Many of us probably realize that the best food for newborn babies is 'mother's breast milk'. However, after 4 - 6 months, the little ones will start taking supplementary foods according to their age in order to get some additional nutrients sufficient for their growth and physical needs, such as protein, iron, calcium, iodine, and vitamin A.
Food according to age for babies aged 6 months - 1 year will begin to change from liquid, such as mother's breast milk, to semisolid one. Then, the food will become gradually more solid but still have softness so that babies can practice chewing it.
Nutrients for babies aged 6 months - 1 year in each meal should consist of ones that are complete in all 5 groups:
1. Carbohydrates as body energy, including rice and flour, such as steamed rice, brown rice, or bread.
2. Protein to repair physical damages and promote growth for the body, such as meat, beans, or eggs.
3. Fat as energy for the body, including oils, such as olive oil, or foods that are high in fat, such as avocados.
4. Vegetables to provide vitamins and minerals to strengthen the body and give dietary fiber so that babies have normal digestion. They include green leafy vegetables, such as gourd, spinach, and vegetables of different colors, such as carrots and pumpkin; and
5. Fruits to provide various vitamins and fiber that helps digestion, such as bananas, and papayas.
Today, I would like to give you examples of 10 mouthwatering menus for babies aged 6 months – 1-year old that are delicious, easy to make, and have complete nutritional value.
1. Rice with egg yolk and gourd leaves It is a menu suitable for babies who are starting to eat as there are nutrients from egg yolk and fiber from gourd leaves.
2. Pumpkin Soup with Egg It is a menu high in vitamin A and carotene from pumpkin and contains egg protein.
3. Steamed Egg with Minced Pork It is a menu that provides babies with protein from both pork and eggs.
4. Boiled rice with minced meat, fish, and sweetened vegetables It is a menu high in protein from fish and vitamins from sweetened vegetables.
5. Ground Porridge with Minced Pork and Pork Blood It is an easy-to-digest menu high in protein from pork and iron from pork blood.
6. Mashed Avocado, Boiled Egg, and Broccoli It is a menu that provides high energy from avocado and is also rich in protein from eggs as well as vitamins and dietary fiber from broccoli.
7. Creamy Carrot Soup with Ground Chicken It is a menu that provides vitamin A and high in carotene from carrots along with the protein from chicken.
8. Stewed Rice with Spinach and Tofu It is a menu high in protein from tofu and rich in iron from spinach.
9. Chicken and Tomato Porridge It is a menu that has protein from chicken and contains vitamin A and carotene from tomatoes.
10. Mashed Sweet Potato with Egg It is a menu with additional nutrients using yam instead of rice and increased protein from eggs.
A heartfelt thank for the information provided by Piyarat ‘Ann’ Lertbannaphong, M.D.
Crated At 03/01/2023
