The best instant cereals for children. Baby cereals: harm and benefit and harm

Porridge becomes the second complementary food in a baby’s diet after vegetable puree. It is usually introduced at 7-8 months, 1-2 months after the introduction of the first complementary foods. Gradually, from 1-2 teaspoons, the portion is increased to 100 g.

DANGEROUS GLUTEN

Getting acquainted with porridges begins with gluten-free and dairy-free, that is, with buckwheat or rice. IN corn porridge There is no allergenic gluten, but it is the most “empty” in terms of the content of useful substances. Rye, oats and barley can appear on the table closer to a year, semolina (wheat) - at two years, and millet porridge, the heaviest - only at two and a half years.

More suitable for babies up to one year old instant cereals For baby food . They do not need to be cooked; they are made from proven raw materials using proven technology. When home-cooked by eye, most of the B vitamins and vitamin C in cereals are destroyed. It is considered the most beneficial for children: it contains a lot of iron, so the “buckwheat menu” is a natural prevention of anemia at an early age.

PORridge IN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

When do you eat porridge?

Most cereals contain calcium, which is good for children's bones. But this element is capricious and is best absorbed in the late afternoon. It turns out that the old-fashioned way of “feeding the child porridge so that he can sleep better” is correct? Only partly, because porridge for breakfast is a great start to the day!

Should I add sugar to porridge?

No, but if you really want to, it’s better to sweeten the porridge fruit sugars or add pieces of steamed dried fruit to the mixture.

What to do if the baby does not eat porridge?

Try changing the recipe (make the porridge thinner or more viscous, mix cereals), or make casseroles from cereals, which children love very much, instead of porridge.

Will instant porridge last long?

Instant cereals can be included in the menu of children over 1.5-2 years old no more than a couple of times a week. From time to time, such porridges are even necessary: ​​they have enveloping properties and normalize the secretory function of the stomach.

What kind of water should I cook cereals in?

Buckwheat and rice are placed in cold water, the rest of the cereals - into boiling water: this way they are preserved useful substances and the taste improves.

How to store cereals?

Remember that cereals are stored for no more than 1 -1.5 years, and flakes even less - only 6 months.

Is porridge the best diet?

All grain products are a valuable source of carbohydrates. They also contain vegetable proteins and fats. Different types flours and cereals vary in level mineral salts and vitamins, as well as dietary fiber. There are a lot of the latter in corn and buckwheat, so they are good to give to children with a tendency to constipation. But rice contains little dietary fiber, and it is good when the child’s stool, on the contrary, needs to be “fixed.” If the doctor has prescribed a diet for your baby, it is better to feed him not mushy porridge, but, on the contrary, crumbly porridge with a minimum of gluten, which increases fermentation in the intestines.

Ideal - rice, buckwheat, and also oat broth. These cereals do not contain gluten, which may be contraindicated for a child, but they are superior to all others in the amount of proteins, minerals and fiber.

HOW TO COOK AND BREAD

When preparing porridge for complementary feeding, first make it very liquid, 5%: per teaspoon of cereal - 100 ml of water. After 1-2 weeks you can take 2 teaspoons per 100 ml. To my mother’s taste, the porridge should be under-salted and almost unsweetened.

No porridge likes hard water: it turns out tasteless. The water is pre-boiled or filtered.

The grains are ground in a coffee grinder and flour is obtained, which is diluted cold water; then boiling milk is added to it and boiled for 5 minutes. Whole grains are first well boiled in water and only then poured with hot milk and cooked until tender. The finished porridge is well ground in a blender or rubbed through a sieve.

In the first year, it is better to use instant cereals. You cannot breed them by eye; you must strictly follow the manufacturer’s recommendations indicated on the box. The temperature of the water you use to breed the porridge is 40-45 degrees. Ready-made porridges do not need to be sweetened, added salt, or added milk (if) and butter.

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Instant porridge: benefit or harm

IN recent years appearing more and more on store shelves cough instant cooking , while porridge and other similar instant dishes position themselves as healthy. So, are they any use? How to choose similar products? How did instant porridge become a useful product? Porridge can be healthy because it fills the body with carbohydrates needed for energy. Still, there is a basis for mistrust of instant food.

Justified mistrust

For many ordinary people instant porridge evokes associations with something artificial. Is this true? These associations are partly true. No chemicals are used in the production of instant porridges. It's all about the processing of the product - in physics. The grains are converted into flakes by flattening and then steamed. This method allows you to cook porridge in a couple of minutes, without boiling it, but by steaming it. This “physics” evaporates some of the nutrients from the porridge. But the problem is different.

Instant porridge (and other fast food) usually contain a lot of sugar. In addition to sugar, which is harmful to the figure, manufacturers put all kinds of additives (flavors, taste enhancers) into instant porridges. These ingredients are very popular in the production of instant food. But among modern “fast” products there are also health benefits.

Healthy

Some instant porridge contain extracts medicinal plants. For example, burdock root (licorice, chicory), which is reduced to a powder state. Medicinal herbs(dandelion, nettle, horsetail, milk thistle) are aimed at treating specific problems. Manufacturers assure that such porridges are useful especially for those who suffer from gastrointestinal diseases (heartburn, ulcers, stomatitis). Such dishes heal the mucous membrane, have an anti-inflammatory effect, and normalize the production of gastric juice.

Porridge base

What are all instant porridges made from - oatmeal? Oatmeal is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “instant porridge.” These are the types of breakfasts that were originally common on the market. But the main one may be another cereal. Health-improving porridges include porridges made from whole wheat, rye, buckwheat, and rice bases. Separately, it is worth mentioning the linen base. Its taste will seem strange and unusual to many. But it has a lot of useful properties:

1. flaxseed porridge prevents the formation of gastritis, enveloping the gastric mucosa.

3. lignals – special plant matter, which are also contained in porridge, prevent the growth of cancer cells.

How often to eat

How often should you eat quick healthy cereals? If the goal is disease prevention, then healthy porridges should be eaten regularly. The best option– in the morning on an empty stomach or have a snack at work. As a treatment, porridge can only be eaten after consulting a doctor. Unlike regular products enriched meals have a stronger effect on the body.

How to recognize

How to recognize useful product, because many companies position their “fast” products as health products on the sly? What points should you pay attention to when choosing a healthy instant porridge? The absence of artificial components is the main selection criterion. It's hard to count on healing effect, if there is any in the porridge flavorings, albeit identical to natural ones. It is advisable that whole grains be used in production. But remember: instant porridges cannot compare in taste and benefits to those prepared at home.

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Is it possible to eat instant porridge often?

The current life of a person is filled with hustle and bustle, and sometimes there is no time left for a normal, nutritious meal. Product manufacturers have come to the aid of humanity fast food, which are easy to prepare, quick and affordable. Instant food is sold in almost every supermarket, and its wide range allows the consumer to choose delicious dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner (see Benefits and harms of instant noodles). Just take out a bag of instant porridge and your instant healthy breakfast is ready. Few of the lovers of such food have even thought about how often they can eat instant cereals, the benefits or harms of which have recently been clarified by scientists.

Most pediatricians are convinced that a child should start every morning with eating porridge. She saturates children's body useful substances so necessary for proper development crumbs. Just a few decades ago, every mother who cared about the health of her child cooked porridge for her baby for breakfast. For the child to eat healthy food, a caring mother put it on a plate of food various additives: fruits, berries, jam, butter, sugar. Nowadays, instant porridges have become a frequent guest in the diet of not only adults, but also young children.

How to make express porridge

Instant porridge consists of thin, instant flakes that only need to be added to swell. hot water. After a few minutes, the food can be consumed. The process of making such flakes is called micronization. Grains cereal crops pre-steamed under high pressure, then they are flattened and irradiated with infrared rays. Thanks to this technology, the flakes acquire special porosity and the ability to quickly swell in hot water.

The benefits of a quick meal

Everyone knows that grains included in any porridge are very beneficial for the human body. That is why the dish must be introduced into the diet of young children, people with stomach and intestinal diseases, patients who have had heavy operations or poisoning (see Nutrition after poisoning).

Even for a completely healthy adult, this food is a great start. working day, will fill the body with the necessary energy. For women who dream of finding slim figure, it is necessary to include in the menu porridge with the addition of various berries and nuts, which must be cooked only in water.

Find out how often you can use cornflakes and is there any benefit from corn sticks?

All about milk: benefits and harms for the body of an adult and a child.

Cereals have the following beneficial properties:

• improve metabolism;
• normalize work digestive system(see How to start your stomach after poisoning);
• regulate blood glucose levels;
• remove waste and toxins;
• reduce cholesterol levels;
• saturate the body with vitamins, micro and macroelements.

There is another product on sale that is quick to prepare - porridge, which requires 5-minute cooking. Typically, buckwheat, oat, rice, and multigrain flakes are found on store shelves. This product, unlike instant porridge, contains vitamins, fiber, and minerals, since multi-stage grain processing technology is not used for its production. The raw materials simply need to be ground more finely so that the flakes boil faster. It is the quick-cooking raw material that nutritionists recommend eating for breakfast if there is no time to prepare food from whole grains.

Pay attention! But all this applies only to porridge that requires cooking; there are no instant semi-finished products beneficial properties does not have.

Harm of instant food

After several stages of processing of raw materials, grains are deprived of most nutrients and dietary fiber. All that remains in the semi-finished product is huge amount starch, thanks to which instant cereals are able to swell and increase in volume. So are instant cereals harmful? When starch enters the human body, it tends to be quickly absorbed. Under the influence of special enzymes, sugars are formed from the substance, and an excess can lead to serious illnesses endocrine system: obesity, diabetes mellitus(see Harm of sugar).

Many manufacturers add various additives to instant products: dried fruits, berries. But most manufacturers, in order to save money, prefer artificial flavors and colors consisting of chemicals. Excessive use Instant porridge is very harmful to the digestive system, as it can lead to stomach or intestinal upset.

Upon careful study fast semi-finished products, scientists have found that completely unscrupulous product manufacturers use cheaper substitutes instead of some of the ingredients stated in the cereals. Thus, the composition of one instant porridge includes natural dried fruits apricot, in fact, instead of dried fruit, dried pieces of apples soaked in flavoring were found.

How harmful is express oatmeal?

About the benefits oatmeal for human health is known to many people. Nutritious breakfast can not only enrich the body with vitamins and minerals, but also help get rid of certain diseases (obesity, gastrointestinal diseases). Regular cereal requires oats long cooking, you need to cook it for at least 30 minutes. But this is exactly the kind of breakfast that will bring maximum benefit health.

Oats contain:

1. B vitamins, nicotinic acid, tocopherol.
2. Proteins.
3. Dietary fiber.
4. Amino acids.
5. Zinc, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, calcium.
6. Soluble fiber.
7. Antioxidants.

Unfortunately, not every person has the time to prepare this. healthy breakfast, so many people prefer to buy flakes instead of whole grains, which do not require such long cooking. Found in stores oatmeal instant and instant oatmeal.

Instant oat flakes are oat grains that have undergone special processing. The grains are first steamed and then flattened through rollers. The chaff shell of the grains is removed but retained hard shell, as a result of which oat flakes retain their useful qualities. Porridge made from such flakes is absorbed more slowly by the body, allowing a person to remain alert and full longer. To prepare the dish, the product must be cooked on the stove for 5 minutes.

Read about the dangers of gluten: harm and benefit. Should you stick to a gluten-free diet?

Use of gelatin: benefits and harms of using the product. The effect of gelatin on cartilage and bone tissue.

Instant oatmeal takes more than fast processing grains The cereal is doused with steam, flattened very thin, and then crushed into small fragments for better absorption of moisture by the flakes. During this processing, the grain loses most of its beneficial substances, and the addition of artificial flavors and sugar to the flakes makes instant porridge harmful.

This express breakfast, which requires simply adding hot water, is instantly absorbed by the body. Through very short period After some time, the person will again feel very hungry.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that semi-finished products are convenient to prepare, they bring little health benefits to people. If you don't get too carried away frequent use such food, and also always pay attention to the amount of flavorings in its composition, obvious harm can be avoided. But it will be most useful delicious breakfast from whole grains, or from raw materials, the cooking of which takes at least three minutes.

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Are instant porridges healthy or harmful?

Dear friends, do you buy porridge for yourself and your family that does not require long cooking? This product is certainly very convenient and delights busy people. But this raises a number of questions. Is instant porridge healthy? What are the benefits and harms of such a dish? What should you pay attention to when choosing so-called instant porridges? I tried to understand this issue and analyze the opinions of nutritionists. I suggest you familiarize yourself with this information.

What types of instant porridges are there?

Depending on the production method, they are of two types:

1. Porridges that need to be boiled, but the cooking time is much shorter than that of its regular grain counterpart. When producing such a product, the cereal is doused with boiling water, as a result of which it becomes almost ready.
2. Porridges that just need to be poured with boiling water. After a few minutes, this porridge is ready to eat. Fast, tasty and convenient! You can't argue with that. But is instant porridge healthy? Nutritionists talk not only about the benefits, but also about the dangers of such a dish.

Instant porridge - benefits and harms

Harm of “instant” or instant cereals

As for the first type of cereals (which still need to be cooked), their danger is as follows. If the packaging loses its seal, harmful bacteria and fungi may be present inside the product. For them, processed cereals are a fertile environment for reproduction. That is why you should not ignore even minor packaging defects.

In most cases, it is suggested to cook “quick” porridges in bags. But no one will give you a guarantee of the thermal stability of the material. By default it is considered harmless. But if for you good health comes first, it is better to cook this porridge without bags. To do this, just pour the contents into the pan.

The same applies to the cups in which the product is packaged. It is best to brew cereal not in it, but in a glass or porcelain container. I didn’t make this advice up, but learned it from an experienced nutritionist.

Amount of nutrients

This indicator depends on the method of processing the cereal. If modern biosaving technology was used, implying quick (5-10 seconds) exposure high temperature under pressure then nutrients practically never get lost. This is great! But such information must be indicated on the packaging. If it is not there, then there is no guarantee that you are eating a complete product.

Very often, instant porridges are produced using other, cheaper technologies. As a result, the product loses a significant share of biologically important substances(for example, vitamins), as well as proteins.

In most cases, manufacturers add a lot of sugar to instant grain products. And this is definitely harmful to your figure and health, especially with diabetes. With this disease it is necessary to observe special food and choose your products carefully.

A reduced amount of sugar is observed only in BP cereals of a therapeutic and prophylactic nature, that is, with special additives, for example, in the form of medicinal plants. But more about this in the “Benefits of Porridge” section.

If pieces of fruit or dried berries are used to flavor, improve taste and health, then everything is in order. But if they are absent from the mixture, and instead of them, flavorings identical to natural ones with the letter E are used, then the benefit quick porridge definitely changes to harm. Such products are especially not recommended for children.

A popular additive in fast food products is monosodium glutamate. Or in other words - a taste enhancer. If a person often consumes semi-finished products with monosodium glutamate, then an involuntary addiction to it occurs, since this substance affects the taste buds, from which a signal goes to the brain. Such “deception” is fraught with unnecessary irritation digestive organs, toning nervous system, getting used to “tasty” high-calorie and stimulating food with additives.

It is important to remember that monosodium glutamate in large quantities present in almost all instant products, not just cereals: purees, noodles, pilaf, soups, bouillon cubes. If you do not control their consumption, then health problems cannot be avoided.

In this regard, I recall an incident from my life. Once I had the opportunity to travel on a train with a young mother who was feeding her seven-month-old baby mashed potatoes instant cooking. And from her words it was clear that such a lunch was not the first time for the boy. You can imagine how the little man’s body reacted to such food. Almost all the way, while the child was awake, he kept crying and screaming. It is a pity that many adults do not take into account the characteristics of a child’s body.

The benefits of instant porridge

Despite all the huge disadvantages of instant porridges, they have their advantages. But they are only available if the product was produced according to rules that take into account healthy nutrition. What benefits can instant porridge have?

Firstly, if they are made exclusively from grains and natural additives (dried berries and fruits). A mixture devoid of flavor enhancers and artificial flavors, made according to modern technologies, retains a maximum of useful substances.

Secondly, many porridges have medicinal additives in the form of powdered medicinal plants. The following are used as such:

• burdock root;
• chicory;
• nettle leaf;
• milk thistle seeds;
• licorice root;
• plantain leaf;
• Jerusalem artichoke tubers;
• spirulina;
• grape seed;
• beebread;
• echinacea herb.

It is useful to eat such grain mixtures when various diseases. For example, porridges with nettle, alfalfa and burdock are indicated for stomach ulcers, heartburn, and stomatitis. A medicinal supplement in the form of plantain, echinacea and dandelion root makes rice or buckwheat porridge useful for diarrhea and liver problems. But porridge with Jerusalem artichoke, thanks to the inulin contained in the tubers of this plant, is definitely useful for diabetics.

Introduce into the diet medicinal porridges fast preparation is necessary gradually and only after consultation with a doctor. This is explained by the fact that medicinal additives - strong remedy. In some cases, they may cause individual intolerance.

Thirdly, almost the entire supply of fiber is preserved in instant cereals. And this is already good for our digestive system. Fiber provides soft purgation, stimulates motility and serves as food for intestinal microflora.

As you can see, the answer to the question of whether instant porridge is healthy does not have a clear, short answer. With infrequent use and careful selection in the store, it is quite possible to reduce harm and increase benefits. But still, do not forget about natural cereals. After all, millet, pearl barley, rice or buckwheat porridge prepared according to all the rules can become the crown of your culinary creativity.

Well, if the way healthy eating is very important for you and you care about what products are included in your diet, I can recommend you a good organic food store. The food that is presented in it definitely falls into the category of tasty and healthy. In addition, there are also environmentally friendly products for body care and home cleaning.

Let there be only healthy products on your table! Nadezhda Goryunova.

Introduction of complementary feeding and, in general, familiarization of children with adult food– a fairly lengthy and extremely responsible process. Products following breast milk should not lead to negative reactions– intestinal disorder, allergic conditions and poor digestion of food.

Porridge for – one of best options For good nutrition kids.

However, it is not easy to understand their diversity: gluten and gluten-free, dairy and dairy-free, corn and buckwheat - which of them are best to prepare, when to introduce and give the mixture, with which one, which manufacturers to give preference to. All these nuances should be considered in more detail.

Introducing porridge into complementary foods usually begins in the second half of life, provided breastfeeding and normal weight gain. Artificial babies receive the mixture at 4.5 months.

Porridges are also indicated for constant rotavirus infections accompanied by diarrhea. For such kids it is necessary high-calorie food, which is what porridge is considered to be.

Optimally, the vegetable mixture should be introduced first, and only then it is time for the second feeding. Cereals begin to be given approximately a month after the introduction of vegetable puree.

There are 5 main “symptoms” by which parents can understand that it is time to prepare porridge for the baby:

• the child begins to teethe;
• he is already sitting confidently in his high chair;
• he or a mixture;
• he shows interest in adult nutrition;
• he is able to lick liquid food from a spoon and swallow.

If these signs are combined, it means that the baby is potentially ready to introduce porridge as the first complementary food. It remains to determine which products are the best for infants.

The best porridges for initial feeding are considered gluten-free porridges - buckwheat, corn or rice. It is better to leave dishes made from rolled oats, wheat or semolina for later, since these cereals contain probable allergen– cereal protein gluten.

This food component children in infancy They digest poorly, they experience gas and abdominal pain. Similar problem is associated with a lack of special enzymes that perform the function of breaking down gluten in the body.

Porridges for first feeding are divided according to the most for various reasons, so parents can choose the best and most suitable products for their child:

The following products can also be classified as porridge:

• Welling – cereal-milk mixture, which resembles a very thin porridge, can be given to an infant who does not tolerate thick food well;
• instant cookies– hard slices easily dissolve in milk, and the resulting mixture resembles a thin porridge in consistency;
• porridge muesli– the product contains fruit additives and pieces of cookies, which will help a 9-month-old child quickly master the ability to chew food.

What should be the best porridge for initial feeding? The best way to get acquainted is dairy-free, gluten-free, mono-component porridge without additives, cooked from buckwheat, corn or rice.

The composition of each cereal is unique, so baby nutrition experts have developed their own recommendations that take into account the order of introduction of cereals, portion sizes and other important nuances.

Having chosen one cereal, you should cook it for your child for 2 weeks. When will children's tummies get used to the new? food product, you can enter the following type of cereal.

Many mothers are not sure what is best for the baby: giving cereal purchased at the pharmacy or preparing it themselves.

For example, WHO notes that commercially produced porridge should be used for initial feeding, since it has several advantages:

• quick cooking (only takes a few minutes);
• easy digestibility;
• balanced composition, also enriched with useful microelements;
• homogeneous consistency, does not thicken after cooling;
• absence of salts, harmful dyes and additional components (of course, this is typical for the best manufacturers);
• multilateral quality control;
• a special manufacturing technique that makes the product easier to swallow and assimilate.

The advantages of baby cereals prepared at home include:

• greater naturalness of products;
• saving money, since children's dairy products are quite expensive;
• homemade porridge simplifies the transition to an adult diet.

In the matter of complementary feeding, you should focus on the child. Children's impressions when feeding, the baby's appetite will tell parents which porridge is best - homemade or purchased.

How to cook?

If industrially produced cereal is used, then the question of how to cook porridge practically does not arise, since the technique for creating the dish is indicated directly on the packaging.

Most often, the dry mixture is poured boiled water(you should watch carefully temperature conditions) and stir until complete dissolution. You should prepare porridge right before eating, following the following recommendations:

1. Baby porridge, offered to an infant for the first time, must be five percent (consumption of 5 grams per 100 milliliters of water). This is the best product consistency for initial feeding. Then the porridge will be 10%.
2. You need to start with a minimum volume - a teaspoon. It is best to “arm yourself” with silicone cutlery, suitable for children’s sensitive gums.
3. The best introduced porridge is pureed, gluten-free, dairy-free, made from buckwheat or rice. You need to make sure that the resulting dish is free of lumps and other inclusions. After feeding the porridge, the baby is given breast milk or the usual mixture.
4. Gradually the portion of the gruel increases - by about a teaspoon per day. Over the course of a week, you should increase the volume of the dish to 150 grams (this applies to a 6-month-old baby), then the single serving will only grow:
   • seven months – 160 grams;
   • eight months - 180 grams;
   • year – 200 grams.

If you are going to cook porridge on our own, proportions and the above rules remain in effect. Just don’t forget to grind the cereal before cooking to avoid lumps, which the baby will not approve of, and then you can add milk formula or mother’s milk to the dish.

Rating of the best cereals

Baby porridge is an extremely popular product, so you can buy products from various companies and manufacturers on the domestic market.

When choosing the best dairy-free or gluten-free cereals, you should take into account not only the reviews of other mothers, but also the opinion of the best independent “specialist” - your own child.

An interesting assessment of industrial cereals was given in the popular program “Test Purchase”. We must pay tribute to all manufacturers - no unsafe impurities were found in the cereals, but only two companies made it into the rating: Heinz and Bebi.

Cooked products from other companies, including the popular Malyutka porridge, contained unpleasant lumps.

So, we suggest that you take a more detailed and thorough look at the rating of the best baby cereals with which you should start feeding small children, as well as reviews from parents that will help you understand which mixtures you should avoid.

1. Heinz

Experts are confident that the best porridges are found in the product line of these manufacturers.

Parents will be able to choose baby food based on the age and needs of the child.

There are many cereals sold in pharmacies and stores:

• dairy-free with additives;
• with milk;
• low-allergenic dairy-free;
• delicacies (multi-grain with fruit).

Heinz porridge is easy to prepare – just dilute it in some water.

This baby formula does not leave lumps, with pleasant taste and relatively inexpensive. However, reviews from parents show that the consistency of some products does not always resemble traditional porridge.

2. Baby

Some of best porridges With low content This company produces sucrose.

Manufacturers offer the widest range various products for all age groups.

Parents will be able to please their child with cereals:

• dairy-free (both “pure” and containing fruit);
• dairy (rice with berries and nuts);
• low-allergenic dairy-free with prebiotics (belong to the premium class);
• premium dairy products (mono-component and multi-component).

And they gobble it up willingly; others can’t even stand the name. How to make yourself loved?

Which cereals are the healthiest

All cereals are useful, except, perhaps, semolina. But their composition is different for children of different ages Different cereals are better suited. Complementary feeding begins with rice, corn and buckwheat porridge, and later oatmeal, semolina, pearl barley and millet porridge are introduced.

Consists of protein and plant fibers that are beneficial for digestion. Essential amino acids and fats, potassium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, magnesium. For children's cereals, it is better to use not whole oat grains, but flakes such as “Hercules”.

Which was recently “disqualified” by pediatricians, has virtually no fiber, and is convenient as the first porridge for a baby. But it contains gluten, which provokes the development of more serious intestinal disease- celiac disease. In addition, semolina impairs the absorption of calcium. Such properties are absolutely not what a baby needs. Therefore, it is not recommended to give semolina to children under one year of age.

Millet cereal rich in phosphorus, fiber and iron. It is difficult to digest, so millet is given to children after 1.5-2 years.

How to cook porridge so it’s delicious

Children over two years of age already exhibit food addictions, they have favorite and unfavorite dishes. In order for porridge to become a favorite, you need to understand how to cook it correctly.

• Children's negativity is often associated with the fact that it is difficult for them to swallow cereal dishes. Therefore, it is better to cook porridge not crumbly, but viscous, or even completely liquid.
• Porridge made from a mixture of cereals, supplemented with dried fruits or fresh berries. In addition, fruits increase the absorption of calcium from cereals.
• Delicious and useful combination obtained by combining cereals with liver, stewed vegetables, and eggs.
• Cereals from which only viscous porridges are obtained - oatmeal, semolina, rice - are boiled in milk. For infants, take milk diluted in half with water, and only after one and a half years can you use whole milk.
• “Dry” porridges - buckwheat, millet - are boiled in water, and then seasoned with milk and butter.
• For porridge, the proportion of cereal and liquid is important: for oatmeal it is 1:2.5, for buckwheat - 1:2, for millet and rice - 1:3, for semolina 1:5.

Instant cereals: harm or benefit

From a time-saving point of view, instant porridge is a godsend for a mom in a hurry. But, given that many useful substances of the grain were lost during processing, you should not abuse such semi-finished products.

Instant porridges come in dairy and dairy-free varieties. And they need to be prepared differently. To prevent your child from reacting with an allergy, read the instructions carefully. Porridges that already contain milk should be dissolved only with water.
Photo: depositphotos

The opinion of mothers on this issue became very interesting. There are so many people, so many opinions, so there is no point in arguing here (if anyone starts an argument in the comments, I’ll delete it, no offense!

Welcome comments!!! I'm interested in what you think about this issue.

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Cereal porridges are one of the first dishes on children's menus. But are boxed cereals really that useful? American scientists, after conducting an analysis of children’s boxed cereals, raised the alarm. According to their findings, the most useful children's dish harmful and even dangerous for children's health!

Yes, store-bought cereals make mom’s work much easier. They are easy to prepare: just dilute them in the right proportions with warm water or milk and the dish is ready. But is there any benefit to it?

Read also “Porridge in a baby’s complementary feeding: when to introduce which one and how to prepare it?”

American scientists checked the composition of baby cereals from well-known brands and came to the conclusion that they contain too much high dose sugar for a small child. If you do the math, it turns out that on average one one year old baby eats 4.5 kg of sugar per year. This is provided that he eats porridge once a day. What if the baby gets porridge both in the morning and in the evening? Such amounts of sugar are dangerous even for an adult.

An “overdose” of sugar is dangerous because it can cause obesity, diabetes, pancreatitis and other quite dangerous diseases.

Read also “Complementary feeding: what kind of porridge should I introduce when?”

After the study, scientists are calling on baby food manufacturers to be sure to indicate on the packaging of cereals how much sugar is contained in one serving of cooked cereal, since most parents have no idea how harmful such a “healthy” product can be for their child.

From the editors, we can advise on three options for introducing complementary foods from cereals to your baby:

• Prepare the porridge yourself, using a blender to grind it to the desired consistency and season to taste.
• Grind the cereal using a coffee grinder and then prepare porridge for the baby.
• Buy boxed porridge only that does not contain sugar.

A baby's introduction to complementary foods often begins with porridge. And children's opinions about this dish are divided: some children love porridge and eagerly eat it, others cannot even stand the name. How to make it so that healthy porridge became your favorite?

Which cereals are the healthiest

All cereals are useful, except, perhaps, semolina. But their composition differs and different porridges are better suited for children of different ages. Complementary feeding begins with rice, corn and buckwheat porridge, and later oatmeal, semolina, pearl barley and millet porridge are introduced.

Buckwheat rich in iron and fiber. Its mineral substances are perfectly absorbed, especially if you cook the porridge not from the core, but from the product - crushed cereal.

Corn grits gives the child healthy “slow” carbohydrates. It is rich in starch, iron, vitamin PP. Corn grits take quite a long time to cook, so it is better to cook porridge for complementary feeding with corn flour, or the finest grains.

Rice cereal richer in carbohydrates, but poorer minerals than buckwheat. Except nutritional value, rice helps solve problems with intestinal upset, and holds the stool together.

Read also: The truth about the dangers of semolina porridge

Oatmeal consists of protein and plant fibers useful for digestion. Essential amino acids and fats, potassium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, magnesium. For children's cereals, it is better to use not whole oat grains, but flakes such as “Hercules”.

Semolina, which was recently “disqualified” by pediatricians, has virtually no fiber, and is convenient as the first porridge for a baby. But it contains gluten, which provokes the development of a serious intestinal disease - celiac disease. In addition, semolina impairs the absorption of calcium. Such properties are absolutely not what a baby needs. Therefore, it is not recommended to give semolina to children under one year of age.

Millet cereal rich in phosphorus, fiber and iron. It is difficult to digest, so millet is given to children after 1.5-2 years.

How to cook porridge so it’s delicious

Children over two years of age already exhibit food addictions, they have favorite and unfavorite dishes. In order for porridge to become a favorite, you need to understand how to cook it correctly.

• Children's negativity is often associated with the fact that it is difficult for them to swallow cereal dishes. Therefore, it is better to cook porridge not crumbly, but viscous, or even completely liquid.
• Porridge made from a mixture of cereals, supplemented with dried fruits or fresh berries, is healthier and tastier. In addition, fruits increase the absorption of calcium from cereals.
• A tasty and healthy combination is obtained by combining cereals with liver, stewed vegetables, and eggs.
• Cereals from which only viscous porridges are obtained - oatmeal, semolina, rice - are cooked in milk. For infants, take milk diluted in half with water, and only after one and a half years can you use whole milk.
• “Dry” porridges - buckwheat, millet - are boiled in water, and then seasoned with milk and butter.
• For porridge, the proportion of cereal and liquid is important: for oatmeal it is 1:2.5, for buckwheat - 1:2, for millet and rice - 1:3, for semolina 1:5.

Instant cereals: harm or benefit

From a time-saving point of view, instant porridge is a godsend for a mom in a hurry. But, given that many useful substances of the grain were lost during processing, you should not abuse such semi-finished products.

Instant porridges come in dairy and dairy-free varieties. And they need to be prepared differently. To prevent your child from reacting with an allergy, read the instructions carefully. Porridges that already contain milk should be dissolved only with water.

Read also: Complementary feeding according to Komarovsky. second stage: getting acquainted with porridges

Read also: Buckwheat porridge in a slow cooker for a child: all the pros and cons

Read also: Porridge recipes for children: preparing a gluten-free breakfast