Healthy baby food

One of the main prerequisites for good health is a varied diet. A child is considered to eat well if he/she eats foods from all five groups every day (Milk and dairy products / Fruits / Vegetables / Cereals / Meat, fish, eggs). It is not uncommon for a child to persistently refuse some of the offered foods; it is important to know that each food can be replaced by some other from the same group.

How to choose and prepare food for your baby

It is important to offer your child a wide range of healthy and quality foods from the beginning; this is a sure way for him/her to adopt healthy eating habits for life. Try to give your child a variety of foods, especially vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Babies learn to love the food they get used to. What a child eats at the age of about 9 months largely indicates what he/she will eat at school age. If he/she gets used to different fruits and vegetables prepared in different healthy ways, he/she will also learn to control the desire for unhealthy foods with too much salt, sugar, saturated fatty acids and calories.

Five food groups

We constantly hear recommendations that diet should be varied and balanced. Grouping foods into five groups should make this difficult task easier for us.

1. Protein group includes meat, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds and soy.

Give the baby blitzed meat (chicken, veal, turkey), and later finely diced; when preparing a meal, use the broth from cooking meat to dilute the purée; the broth itself is not a meal for a child, due to its low caloric density. Children do not like dry and hard meat, they like it stewed or minced. It will be easier to eat in mixed purées with vegetables or cereals.
Fish can be introduced already from 7th month, prepared by cooking. Marine fish is the best source of omega-three unsaturated acids.
Introduce egg yolks (hard-boiled) gradually - an eighth, then a quarter, a half, and finally whole, two or three times a week, alternately with meat, in purées with vegetables or cereals.
Legumes (beans, peas, lentils) can be introduced in 9th month. Because of their bloating effect, soak them in the evening and serve as a purée, with a neutral cereal such as rice. Soy is not recommended in the diet until the third year of life.
For the safety of the child, nuts are given only in the form of a paste (spread).

2. Fruit group includes fresh, canned, frozen or dried fruit. Apples are usually introduced first, followed by seasonal fruits (peach, apricot, plum, pear). Banana is a great food for an infant, but many do not recommend it at the very beginning of introducing solid foods, as - due to its sweet taste - the child may not want other foods. Fruits are cooked, as a compote, prepared with a little water and without added sugar, first individually, and later in various combinations, as a fruit purée or combined with cereals.

3. Vegetable group contains all kinds of vegetables, raw, cooked, frozen, canned or dried. Mild-tasting vegetables (potatoes, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin) are introduced first, and then gradually other vegetables as well (broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, leeks). They are prepared by cooking or steaming, making sure to cook it well, to avoid bloating or other digestive problems.

4. Milk and dairy group includes foods rich in calcium - milk, cheese, sour cream, yogurt, etc. Cow's milk is not recommended in the first year as a staple food; a small amount of pasteurized/boiled milk can be used to prepare a meal. Fermented dairy products (drinking yogurt, thick yogurt, sour cream) can be introduced from 7th month.

5 Cereals (and products made from flour) are a separate group. They can be refined or whole-grain. If they are whole-grain, wheat, rice, barley, corn, oats, spelt, etc. are high in fiber, iron and vitamin B. You can start with mild-tasting purées (rice, corn), which you can also prepare with your own milk, preserved according to the recommendations for collecting and freezing milk.

Fats are important in infant nutrition. In addition to being a significant energy source, some fats are necessary for proper nervous system development. From 7th month, you can add a small amount of oil (one teaspoonful), preferably unrefined, cold-pressed olive or other vegetable oil, when preparing a savory meal.

Don't forget the water! A child who was exclusively breastfed until 6th month should now be offered water. Boiled, cooled water is given to the child between meals until the age of one.

Good sources of some of the key nutrients

Calcium - milk, yogurt, cheese, spinach, beans, peas, sardines, sesame seeds.
Proteins - meat, cheese, eggs, plant-based foods (beans, lentils, cereals).
Iron - the best source are animal-origin foods (meat, egg yolks); other sources: green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils. Iron from plant-based foods has lower bioavailability, it is better resorbed in the presence of vitamin C. It is recommended to give the child iron-fortified foods (cereals, milk purées) until the age of 18 months.
Fiber - fruits, vegetables, whole grain products.
Antioxidants - brightly colored fruits and vegetables (spinach, carrots, tomatoes).
Omega-3 fatty acids - marine fish.

You will get various tips and recommendations for your baby's diet. You may be confused by too much information: detailed recommendations on daily calorie and nutrient intake, expert information on various nutrients and their role are not really needed and only increase the concern whether the child is eating well. Expert recommendations are sometimes contradictory: advice on the recommended intake of milk, water, protein, which foods to give the child first. New recommendations: There is also the "trend" of early introduction of foods that are not native to our area, borrowing from other backgrounds and cultures. Inappropriate advertisements for baby food and the introduction of supplements: It is difficult to navigate through commercial recommendations for supplements - vitamins, multivitamin preparations, probiotics, by manufacturers or health professionals.

Some of the dilemmas you may have about your child' s diet

Why is seasonal food recommended? Over the generations, our bodies have adapted to the food eaten by our ancestors in our region.
Why are locally produced foods recommended? When an infant is given fruit that is transported from distant countries, there is a risk of contamination; besides, it contains various chemical substances to keep it fresh or accelerate ripening.
What are the benefits of home-made purées? Home-made food is the best choice for your baby; when you prepare food from fresh ingredients, you know exactly what you give to your child.
When are ready-made purées recommended? Industrially produced baby purées in jars are practical for feeding the child out of home, but often contain excess water, starch and sugar.
Individual foods or a combination? Each new food should be given to the child for three days, in order to see if the child likes it or if it leads to an allergic reaction. You can combine the new food with others that the child is already used to.
What food combinations are recommended? After the introduction of several basic foods in the infant's diet, dairy and cereal, fruit and cereal, and meat and vegetable purée combinations can be made.
How many foods in one meal? Avoid giving your child more than three foods in one meal, to let him/her get used to the individual ones.
Are there any foods that are absolutely necessary for my child? NO! No single food is necessary, if it is not available to you or the child consistently refuses it, and it can be replaced with another from the same group.

The journey from breastfeeding to feeding at the family table takes time and patience, and your infant will not immediately eat food from all five groups. The first step is to give your baby solid food. When he/she starts accepting it, plan to give him/her foods from different groups in every meal, because this will provide all the nutrients necessary for proper growth and development.