With the advent of the baby in the family, young parents have many questions. Many of them are related to proper nutrition. It is not surprising that some are wondering - how healthy (and is it safe!) Juice for a child? This issue will be worth sorting out as detailed as possible.
The benefits of juices
Of course, without exception, all juices are useful. After all, they are made from fruits and vegetables, which means they are rich in vitamins and a number of vital trace elements, depending on the feedstock.
In addition, most juices are also sweet, which means they contain a large amount of easily digestible carbohydrates. This is also an important plus. The child spends a huge amount of energy on the development of the world, especially when he begins to crawl and walk. Can anything keep this fidget in place?
To cover energy costs, juice can be a great addition to the diet, ensuring the health and well-being of the child.
However, not all juices are equally healthy. Moreover, some can be even serious if certain rules are violated. Therefore, before giving a certain juice to a child, you need to carefully study its properties and possible effects on the body.
Shopping or home?
In stores you can see a lot of juices - expensive and cheap, in simple cardboard packaging and glass jars, one-component and assorted. But still, some wise parents prefer to give children products prepared at home. Why so? There are many reasons for this.
First of all, when squeezing juice at home, parents themselves see the raw materials. This is a high-quality, fresh product without any signs of spoilage. Is it possible to guarantee that the same quality fruits and vegetables are used in the factory?
In addition, usually factory juice for a child has a shelf life of several months to several years. There are two ways to achieve this result: using preservatives or heat treatment. The first case definitely will not bring any benefit - giving the baby extra chemistry is not worth it, this may well affect his health. Alas, the second option is also not good. Everyone knows that during heat treatment part of the vitamins is destroyed. Yes, instead of them, factory juices enrich others. But in this case, the juice is a simple sweet water with the pills dissolved in it.
And how much freshly squeezed juice is stored, cooked at home? Usually a child drinks it immediately or during the day. Therefore, all vitamins and minerals are stored in full.
An important plus is the price. Homemade juice comes out simply cheaper than purchased. Yes, it takes time and effort to cook. But with a juicer, the procedure takes just minutes and even seconds. In total with the above pluses, it becomes clear - homemade juice for a child will be much more useful than bought in a store.
The main thing to remember is that it is advisable to dilute such a drink with water in a proportion of one to one so that it does not have a very sharp taste and does not harm the baby’s stomach.
How much to give the child?
Here, most experts on baby food and pediatricians agree - it is advisable for a child to give as many grams of juice as he is months, multiplying his age by 10. That is, a six-month-old child can be given 60 grams, and eight-month-olds - 80. But after a year, this system is already not suitable. From a year to three years, it is recommended to limit the intake of juices to 100 grams - half a glass - per day. Still, even an adult, having drunk a liter of juice in a short time, can feel unwell.
It is advisable to give after eating - it does not matter, mother's milk, cereal or other food. Then the juice no longer enters the empty stomach and does not cause irritation. In addition, if you give it before meals, it can interrupt the appetite.
The diet should be introduced from six months. And first you should give a little, half a teaspoon. And watch a day or two for a reaction. However, some juices can be given only at a later age. We will separately discuss them a bit later.
To begin with, it is better to give the child one-component juices, then you can easily determine which product he is allergic to. When using mixed drinks to cope with this task is much more difficult.
Now let's deal with specific juices, what benefits they bring to the child, from what age they can be given and whether they will cause harm to health.
Apple juice
Of course, the most popular is apple juice for children. Most parents quite rightly decide to give this drink first to the baby. It is not surprising, because they contain a huge amount of vitamins and minerals. First of all, these are: A, B2 and C, iron, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, iodine, folic acid and many others. Juice from one good apple can cover the daily intake of vitamin C!
It is important that apple juice for the child is just perfect. It is not an allergen and in the vast majority of cases, acquaintance with a new element of the diet passes without unpleasant surprises.
Pomegranate juice
Many parents know how useful direct-pressed pomegranate juice is . It is no coincidence that it is prescribed for anemia (hemoglobin deficiency). However, it is worth noting here - the garnet itself almost does not contain iron. But its juice helps the body absorb this important trace element from other products: meat, liver, beets and others.
It is easy to cook at home and at the same time it is loved by many children. But here it is worth being careful. Firstly, pomegranate contains substances that can cause allergies. Therefore, it can only be given to children aged 1 year and older - and little by little, tracking the reaction. Secondly, it is quite acidic, and you can’t give it in its pure form, it is better to dilute it with water. Thirdly, juice has a firming effect. So, giving it to children who have problems with constipation is categorically impossible.
Remember these simple tips to understand what more will bring pomegranate juice to health - benefit or harm.
Orange juice
Very popular and at the same time easily extracted juice. Even on a manual juicer, you can get half a glass of juice from a good, juicy orange in a matter of seconds. But you should be especially careful with him. After all, it is no secret that this fruit is a rather powerful allergen. Therefore, it must be given very carefully, preferably from one year.
In general, the juice is very healthy. It contains vitamin C, potassium and folic acid. Due to this, it improves the secretion of the pancreas, improving appetite. At the same time, it has a stimulating effect on intestinal motility. And also this juice can cause a decrease in blood pressure - this is very important to remember. For some children, this will be a very useful side effect, but for others, especially with excessive use, it can be a serious danger. So, each parent should carefully study the features of the juice and know his child well (including the features of his health) so that the drink brings exclusively benefits.
Tomato juice
Now consider tomato juice for children. Surprisingly, this valuable, tasty and, it would seem, completely safe product should be given very carefully and preferably only to children from three years of age and older. The fact is that it can cause allergies, as it irritates the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, histamine is part of tomatoes - sometimes a pseudo-allergic reaction begins because of it.
For starters, it is advisable to give the child (of course, already relatively older than one year old) fresh tomatoes (preferably from their own cottage, grown without mineral fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides). If the acquaintance with the new product was successful, you can gradually introduce it into the diet and juice.
Moreover, it is very useful - it contains lycolin, a large amount of fiber. Due to this, the risk of cancer is reduced, the problem of constipation and overweight is solved.
Carrot juice
Finally, we study carrot juice for children. It is introduced into complementary foods at the age of one year or older. Moreover, giving it is not only possible, but also necessary - this is a real pantry of vitamins and valuable trace elements. It is important that carrots are inexpensive, can be grown with their own hands and at the same time are perfectly stored.
It contains vitamins such as A, B, E, D, K. It also contains potassium, magnesium, calcium, cobalt and a number of mineral salts.
Due to this, juice has a comprehensive positive effect on the development of the child. It begins to grow faster, and his vision improves significantly - thanks to vitamin A. Calcium improves the condition of nails and hair, makes teeth and bones stronger. The risk of developing pathologies of the nervous system and heart is reduced. A general increase in immunity is noted - the child is much less likely to get sick.
So, if you want to help your children grow smart, strong and mobile, carrots and juice from it will become your faithful allies in this matter.
Conclusion
Now you have learned more about the rules for introducing juices into the diet of children. And also figured out the question of which products are better - in-store or home-made. At the same time, they read about the features of different juices, their benefits and possible harm.