How To Introduce Meat Into Your Babys Diet

Chicken and fish are the best meats to introduce to your baby first. They are packed with proteins and other essential nutrients. They can be brought into the baby’s diet once he/she has started to eat solid food, i.e., after 7 months. Chicken is the most easily digested meat, closely followed by fish. Fish is also a source of DHA, which is the healthiest form of omega 3 fatty acids for infants.

Meat should be pureed when being served to the baby, as when served as a complete solid chunk, your child will not be able to digest it, causing him/her to have digestive problems that can result in varying complications.

When introducing chicken into the diet, the best part of the chicken to serve is the breast, which is the cleanest and most healthy. In the case of fish, it is best to start with a light tuna (Chura), but because of the mercury content in fish, babies should consume less than 12 ounces in a week.

For infants, healthy cooking is the most important thing when it comes to their diet. Keeping that in mind, baking meat is the healthiest option. Baking not only uses less oils, but also retains a lot of the nutrients in the meat. Boiling meat is the next healthiest method of serving meat, but when meat is cooked this way, a lot of the nutrients get washed away into the cooking water. A lot of people consider using the liquid that the meat was boiled in, but this has been seen to give a very meaty taste to the puree, causing babies to have an aversion to it. Slow cooking your meat is a great way to make a multi-food, combination meal. This way of cooking the meat, along with a couple of vegetables before pureeing it, makes a wholesome and tasty meal for your baby.

The best way to puree the meat is by taking some cooked meat when it is COLD (make sure your meat chunks are no bigger than 1-2 in) and grinding them until they are at a powdery consistency. Then, you can take either some water or the liquid that you cooked your meat in and mix it into the ground meat. If it is your baby’s first experience with meat, then it is advisable to use water. Make sure your meat is fresh and organic.

Here are some recipes to try:

1. Chicken Recipes – Click here

2. Fish Recipes – Click here