Your little one is now six months old. And it’s time he starts taking in some solid food that gives him a good dose of nutrients. Wondering what you can start with? You can start with beetroot for babies!
Beetroot, which is also referred to as tablet beet, garden beet or red beet, belongs to the root family and contains lot many essential nutrients that help in the overall development of your baby.
Do you want to know more about this magic vegetable? Then here you go!
The vegetable has a host of energy giving constituents. Beetroot is rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin K and vitamin E. If your newborn doesn’t receive these chemicals, he may suffer from several diseases. He could be a victim to beri-beri, night blindness, diarrhoea, angular stomatitis, rickets, osteomalacia, etc.
Anemia is a health condition that shows up because of the lack of iron in the body. Beetroot is rich in iron and works wonders especially for children. If your baby’s body has a high amount of iron, it produces a high number of red blood cells. Iron also helps to supply oxygen to the various parts of the body that helps in the development of the brain. Brain development is crucial in the early few months of your baby’s growth as it decides how well the brain functions in the future.
At this stage, your baby’s digestion is weak. It is, therefore, wise to feed him with food that is easily digestible. Beetroot is one vegetable that your cute one’s digestive system can easily digest.
If you feed your baby with beetroot, his liver stays protected. Unhealthy liver gives rise to serious diseases like jaundice and hepatitis. An attack of jaundice can affect the child’s appetite, in turn leading to the rise of various problems like low weight, etc.
Beetroot juice, when combined with carrot or cucumber juice, works wonders to cleanse your baby’s body from within. It also cleans important organs such as the kidneys and gall bladder.
Hope you got to know how is beetroot good for babies!
It is after six months that your baby develops a strong digestive system capable of digesting vegetables and fruits. So, wait to feed him with beetroot till he is half a year old. Also, one thing you need to remember is not to start with beetroot. Beetroot has a strong earthy flavour, which your little one might not like to eat. So, begin with vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.
Now, we look at how to feed beetroot to your baby.
Beetroot has a high amount of nitrate that can make it a little difficult for babies to digest the vegetable if given in large quantities. Therefore, give him just 2-3 teaspoons of the juice. Once he is a year old, you can slowly start increasing the quantity.
If you cook the beetroot, nitrate content in it reduces to a great extent. If you do not want to cook the vegetable, you can steam or boil it and then give it to your child. Even in the first step, when you feed beetroot juice for babies, you can go for the option of boiling the vegetable. After you boil it, extract the juice. It ensures that nitrate content is low.
We hope this article helps you stop wondering how and when to feed beetroot for babies. How would your baby react while tasting beetroot for the first time? Do share with us in the comments section below!