Four Fruit Juices For Children
Fruits provide essential nutrients for health and development. In the case of children, the recommendation of the World Health Organization for exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age must be followed. After this period of time has elapsed, the baby can start drinking his first fruit juices.
The baby’s body is not ready to digest all food properly. In view of this, it is necessary to introduce new foods gradually so that you can get used to them. In this way, the baby will not only be able to expand his diet but will also be able to enjoy the nutritional benefits that this implies, little by little.
The assimilation process
Fruits provide vitamins to the baby. These have proven to be essential for human health. Also, fruits provide minerals, amino acids, fiber, good quality calories and carbohydrates such as: glucose, sucrose and fructose. And since they also contain a large percentage of water, they also help you hydrate.
It should be noted that some mild adverse reactions may occur in the process of adaptation to new foods. These are usually temporary allergies that you don’t have to worry too much about. However, it is advisable to consult with the pediatrician to make sure that it is something normal.
Tips for giving fruit juices to infants
The habit of giving children fruit in the form of smoothies, shakes and juices will gradually adapt their taste to new flavors and textures of food. These are some tips that you should take into account before starting your intake:
About the choice of fruits
- Prepare the juice of one fruit at a time and leave an interval of at least a few days before offering a different fruit.
- Apple, pear, orange, tangerine, plum or grape juice can be offered at the beginning. Berries and tropical fruits should be postponed a bit, since they have a very strong taste for the baby.
- Choose ripe seasonal fruits, as they are easier for the baby to digest.
About the preparation
- Juices must be natural. Avoid commercial presentations that contain preservatives and other chemical additives. While these offer convenience to parents, they are not very beneficial for young children.
- Do not sweeten. This allows the enjoyment of the original flavor of the fruit. In addition, added sugar is capable of increasing the risk of developing liver diseases, according to a study published in the Journal of Hepatology.
- Prepare the juice preferably without water or with very little, to take advantage of all the properties of the fruit to the maximum.
- Maintain good hygiene to avoid contamination of the fruit juice with germs or possible allergens. Of course, the accessories used must be very clean.
About administration
- Administer the juice with a spoon, since the bottle tends to clog.
- Carefully observe the baby’s reactions to the possibility of intolerance, allergies, diarrhea, etc.
- Once the fruit juice is ready, it is advisable to consume it as soon as possible, to avoid the oxidation effect.
- You should start with small amounts of fruit and then gradually increase them until the little one becomes familiar with the flavor of the fruit that we want them to assimilate.
Four fruit juices for children
We are going to offer you the recipe for 4 fruit juices suitable for children. In this way they will get used to the flavors.
1. For infants
Ingredients
- 1 serving of apple, pear, plum, grape, peach, orange or tangerine.
Elaboration
- Peel and wash the chosen fruit. Remove the seeds.
- Process the fruit with an electric mixer (avoid using water as much as possible). Citrus fruits will simply be squeezed manually or with the help of a juicer.
- Strain to remove possible seed remains. Do not remove all the pulp, as it is important that you learn to consume it as well.
2. For children 12 months and older
Ingredients
- 1 cup of water.
- 1/2 small ripe papaya.
- 1 splash of vanilla essence.
Elaboration
- Peel and wash the papaya.
- Remove the seeds.
- Blend in the electric mixer.
- Add the vanilla.
- Mix.
3. For children from 3 years of age
Ingredients
- 4 ice cubes.
- 1 large ripe mango.
- 1 Greek yogurt, unsweetened
- ΒΌ teaspoon ground cardamom.
Elaboration
- Peel, wash and remove the seed from the mango.
- Chop the fruit and blend it in the electric mixer together with the yogurt, cardamom and ice.
- To serve.
4. For children 24 months and older
Ingredients
- 1/2 ripe papaya.
- 1 ripe banana.
- 4 ice cubes.
- 1/2 ripe pineapple.
Elaboration
- Chop all the fruits after peeling, washing and removing the seeds.
- Process in the blender.
- Add ice.
Include fruit in children’s diet
The body needs nutrients in proportional amounts, according to size and age, to be able to develop properly and stay healthy. Therefore, if we incorporate these fruit juices on a regular basis to the baby’s diet, we will meet a good part of their nutritional requirements.
In addition, tomorrow, the child will become an adult who will enjoy fruits and, therefore, will seek to consume them, which becomes an excellent habit of life.
