Legumes must be present in the diet of every person - both an adult and a child. Beans, peas, soy and lentils are rich in protein, promote muscle growth and strengthen the body, but at the same time they contain much less fat compared to meat. Despite the benefits, all these products are considered difficult for the digestive system of the child and are introduced into his diet gradually. About at what age you can give beans to a child, we will tell in our article. Be sure to dwell on the nutritional value of this product and present recipes for delicious dishes for small gourmets.
The composition and nutritional value of beans
The homeland of this representative of legumes is considered South America. But in the European territory, beans were introduced only in the 16th century by the Spanish traveler Christopher Columbus. It has a rich vitamin and mineral composition. But the main thing is that beans practically do not lose their beneficial properties after heat treatment. In a canned product, up to 80% of all minerals and up to 70% of stored vitamins are stored.
The value of beans in the diet is difficult to overestimate. It contains the following vitamins: A, B1, B2, B9, E, PP. Beans are a valuable source of folic acid, which is necessary for the normal development of the fetus during pregnancy.
There are a lot of important macronutrients in the fruits of legumes, such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium. The composition of the beans includes such trace elements: manganese, iron, copper, zinc, cobalt, fluorine, iodine, molybdenum. All of them are necessary for the normal growth and development of the child.
In total, more than 200 varieties of this product are known. The most common are white, red and black beans. The varieties presented are slightly different in composition and nutritional value. For example, white beans contain more vitamin C, iron and calcium, black - folic acid, and red - vitamins of group B. A lot of it contains potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. White beans are well boiled, so it is more often than other types used for cooking first courses, and red and black - for salads and side dishes.
The average protein content in beans (per 100 g) is 21 g, fats - 2 g, carbohydrates - 54.5 g. Calorie content is 220 kcal per 100 g.
Product Benefits
Beans are an important source of protein for children who, for certain reasons, do not consume meat and milk. This is an excellent dietary product with a balanced composition. The benefits of beans for the body are as follows:
- metabolic acceleration;
- reducing the risk of obesity and the development of diabetes;
- removing excess fluid from the body;
- reduction of puffiness;
- elimination of toxic and harmful compounds from the child's body;
- elimination of stress and fatigue;
- strengthening immunity;
- prevention of anemia;
- saturation of the body with energy, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances.
Dietary fiber contained in beans improves the digestion process in adults, but for the baby’s gastrointestinal tract they may be too coarse. That is why, before the introduction of complementary foods, it is necessary to check with the pediatrician how much beans can be given to a child.
Possible harm and contraindications
Beans, despite all its advantages, is not without drawbacks and can cause a number of side effects:
- increased gas formation;
- constipation
- intestinal colic and bloating.
In older children, the same phenomena can be observed with the use of large portions of legumes. That is why parents need to clearly know how many years they can give beans.
The use of this product is contraindicated for children who have a history of chronic gastritis with low acidity, gastric ulcer, cholecystitis and pancreatitis.
When can children be given beans?
Despite the fact that legumes are useful for the body, do not rush with the introduction of them into complementary foods. First you need to find out from the pediatrician how old beans can be given to children and how to do it right.
Mature legumes should not be added to the diet of a child who is not yet two years old. But in this case, at first it is recommended to give the child peas, and after a week offer to try beans. At an earlier age, the cultures presented are poorly absorbed and slowly digested, causing flatulence in babies.
Beans should be given to the child in a grated form, but not as an independent dish, but as a part of soups, vegetable stew, etc. It is optimal to offer legumes 2 times a week. The daily norm should not exceed 100 g. Canned beans can be given to children no earlier than three years of age.
Can a baby bean be given to a child ?
Young shoots of a plant, unlike mature beans, are allowed to be introduced into the baby's diet along with other vegetable complementary foods. This means that green beans can be given to a child when you "introduce" him to broccoli, zucchini and cauliflower. You can offer a baby a monocomponent puree at the age of 7-8 months.
It is worth noting that green pods, in contrast to ripe beans, contain only 30 kcal (100 g). The amount of protein (per 100 g) in such a product does not exceed 2.5 g, fat - 0.3 g, and carbohydrates - 3.1 g. The bulk of green beans is in water and fiber. This product contains easily digestible proteins and complex carbohydrates that have a beneficial effect on the digestive system of the child's body.
In the composition of green beans there is a lot of iron, sulfur and zinc. Dishes from young shoots will be a good help to the body during the seasonal incidence of acute respiratory viral diseases.
How to introduce beans to a baby?
You can acquaint a child with green green beans as early as 7 months by adding this product to vegetable soup, followed by grinding the dish in a blender. This approach will prepare the child’s digestive tract for new food, and he can easily digest it.
An eight-month-old baby can be offered a single-component green bean puree. For the first time, just give half a teaspoon of the dish. If the taste of mashed potatoes will please the peanut, the next day the portion can be doubled.
When the baby is 2-2.5 years old, you can give the child beans in the form of ripe fruits. For the first time, they can be added to the soup, and after 1-2 weeks you can cook a monocomponent dish, chopping the previously boiled beans in a blender.
Bean Cooking Tips
Before cooking and introducing complementary foods, you should familiarize yourself with the following tips:
- Green beans are the first to be introduced into the lure. Before cooking, the ends of the pods are first cut, shoots are soaked in cold water for 15 minutes, then boiled in large quantities of water until soft. Immediately before use, the beans are mashed with a blender.
- Before you start cooking dishes from ripe beans, you need to find out all the nuances of this product. For example, before introducing legumes into the diet, you should ask your pediatrician at what age you can give your child beans. In the absence of special contraindications, this can be done in 2-2.5 years.
- Before preparing ripe fruits, they are pre-soaked in water for 4 hours. Beans are boiled with a strong boil until soft. Salt is added at the end of cooking, immediately before the puree.
- No need to combine beans with other legumes. Such a dish is not intended for an unformed digestive system.
- Before cooking, the fruits should be sorted out. Push aside beans with black dots, damage and stains. All beans should be about the same size, with a smooth and shiny surface.
Bean first courses
We offer two recipes for soups from young pods and ripe beans:
- From young shoots it is recommended to prepare a light and healthy soup for lunch. It can be offered to a baby who is already 1 year old. To prepare the dish, you first need to fry the onion and grated carrots in vegetable oil. Then add green beans (200 g), potatoes (2 pcs.) And fry to the vegetable broth (1.5 l). Cook for 15 minutes. At the end of cooking add bay leaf and salt.
- From the article it is already known at what age you can give a child beans added to the soup. It is better to do this not earlier than two years. And you can offer your baby a healthy soup puree. To prepare it, you need to boil a pre-soaked bean until ready. At this time, fry half the onion until soft. Puree beans and onions with a blender, adding a little water in which the beans were boiled. Add butter (100 g) or cream. Warm the soup for a minute over low heat.
Casserole for babies
Many mothers are interested in the question of at what age you can give beans to a child in a baked form. So, the next dish can be safely offered for dinner to a three-year-old gourmet. Cooking a casserole is very simple:
- Rinse green beans (200 g), cut off the ends. Disassemble broccoli into inflorescences (200 g). Dip the vegetables in a pot of boiling and salted water, boil for 5 minutes and put in a colander under cold water.
- Beat eggs (4 pcs.) With milk (½ tbsp), grate hard cheese (200 g).
- Grease the baking dish with oil, put the beans and broccoli at the bottom. Then sprinkle the vegetables with cheese and pour the egg mixture.
- Bake the dish for 20 minutes at a temperature of 180 ° C.