. If you want to drink it, you’d better choose sterilized 100% pure fruit juice instead of freshly squeezed juice or fruit juice drinks with a concentration of less than 99%. As for the amount of drink, it is best not to exceed half of the fruit demand throughout the day.
Myth 8: Only give babies seasonal fruits,
Many mothers will worry that the fruits planted out of season in the local area may have used some methods to induce labor.
In fact, the farming and transportation conditions are relatively good now. Just want to eat what fruits and buy them. There is no need to be restricted by seasons. After all, for us now, it is too common for us to place an online order and deliver it to our door the next day.