Is it possible to give beets in. From how many months is it allowed to give beets to children

In ancient times, this amazing root crop was used not only as a tasty and healthy food, but also as a blush for the face. Guess what we're talking about today? Of course, it's beets.

The beneficial properties of beets have been valued for a long time.

About good

From time immemorial, this vegetable has been famous for its beneficial properties, which include:

About the bad

However, beetroot can be harmful to health, because it is a vegetable (just like all greens and collard greens), actively collecting amides, nitrates and ammonium salts from the soil. The result of the use of a root crop rich in harmful substances can be a violation of the functioning of the kidneys. This vegetable also has the ability to lower blood pressure. This feature is beneficial for some adults who have problems with cardiovascular disease, but is completely unnecessary for a small child.

Beets can cause some harm to the crumbs that have not yet grown stronger.

Suffering from diathesis

In this case, is it possible for a child to have beets? It is possible and necessary, but portions should be strictly metered not only because of the above negative factors, but also because allergies can happen. Children who have already had problems with diathesis should not introduce this valuable vegetable into complementary foods before a year.

Babies with diathesis will be able to taste beets only after the first year of life.

Now you can try

At what age should we start feeding beets so as not to harm the baby? A vegetable is usually introduced into the diet after the crumbs have met potatoes (before that, the child tries carrots).

The approximate age of the baby is 8-9 months. Allergy sufferers - strictly after a year in minimal quantities and carefully observing the reaction to the product. If the crumbs have constipation with an enviable frequency, then you can start beetroot complementary foods a little earlier than the age indicated by the norm, but not the first course and not until the baby reaches six months.

If you are not very concerned about the introduction of any complementary foods or do not have strong doctor's indications for the use of this particular root crop, then you can wait up to a year with beets. A one-year-old baby is already slightly adapted to adult food, and such a serious and fiber-rich vegetable will perceive much better than an 8-9 month old baby.

The body of grown children takes beets much better.

How to introduce beets into the diet? You need to start with microscopic doses of juice from a boiled vegetable. The best option would be add a few drops of well-cooked beetroot juice to the vegetable puree with whom the baby is already familiar and friendly. Be sure to observe the child's reactions to the new product (changes in stool, signs of allergies). If at least one of them manifests itself, then it is worthwhile to wait a couple of months with beetroot complementary foods. If you decide to start complementary foods with this root crop from 9 months, then it the volume should not exceed 1/3 of the total mass of the dish. By the age of one, a child can eat up to 50 grams of a red vegetable per day (but no more). It is enough to feed the baby beets once a week.

Beets require gradual getting used to yourself.

Only fresh product

Beets are a great addition to cereals: buckwheat, oatmeal and rice. You can cook these cereals in a diluted root vegetable decoction (if you are sure that there are no nitrates) or simply add beetroot puree to an already prepared porridge.

The vegetable should only be fresh or freshly cooked because, when reheated, substances harmful to the baby are formed in it.

Raw vegetable: is it possible?

Beetroot juice (raw) can be given at the same age, but only in a diluted state (either with boiled water or as an additive in other juices). Such measures are taken because the juice has an unpleasant aftertaste and in its pure (concentrated) form irritates the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines of the crumbs. Beetroot juice in the total amount of drink consumed by the baby should not contain more than 1/3 of the total volume. If possible, then it is better to wait with juice for up to a year because all the substances (and harmful ones too) that are in a vegetable are also present in its juice, only in a more concentrated form than in a boiled root crop.

Undiluted beetroot juice is unpalatable and bad for baby's delicate stomach.

note

• Suffering from any disease of the stomach;
• Has kidney problems
• Prone to diarrhea;
• Suffering from diabetes.

When a child is sick, it is always a tragedy for his parents. And if the baby has alarming symptoms, this is doubly scary. Moms panic if. What to do?

Many babies suffer from lactose intolerance, which greatly complicates the feeding process. What to do if your child has been given a disappointing diagnosis, read on.

Here comes the year

The child's menu after a year, including beets, becomes more diverse:

• stew;
• borscht;
• salads;
• soups.

In each of the listed dishes, the vegetable we are discussing can only be an addition, but by no means the dominant component. Children from one to 7 years old can be given up to 100 grams of root crop per day (provided that the child does not suffer from diarrhea).

Beetroot is a useful component that brings variety to the traditional dishes of the child.

Cook, bake or eat raw?

If we compare the benefits of eating raw and boiled (or baked) vegetables, then, oddly enough, there will be more of it from a thermally processed root crop. During cooking and baking, part of the vitamins is lost, the effect of irritation of the mucous membranes is reduced and nitrates disappear, and fiber remains, all trace elements, pectin (frees the body from bad substances and impurities) and betaine - a substance that slows down the aging process and has a beneficial effect on the activity of the brain and liver. In raw beets, all substances are in an unchanged state, but due to the presence of nitrates and the irritating property of juice, it can cause harm in much larger volumes than its cooked counterpart.

Puree

The simplest beetroot dish for a baby is mashed potatoes. Its recipe is also simple. We will need:

• the vegetable itself;
• water;
• sunflower oil.

Cooking scheme:

1. My vegetable, removing particles of earth, small roots and green tops.
2. Pour in water, bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.

Cooking beets will take a lot of time.

1. We drain the water and fill it with new water.
2. Cook over low heat in a saucepan with a closed lid for about 1.5 hours (depending on the size of the root crop).
3. We dip the finished beets for a few minutes in cold water (to easily remove the peel).
4. Rub the peeled vegetable on a fine grater.

A blender will also do an excellent job of chopping beets.

1. Add a little sunflower oil.
2. Mix and add another 2-3 tablespoons of boiled water or vegetable broth (to dilute the resulting thick puree).

The kid will appreciate it!

1. Mix everything well and offer the baby.

This recipe is suitable for children up to a year.

How much sleep should a newborn baby have? We will talk in detail about the issues of sleeping babies on this page.

Salad

Older kids may like beetroot salad with prunes. The recipe is also very simple.

Ingredients:

• boiled beets (one is enough);
• a few prunes;
• a couple tablespoons of sour cream.

How to cook:

1. We boil the vegetable.
2. Three peeled root crops on a grater.

One small beetroot for a baby will be more than enough.

1. Cut the washed prunes into small pieces and add to the beets.

For beets, you can pick up any ingredient that the child prefers.

1. Mix the salad, season with sour cream and mix again.

You can experiment and add an apple and (or) carrot instead of prunes. The main ingredient of the salad can be raw (if the baby perceives it normally). Some kids like to eat soup with a slice of beets in the bite. Many children like beetroot pancakes - here you should already see what suits your little one more.

Do not be alarmed if, after eating pancakes or salad, the urine or feces of the little man become pink or reddish - this is completely normal.

The Right Vegetable

About what the beets should be. It is best to grow a miracle vegetable in your beds. If you do not have the ability or desire to do this, then you need to know a few points about what ideally purchased beets should be.

1. Do not buy large vegetables - they contain much more harmful substances than small or medium root crops.

Small beet root crops are most useful for a child.

1. Choose vegetables only with a pronounced burgundy color - it indicates the quality of the root crop.
2. Ask the seller (if possible) to cut one of the root crops. If light streaks are visible on the cut, then such a product is not suitable for a child to eat.

Light streaks are a guarantee of quality.

We fight with a cold

With the help of beets, you can. Effective as a raw vegetable, and boiled. For treatment, you need juice, which is instilled into the nasal passages. The child may react painfully to this natural medicine, so the juice must be diluted in half with water (boiled). The juice can be successfully combined with honey or carrots. The solution is instilled 2-3 drops into each nasal passage up to 4 times a day.

Diluted beetroot juice will quickly help with a runny nose.

Pages of life

“How many times I went shopping, I never saw baby food that contained beets. The son suffers from constipation from cereals and mixtures. Today, quite by accident, I stumbled upon "Grandma's Basket". They make beef with beets. Hooray! We tried and, it seems, "hooked" on this dish. Maksimka gobbles up both cheeks. I must say that we are completely artificial. Now my son is 7.5 months old. We'll see if there's a rash tomorrow."

“Mommies, you’ve already gone completely crazy: to poison children with store-bought stuff! There are also a lot of preservatives, and then you have eyes wild with surprise: where did the child suddenly have an allergy? Every baby knows for himself what and when he needs to introduce complementary foods. If everything is correct, then the child smiles and grabs the spoon himself, and if he refuses, it is too early for this food. With beets, everything is very individual! Moms, keep an eye on your kids. Only they will show the right way.”

“I am against store packaging. There you can find anything at all, except for what should be there. Poison - just spit. I cook all the food myself at home. I give my daughter boiled beets and rubbed through a sieve. I cook for about half an hour, after cutting into cubes. As long as she likes it."

Summarizing the information in the article:

• Beets can bring both benefit and harm.
• It must be introduced into the diet very carefully.
• According to indications, you can start complementary foods with vegetables from 6 months.
• With the normal development of the child, his first acquaintance with the root crop occurs closer to 9 months.
• Babies with obvious signs of diathesis can eat beets only after a year.
• A boiled vegetable is healthier than a raw one.
• For a child, you need to carefully choose root crops.
• Beets are a folk-tested remedy for the common cold.

Beetroot and beetroot juice: when to introduce a child into the diet?

Beetroot is a vegetable that is very beneficial for the body. It must be present in baby food. But from what age, in what quantities to give beets, how to cook it for a baby, and is it possible to squeeze juice from a root crop? The article will help to understand all the important issues regarding the inclusion of beets in the children's menu.

The benefits of beets for the body

Most nutritionists advise eating beetroot and beetroot dishes regularly. This vegetable has a positive effect on digestion, and that’s all thanks to its rich composition. The main beneficial effects of the root crop are as follows:

1. Due to the extensive amount of vitamins in the composition of beet pulp, its consumption in food will have a good effect on the development of the baby - both mentally and physically. Also, the product will help to function normally to all internal organs and systems.
2. The root crop contains a sufficient amount of minerals - iodine and iron, and this is the prevention of anemia and iodine deficiency.
3. In addition to these trace elements, there are other minerals and mineral salts in beets, so the product will have a positive effect on metabolism.
4. If you eat beets regularly, then it will strengthen the walls of blood vessels, contribute to the good functioning of the hematopoietic organs, and reduce nervous excitability.
5. The child’s immune system will work more smoothly after consuming beets, because the vegetable has immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties.
6. If a child is given light beet salads or mashed potatoes, then he will not have problems with the intestines, the main of which at a tender age is constipation.
7. Beetroot is very useful for the liver, it is a natural hepatoprotector, which is important for any person.

Are there any harmful properties of the root crop?

1. If the beets are not grown in an ecologically clean place without the use of herbicides and soil improvers, then there is a possibility that they contain harmful impurities. A vegetable tends to take salt, nitrates, and other substances from the soil that are not at all necessary for the child's body. Therefore, a large amount of beets can adversely affect the functioning of the kidneys.
2. Beetroot can lower blood pressure. If for many adults with vascular and heart diseases this property of beets will only benefit, then it can harm babies.
3. If a child is prone to diarrhea, then eating beets is often contraindicated for him.

Beetroot consumption must be moderate, not uncontrolled, otherwise you can achieve unpleasant effects!

At what age can you give a baby?

Only after the child has already had other vegetables on the menu (zucchini, pumpkin, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots), they begin to introduce beets into his diet. If no allergic reactions were noted, there is no tendency to allergies, then the age of introduction of beets is 8-9 months. If the baby is allergic, he is diagnosed with diathesis, then you will have to forget about beets for up to a year (at least).

If the child does not have allergies and has problems with stools, intestinal motility is reduced, then this may be the basis for introducing the root crop into the menu after 6 months. It is strictly forbidden to make this vegetable the first meal of complementary foods - it will be very difficult for an organism not accustomed to plant foods to absorb a product with a lot of fiber!

Beets and constipation: does it really save you from the problem?

YES, it helps. The vegetable contains a lot of fiber - a type of carbohydrate, which, for the most part, is not digested in the intestines, but helps to carry out normal digestion. As a result of the inclusion of beets in the menu, there is an increase in intestinal motility, it pushes out stagnant feces and eliminates constipation. FROM vekla eliminates constipation and is an excellent prevention, so you must eat it!

Can beets cure a runny nose? How to make drops?

It may seem strange, but beetroot juice is good for treating rhinitis (runny nose). For this purpose, use the juice of raw or boiled vegetables. Drops are prepared as follows:

• Wash the beets, grate;
• Squeeze the juice from the grated root crop with gauze;
• Dilute the juice with water (take water and juice equally 1 to 1)
• Drip into the baby's nose 2 drops 4 times a day.

This recipe is suitable for infectious rhinitis in children and adults. Allergic rhinitis cannot be treated with beetroot juice!

How to introduce a vegetable into a baby's diet?

The allergenic properties and laxative effect of the root crop make it necessary to act very carefully regarding its introduction to the menu. It is best to make puree from vegetables already familiar to the child, and add a little boiled root vegetable juice (literally half a teaspoon) to it. If the reaction of the body is normal, there will be no allergy, then next time you can add more juice.

When the “experiments” with juice start to go well, it is worth trying to make beetroot puree and give the child ½ teaspoon. It is important to feed your child the product in the morning to ensure that the product is well tolerated throughout the day.

How much beets can a child eat?

Having begun to introduce beets into the diet of an 8-9-month-old child, this root crop is given along with other vegetables in an amount of no more than 1/3 of the mass of the entire vegetable dish. By the year, the amount of beets that can be given to a child in one day is 50 grams. At the same time, it is enough to offer this vegetable to the baby only once a week. After a year to 7 years of age, beets are given in an amount of up to 100 g per day.

Beet puree

Children younger than 12 months like boiled beets in the form of mashed potatoes, and they simply cannot chew the elastic root crop with plates. To prepare mashed potatoes, take beets, vegetable oil, water.

The manufacturing procedure is as follows: the beets are washed very carefully, the leaves are removed, poured with water, boiled to a boil over high heat, then over low heat for 10 minutes. Next, the water is drained to eliminate harmful impurities, poured with fresh water and cooked in the same way under the lid for 1-1.5 hours. You can determine the readiness of the beets with a kitchen knife - they pierce the beets to the middle of the root crop. If the knife goes smoothly, then the beets are soft and ready.

Cooked beets are dipped in cold water for a few seconds to easily remove the skin. The peeled vegetable is rubbed on a fine grater or chopped with a blender, a little vegetable oil is added and the puree is diluted with boiled water (so that the puree is not too thick). This dish is perfect for feeding babies up to 12 months of age.

Beet puree can be added to rice or buckwheat porridge, apple, potato, zucchini or meat puree.

Reheating the dish worsens its nutritional quality, so young children prepare beetroot puree only once!

How to make beetroot juice?

After a successful start to complementary foods from a boiled vegetable, you can try to give your child beetroot juice from raw beets. It is worth remembering that beetroot juice must be diluted with water or other juices. Juice can irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, besides it does not taste very pleasant. On average, the introduction to the juice menu should be at the age of 11-12 months.

The total amount of beetroot juice offered to the baby should not exceed 1/3 of the volume of the entire drink. Apple-beetroot juice is especially useful for a baby, but it should also be diluted with water due to the large amount of acid in apples. It is forbidden to take beetroot juice for diabetes, diarrhea, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys.

If the child does not drink cheese juice well, then do not despair. A boiled vegetable gives more benefit to the baby's body than raw. Despite the destruction of some minerals and vitamins after heat treatment, nitrates are also destroyed, and a significant proportion of useful components are still preserved. Boiled beets are better absorbed by the child's body, which, in the end, will be much more useful.

• Suffering from any disease of the stomach;
• Has kidney problems
• Prone to diarrhea;
• Suffering from diabetes.

More recipes

Beet salad for children over a year old

From the age of 1, a child can be offered salads with beets, adding, for example, prunes to the root crop. The procedure for preparing the salad is as follows:

• Soak prunes in boiling water;
• Boil one beet, peel it;
• Grate the beets on a fine grater;
• Prunes cut into thin slices;
• Mix the ingredients;
• Fill the dish with sour cream.

Instead of prunes in a salad, you can use carrots (raw or boiled) or an apple. Children after 1.5 years old can be given salads with raw beets. In addition to salads, you can include the root crop in various soups, stews and other dishes, make cutlets and pancakes from beets.

Professional chef and young father Oleg Sheinker shows how to cook a delicious beetroot salad for a child:

Beet cutlets

To diversify the child's menu, you can cook delicious beetroot cutlets. The vegetable must be cooked until tender, peeled, twisted in a meat grinder, salted. For 100 g of the mass, add 10 g of butter, half the yolk, a spoonful of semolina, mix well. While stirring, boil the resulting mass a little until it thickens, then let it cool. Form cutlets from the mass, roll in breadcrumbs, fry. When serving with cutlets, sour cream is well suited.

Braised beets

The recipe for another root vegetable dish is this. Peel and finely cut into cubes 300 g of beets and 30 g of carrots, pour a small amount of water, add a spoonful of vegetable oil, then wait for the water to boil, reduce the heat and close the saucepan with a lid. Periodically mixing the beets with carrots, simmer in a closed container for about an hour. Next, add 2 tablespoons of sour cream, a little salt and sugar to the vegetables, mix and continue to simmer for about ten minutes.

How to choose a good vegetable?

Home-grown beets are the best choice for making baby food. Unfortunately, most of us have to buy a product in a store, and there are several recommendations for buying:

1. In large beets, there is always a greater amount of harmful compounds than in small ones.
2. Buy only beets for baby food, which have a pronounced burgundy hue.
3. The shape of a quality table vegetable is oval, rounded. There is fodder beet which has an oblong shape.
4. If there are areas with rot, damage on the skin of the vegetable, you cannot take such a product. The whole skin should be strong, dense.
5. A soft, flabby vegetable is also not worth buying, it should be firm and even.

Allergy to beets - is it possible?

Unfortunately, this root crop sometimes causes food intolerances and allergic reactions, which is why it is given to any child, starting with the smallest portion (half a teaspoon of puree) to check the body's response. Beetroot juice is introduced into the menu literally drop by drop. If there are no signs of allergy within 72 hours, you can repeat the intake of beetroot juice or puree.

From the forums

Months with 10 precisely can be. But my son was allergic to it (or food intolerance, these are different things, but they look the same), and I no longer gave it to my daughter at all. She tried beets in the form of borscht already after a year.
Komarovsky has about the same plan - up to six months - only mother's milk or a mixture, then we add kefir (from the dairy kitchen), then porridge or vegetables, first unpainted. Somewhere in parallel - an apple. After porridge (or vegetables) - vegetables (or porridge, depending on what came first). Then meat. Fish - not earlier than 10 months. Somewhere in this plan, I personally was guided.

Beetroot is a healthy vegetable, there is a lot of iodine and iron in beetroot, and beetroot is useful for anemia in children and for constipation. But I still would refrain from giving the child beets until 1 year old, due to the fact that beets cause diathesis. If you decide to give beets up to 1 year old, then in small portions and only boiled and watch the child, usually there are rashes on the face on beets. If your child already eats dishes from potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin porridge, boiled zucchini, and only after these vegetables should you start giving beets, if your child has not yet tried these foods, then you do not need to introduce beets into the diet.
Beetroot is very rich in fiber and at the age of 1 year, the child will better digest the beetroot.

If the child is allergic, then this vegetable should be approached carefully. Somehow they gave my ward beetroot salad and she poured it all out, but she didn’t have such a reaction to borscht. And in Soviet times, we mixed beetroot juice with carrot and apple juice. Of course, they didn’t give it in its pure form. At 8 months, they started giving. And, thank God, the kids were healthy.

Conclusion

1. Beets can bring both benefit and harm.
2. It must be introduced into the diet very carefully.
3. According to indications, you can start complementary foods with vegetables from 6 months.
4. With the normal development of the child, his first acquaintance with the root crop occurs closer to 9 months.
5. Babies with obvious signs of diathesis can eat beets only after a year.
6. A boiled vegetable is healthier than a raw one. Boiled beets, unlike many other vegetables, are able to retain their main beneficial properties.
7. For a child, you need to carefully choose root crops.
8. Beets are a folk-tested remedy for the common cold and stool problems.

Beetroot is a vegetable that should be included in complementary foods with particular care. It can both heal the child's body and cause him serious harm. How competently complementary foods will be organized largely depends on how the child will be able to use this product in the future. It is possible to be allergic to it, so puree or juice from it is dangerous for newborns.

Why is beetroot useful?

Children benefit from beets for a number of reasons.

First, it contains a large amount of fiber and pectin. These ingredients are especially necessary for a baby with regular constipation (a common occurrence in children of the first year of life, when the intestinal microflora has not yet been fully formed).

It is noteworthy that, unlike other vegetables with a laxative effect, beets do not provoke flatulence, do not cause spasms, have the most mild effect and do not cause discomfort to the child.

Secondly, it contains many vitamins (ascorbic acid, PP, group B) and minerals (zinc, iron, iodine, copper, calcium and potassium, magnesium) valuable for the growth of a child of any age. The valuable composition of beets contributes to the normal growth of the child's body, this complex is necessary for children for physical and mental development, it has a beneficial effect on the immune system.

Thirdly, the characteristic shade of beets is provided by betaine, a biologically active substance that takes part in the synthesis of proteins and fats.

Fourthly, it is useful to give beets to children suffering from excessive nervous excitability. It also helps to strengthen blood vessels, has a beneficial effect on blood composition (increases hemoglobin levels, normalizes glucose levels).

How and to whom can it harm?

Beets are contraindicated for a child who often has diathesis on new foods introduced into complementary foods. You may be allergic to beets. It is characterized by the appearance of a rash on the baby's face, loss of appetite, upset stool.

The specificity of the growth of this root crop is such that it actively collects nitrates, ammonium salts and amides from the soil, subsequently infecting the human body with them. For this reason, when choosing beets for a child, pay attention to which region of the country it was imported from.

With the use of beets in people of any age, a sharp decrease in blood pressure is observed. This characteristic of hers is useful for adult patients of a cardiologist, but for a small child, it can only do harm.
With extreme caution, it is necessary to give this vegetable to the following categories of children:

• diabetics
• those with kidney problems
• suffering from frequent indigestion

At what age should babies be introduced into the diet?

Children under one year old can be introduced to this product from about 8 months. At this time, the classic complementary foods are replenished with potatoes, and the baby’s stomach is already free to cope with zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower.

It is best to give the baby the juice of this root crop, and not in its pure form, but dilute it with mashed potatoes or cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal, rice). Introducing beetroot juice into the baby's menu should start with half a teaspoon, carefully monitoring the baby's reaction to the new ingredient.

If the baby has a food allergy, complementary foods should be postponed until at least his year. It is necessary to introduce a new ingredient into the menu of such a child very carefully.

If after a year the mother still practices breastfeeding, at first she can try the beets herself: part of the woman’s diet will also be transferred to the baby with milk.

You can start introducing beetroot juice or vegetable puree with this ingredient earlier in infants who suffer from regular constipation. To normalize the baby's stool up to a year, it is enough to give him dishes with this root crop once a week. When the baby is one year old, he can already be offered 50 grams of beetroot puree.

Beetroot juice from a fresh root vegetable is too concentrated a drink for a baby. It must be diluted with purified water in a ratio of 1:3. For these purposes, you can use any other vegetable juice, for example, pumpkin. By itself, beetroot juice has a rather specific taste, therefore, in order for the child to agree to drink it, it can and should be given with other products.

How to feed beets to a child older than a year?

After a year, the baby's body is ready to accept multicomponent dishes. At this age, he can already be given not just beetroot juice or a simple puree of several vegetables, but more complex dishes: beetroot, vegetable salad, smoothies. Which dish to start with depends on how the baby perceives already adult food and how competently complementary foods were introduced to him.

Beetroot puree for a baby of the second year of life can no longer be whipped to a mushy consistency. Children of this age usually already have several teeth, so they will be able to chew larger pieces on their own. To prepare mashed potatoes, it is better to bake beets in the oven or steam them, then add a little vegetable oil.

If we compare the benefits of a raw root crop and a heat-treated one, then the latter wins. During cooking, some of the vitamins are destroyed, but fiber, trace elements, betaine are preserved.

In a boiled (stewed, baked) form, beets do not irritate the walls of the stomach as much as a fresh vegetable. In addition, it is important for children who are a year old to cook a variety of dishes, and with thermally processed beets it is much easier.

In especially difficult cases associated with constipation, the baby can prepare a salad of beets and prunes. Both of these ingredients have a laxative effect and pair well with each other in taste.

If beets were not introduced to the baby in complementary foods, because. there was an allergy, you can try to do it again after a year. An allergy could be provoked by the fact that the stomach could not yet digest this heavy food for it on its own.

At what age to offer beetroot puree to a baby depends on the state of his health. For children without developmental pathologies, the age of 8-9 months is optimal. This product may be allergic, so children suffering from diathesis, it is contraindicated for at least a year. Allergies are a serious test for a growing body, so potential allergens in the children's menu should appear as late as possible.

While the digestive system of the newborn is being established, the organs begin to work in the prescribed mode, the microflora is colonized by bacteria, it is extremely important for the child to eat mother's milk. It has everything for the full development of the crumbs. Six months later, breast milk no longer replenishes the supply of necessary elements for a rapidly growing organism. The child is fed. Moms ask a lot of questions when to offer certain products. For example, at what age can beets be given to a child, how it is useful and whether it can be harmful.

The benefits and harms of beets for children

This is a very useful vegetable for humans. On the adult and children's table, beets must be present. Moreover, this product is present on store shelves all year round. Nutritionists advise including it in the diet due to its powerful biological composition.

The main beneficial properties of beets are:

1. A significant content of vitamins and folic acid in the root crop is well reflected in the mental and physical condition of the child. Beets contribute to the functioning of internal organs and systems.
2. The pulp contains a decent amount of iodine and iron. Including beets in the child's diet, mommy can naturally prevent the development of iodine deficiency and anemia.
3. It contains potassium, phosphorus, sodium - trace elements that regulate the metabolism in the child's body.
4. Beetroot has a beneficial effect on the nervous and circulatory system of the child, makes the walls of blood vessels elastic, relieves tension and irritation.
5. The sugar root contains antioxidants and immunomodulatory components. Therefore, the daily consumption of beets by a child will make his immunity stronger. The baby will be less likely to get sick with viral diseases.
6. If a child suffers from constipation, tender light salads or grated beetroot puree will normalize the functioning of his intestines and eliminate unpleasant symptoms.
7. Beetroot is considered a natural hepatoprotector that protects the child's liver from harmful effects and restores this life-defining organ after serious illnesses.

Of the harmful properties of a sugar vegetable, one can note:

• When growing beets in soil enriched with harmful impurities, the root crop pulls them towards itself, absorbing salts, nitrates and other harmful elements that a small child absolutely does not need. Excessive consumption of such a product will adversely affect the condition and functioning of the kidneys.
• Beets naturally lower blood pressure. Many people with heart and vascular problems are recommended to include it in their diet. But for a small child, this property can be dangerous.
• If the little one suffers from diarrhea, his stomach often weakens, then beets should be given to him with extreme caution and in small doses.

At what age should beets be added to the child's menu

When acquaintance with potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin takes place, then you can give the child beets. If there was no allergic reaction to vegetable food, the baby is healthy and eats well, beets are allowed to be offered at 8-9 months. If the child suffers from allergic manifestations, dermatitis, diathesis, then he can try beets no earlier than a year.

For problems with constipation, some parents decide to give beets to babies from 6 months. An extensive amount of fiber in the root crop is not completely absorbed by the intestines, but it normalizes its work, restoring digestive processes. Stimulated intestinal peristalsis contributes to the dynamic expulsion of stagnant feces and relieves the child of constipation.

But before dealing with constipation with similar methods, the child's body must get used to any other vegetable. Otherwise, unusual vegetable, fiber-rich food will be difficult to digest, causing pain and discomfort, accumulating in the body and acting in a rebounding manner.

How to give beets to a child

It is better to give the child some beetroot juice for the first time.

The laxative effect, rich burgundy-red color of the beets make it a dangerous and dubious product for administration to children under one year of age. It is most correct to boil the vegetables already familiar to the child, make mashed potatoes from them and add a little juice from a separately boiled piece of beets to it.

How much to start giving

enough to start half a teaspoon of beetroot juice. If the child does not show concern, his cheeks do not turn red, diarrhea does not begin, then another time you can give the juice a little more.

Is it possible to give red-sweet puree to a baby? When he gets used to the boiled juice, you can cook beetroot puree and offer half a teaspoon to the child in the morning in order to know for sure whether a negative reaction will appear on the red sweet vegetable.

How often can you give

Having introduced beets to an 8-9 month old peanut, it is allowed to include them in the diet together with other plant products in an amount not exceeding 1/3 of the total mass of the whole dish.

A child who has reached the age of one year, a burgundy root vegetable, is allowed to consume no more than 50 g per day. From 1 year to 7 years, vegetable beet volumes gradually increase, and the baby can eat beets in the amount of 100 g per day.

What is the best way to give

Sliced ​​beets are perfect for a child to bite on for itchy gums. The baby will feel the sweetness, but he will not be able to get enough in this way.

Children under 12 months of age enjoy eating vegetables in the form of puree. In addition, when the baby is breastfed, the mother has the opportunity to add breast milk to the dish. So children who spit out healthy food will catch the familiar flavor and swallow the offered product.

puree recipe

To prepare a delicious puree for a child, you will need beets, vegetable oil and water. The vegetable is washed, the top is cut off, where dangerous substances accumulate, and poured with water. It is not necessary to salt the water. Children under one year of age who are only being introduced to regular food should be given products in their natural form, without sugar and salt. In addition, root crops cook much longer in salted water.

When the water boils, the root crop is boiled for another 10-15 minutes. Next, the boiling water is drained and the beets are poured with cold water to eliminate the harmful elements that the beets took over during ripening. The vegetable is covered with a lid and boiled until fully cooked for about 1.5 hours. You can determine if the root crop is cooked by piercing it with a fork or knife. If the tip enters the pulp without problems, then the product is ready.

Boiled beets are taken out of boiling water and poured with cold water in order to quickly peel it from the skin. After cleaning, the vegetable is grated or ground in a blender. Vegetable oil is dripped into the resulting mass and a spoonful of water is added. You can make the dish more interesting for the child by adding any porridge to it. Potato, carrot, beef puree will improve the taste of beets.

It is advisable to prepare a portion so that food does not remain. Storage in the refrigerator and reheating degrades the quality of the product, useful substances are destroyed, leaving only indigestible fiber.

juice recipe

You can fill the child's body with vitamins by preparing juice from raw beets. It is impossible to give it in its pure form to infants. It irritates the walls of the stomach and has a not very pleasant taste and smell. It is better to dilute the finished juice 1:3 with some water or other juices. The introduction of vegetable juice in the baby menu should take place not earlier than 11-12 months. In a glass of diluted juice, beets should be present in a third. Apple juice goes well with the root crop, but it also needs to be diluted with water due to the huge acid content in the fruit.

If a child has diabetes mellitus, pathologies of the kidneys and digestive system are noted, he is often tormented by diarrhea, beetroot juice should not be given to such children. But raw juices are less beneficial than boiled ones. After heat treatment, nitrates are destroyed - dangerous elements that can cause a lot of unpleasant symptoms in the crumbs.

Beetroot stew cutlets

Older children can cook beet cutlets. To do this, boil the vegetable, peel, grate and add a little salt. A teaspoon of butter, half a chicken yolk, a spoonful of semolina are added to the mixture and knead thoroughly.

With stirring, the semi-finished dough is placed on a steam bath so that the ingredients stick together well and the mass thickens. Then the dough is allowed to cool. Then small cutlets are molded from it, rolled in breadcrumbs and fried under a closed lid. Sour cream is great as a sauce.

Allergy symptoms and what to do

Beetroot is an allergenic, hard-to-digest food, and they begin to acquaint a child with it with tiny portions. In order to check the reaction of the baby, the juice is introduced into the menu by half a teaspoon, then they wait 3 days. After which it can be given again.

Of the allergic manifestations, a rash on the face, itching, burning is possible. If the crumbs show similar symptoms, the introduction of beets into complementary foods is stopped and after 2-3 months they try again.

Conclusion

The root crop is not exotic, it can be bought at any store, it is year-round and very useful.

• excessive consumption of beets harms the body of a child and an adult;
• it must be introduced into complementary foods with extreme caution;
• babies are allowed to give vegetables from six months;
• in the absence of pathologies, it is recommended to introduce beets from 8-9 months of age;
• children with frequent manifestations of allergies, the product is given from the year, not earlier;
• boiled beets are healthier than raw. When cooking, its main qualities are not lost, but only improved;
• when buying a root crop for a child, it is necessary to choose it especially carefully;
• beetroot, in addition to eliminating problems with stools, perfectly treats a runny nose.

The diet of a small child requires increased attention, since the health and growth rate of the baby depends on its balance and correctness.

Beetroot is a vegetable crop rich in vitamins and minerals. However, untimely or incorrect introduction can harm the baby.

When to introduce beets into baby food? What are the features of a useful root crop?

Beneficial features

Beets are an amazing vegetable crop, which is a storehouse of useful substances:

• a large amount of fiber (in 100 g - 4 g of fiber), which ensures the normal functioning of the digestive system, prevents constipation and stimulates appetite;
• the content of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), folic acid (B9), retinol (A), tocopherol (E), etc., necessary for the proper development and growth of the baby;
• a variety of microelements (magnesium, calcium, iron), providing the necessary level of hemoglobin in the blood and activating the brain;
• the presence of antioxidants that prevent diseases of the heart muscle and blood vessels and increase immunity;
• a vitamin-like substance based on amino acids called vitamin U, which has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive system and prevents allergic reactions.

The product contains a significant amount of iodine, which is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, etc.

The components that make up beetroot juice reduce nervous excitability and promote sound, restful sleep.

The uniqueness of the red vegetable is that all valuable elements are preserved even during cooking and storage.

Despite such a complex of unique properties, this vegetable can also be dangerous if beets are introduced into complementary foods incorrectly or out of time:

• store-bought beets can cause poisoning with nitrates that accumulate in the root crop;
• in some cases, it, like other brightly colored vegetables, causes an allergic reaction;
• beets in large quantities can act as a laxative and cause indigestion in the form of diarrhea.

Knowledge of the beneficial and harmful properties of this product will help a young mother to properly plan the introduction of beets into complementary foods for a child up to a year old. From what age a include beets in the baby's menu?

Beets should not be included in complementary foods for a child suffering from chronic diseases:

• stomach diseases;
• kidney failure;
• liver failure;
• diabetes.

Welcome to the menu!

Nutrition for a baby up to a year should be organized in accordance with the appointments of a pediatrician. Beets are usually added to complementary foods not earlier than the 8th month of a baby's life. If the baby is prone to food allergies, then to the question of at what age beets are introduced into the baby menu, each pediatrician will answer that not earlier than reaching the age of 1 year.

• it is most correct to enter into the menu beets that do not contain nitrates, grown in your own garden or personal plot;
• after boiling, drain the water in which the root crops were boiled;
• before putting out the beets, it is worth soaking them in cold water to reduce the amount of nitrates;
• it is necessary to stew without closing the pan with a lid so that harmful substances have the opportunity to evaporate;
• if the beets were boiled whole, you do not need to eat the part at the root and near the tops, since it is there that harmful chemical compounds accumulate to the greatest extent.

Beets are used immediately after cooking, as storage may increase the amount of toxic ingredients.

The introduced complementary foods will make the baby's menu more diverse and enrich with the content of vitamins, trace elements and other useful substances.

How to include in the menu?

For the first time, no more than one teaspoon of mashed potatoes can be offered as complementary foods.

It should be given for the first time in the morning so that parents can see the reaction of the body to a new product (allergic reactions, indigestion, increased gas formation, abdominal pain, etc.).

In most cases, the child tolerates the introduction of beets well. In this case, the amount of a new product can be gradually increased to 30 grams per meal.

It is better to introduce beets into the baby’s diet as part of dishes from other vegetables to which he is already accustomed (potato, carrot, squash, cabbage puree, etc.). Beetroot puree is ideal as an addition to cereals (from rice, buckwheat, oatmeal).

In the nutrition of a baby after 1 year, beets can be used in a variety of dishes:

• salads;
• borscht;
• casseroles;
• stewed vegetables, etc.

From 1 to 3 years, the amount of this product in the daily diet should not exceed 50 g, and from 3 to 7 years - no more than 100 g.

Beetroot dishes should not be offered to a child more than 2 times a week, so as not to cause digestive upset.

Sometimes the introduction of beets into the menu has a medicinal purpose: if a child has a tendency to constipation, then juice (2-3 drops diluted with water) or puree is prescribed to a child from 5 months.

If your child's urine turns bright red after eating beetroot, this is completely normal, as the pigment in the beetroot juice gives the color. The coloring pigment does not pose a danger to the body.

How to cook?

Breastfeeding up to a year can be given beets only in boiled form.

The first dish is puree.

The following recipe is considered a classic:

• Rinse root crops with cut tops well under cold water;
• Pour cooked vegetables with cold water and boil for 10 minutes;
• after 10 minutes, drain the water, fill the dishes with cold fresh water and continue cooking;
• you need to boil for one and a half hours, covering the pan with a lid;
• hold the prepared beets in cold water for 3-5 minutes, then peel;
• chop with a food processor or fine grater;
• pour 2-3 tablespoons of water or vegetable broth into the resulting puree.

If the child suffers from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or allergies, beets are administered after a year with extreme caution. In this case, beetroot puree is given on the recommendation and under the supervision of a doctor.