Gluten, also called gluten, is one of the proteins found in plant foods. There is a lot of it in wheat and some other cereals, therefore, if necessary, exclude this substance from the diet, you need to carefully choose which porridge to offer your child. According to most doctors, the first porridge that is permissible for an infant to taste must also be gluten-free.
What cereals are gluten-free?
The range of grains that do not include the dangerous protein is quite large.
- Figure: Such hypoallergenic groats are easy to digest, taste good and are liked by many babies. It contains a lot of potassium, amino acids, zinc, calcium, lecithin and vitamin compounds.
- Buckwheat. This popular gluten-free cereal is rich in protein and iron, so it is beneficial for those with low hemoglobin or low weight. Many kids also love her, and an allergic reaction to buckwheat is extremely rare. This porridge will be an excellent source of vitamin B1, calcium, copper, magnesium, vitamin PP and other nutrients.
- Corn grits. It is rich in amino acids, vitamin A, selenium, calcium, iron. Due to its high fiber content, eating corn porridge reduces intestinal fermentation and reduces bloating. Since corn contains a lot of polyunsaturated fats, dishes made from such cereals are also beneficial for the nervous system.
- Millet... Millet is obtained from such a gluten-free grain - a cereal rich in beta-carotene, complex carbohydrates, silicon, vitamin E, calcium, lecithin, phosphorus, fiber and other substances.
- Sago. This grits are made from corn starch or potato starch. It provides the body with enough carbohydrates and fiber, as well as plenty of minerals and choline. Sago porridge has the ability to stimulate appetite and coat the intestinal wall.
- Amaranth. Such grain contains a lot of healthy fats and starch, pectin, B vitamins, magnesium, copper, ascorbic acid and other substances. It is good for digestion and is a source of valuable amino acids.
- Quinoa... This culture is called pseudo-grain, but a delicious porridge with many useful properties is prepared from it. It contains a fairly large percentage of protein, there are valuable trace elements. A lot of fiber, folic acid and riboflavin are obtained from such a product.
Separately, it should be noted that wheat gluten does not contain oatmeal, but the peculiarities of its processing make such cereal undesirable for the nutrition of patients for whom it is prohibited.
Eating oatmeal with gluten intolerance is permissible only if the manufacturer has noted this possibility on the packaging. Such products are specially processed, so they are easier to digest and do not provoke intestinal problems.
How and when to start complementary foods?
It is recommended to start feeding babies with gluten-free cereals. If the baby is fed with mother's milk, it is permissible to offer him a cereal dish for the first time at 6 months. An earlier introduction is undesirable, because the intestines of a child in the first half of life are not yet mature enough to digest something other than breast milk.
Bottle-fed babies can try porridge a little earlier. Although the packaging of baby food is sometimes marked "from 4 months", doctors advise to introduce cereals into the diet of toddlers fed with formula not earlier than 5 months of age.
Most often, rice or buckwheat is chosen for the first acquaintance. If the baby often has constipation, it is better to prefer buckwheat, and with loose stools, rice porridge is the first on the menu. A dish for an infant should be monocomponent and dairy-free, liquid and homogeneous in consistency, free of sugar, salt and any other additives.
Some mothers decide to cook such porridge on their own, grinding the cereal in a coffee grinder so that it turns into flour, after which it is boiled in water, and then breast milk or mixture is added. Other parents choose factory-made porridge for the first feeding, since selected raw materials are used for such baby food products, which are specially processed. In addition, you do not need to cook powder porridge - it is enough to dilute it with water in the amount indicated by the manufacturer, and the dish for the crumbs in the required volume is ready.
If a baby tries a cereal for the first time, it should be done during the morning feed to monitor for possible negative reactions throughout the day. For the first sample, only 5 grams of porridge is enough. If the child's stool has not changed, the skin has not reddened, there are no other negative symptoms, the next day the portion is slightly increased.
After the introduction of rice and buckwheat into the diet, the baby is introduced to corn porridge. Due to the heavier digestion, millet is recommended to be given to children over a year old. Milk porridge is given to a breastfed baby no earlier than 9 months of age, to an artificial baby - from 7 months. The introduction of milk cereals into the diet also begins with gluten-free options, that is, buckwheat, corn porridge or rice are prepared first with milk.
Why is it introduced first?
The main danger of gluten in cereals such as wheat, barley and rye is the risk of an allergic reaction, which is increased at an early age. In some toddlers 6-12 months old, the use of gluten triggers a condition called celiac disease... This is an autoimmune pathology in which the small intestine is affected. It occurs in about 0.5-1% of people.
Among the symptoms of gluten intolerance are noted diarrhea, weight loss, weakness, atopic dermatitis, bloating, regurgitation, and nausea. Noticing any of these symptoms when introducing cereals that contain gluten into the diet, you need to immediately exclude the new product from the baby's menu and consult a doctor. He will prescribe special tests that will confirm or deny celiac disease, which will affect further tactics.
It is worth mentioning that gluten-free cereals are not only shown to children with celiac disease. They are also used in the diet of children with:
- bowel diseases;
- food allergies;
- diarrhea of various origins;
- flatulence;
- intolerance to some products;
- autoimmune pathologies;
- some neurological diseases.
For many young patients with such problems, doctors recommend limiting the use of gluten and leaving only rice, corn and other safe cereals on the menu.
Top manufacturers
Gluten-free cereals are in the range of any manufacturer of baby food, but not all of them are liked by babies and their mothers. Below is a list of the most popular brands.
- Bebi. Cereal products from this brand are delicious, varied, and include probiotics and minerals. They have no added sugar. The assortment includes cereals with different fillings. Among the gluten-free cereals, the manufacturer offers dairy-free buckwheat, dairy-free rice, dairy buckwheat, dairy-free corn, rice with apple and pumpkin, 5 types of milk rice porridge, milk corn porridge.
- Nestle... Gluten-free porridges from this manufacturer are enriched with bifidobacteria, which has a positive effect on the state of microflora and stool. They have a natural taste, pleasant smell, easy dilution, and an average price category. The composition additionally includes minerals and vitamins. However, the manufacturer notes that traces of gluten in such cereals are possible, because wheat, multigrain and other powder mixtures that contain gluten are produced on the same equipment.
- Bellakt. The products of this brand are very diverse, can be quickly divorced, and are of good quality. The manufacturer notes that there is no gluten in such dairy-free cereals: buckwheat, rice, buckwheat with apple and rice-buckwheat with prunes. Among Bellakt milk cereals, the entire line of rice cereals does not contain gluten, including products with additives (pumpkin, apple, banana, carrot).
- Heinz. The range of this manufacturer includes gluten-free cereals from one grain, called low-allergenic. They have a pleasant taste, there is no sugar, starch and salt in the composition, additionally there is a vitamin-mineral complex and inulin. The powder base can be easily diluted for a smooth, lump-free dish. At the same time, traces of gluten may be present in the line of dairy and tasty cereals, as well as dairy-free products with fruit additives, even if they are based on buckwheat, rice or corn.
- Hipp... Such cereal products are made from environmentally friendly organic raw materials. They are pleasant to the taste, enriched with vitamin B1, easy to dilute. The manufacturer indicates in large letters "gluten-free" on packages of milk buckwheat, milk rice "banana-peach", dairy-free buckwheat, dairy-free rice, dairy-free corn and dairy-free buckwheat with fruit cereals.
- "Agusha"... The line of cereals of this brand includes rice with milk and rice-corn with banana and milk. They are quickly diluted with water, taste good, do not contain preservatives and other harmful additives, are fortified with vitamins, but, according to information from the manufacturer, may contain a small amount of gluten.
Gluten intolerance
All healthy babies who are introduced to gluten-free cereals can try gluten-free cereals later. Oatmeal is offered to crumbs from 8 months of age, wheat - from 8-9 months, semolina - from a year, barley - from 1.5 years, pearl barley - from three years of age.
First, any of these cereals should appear on the toddler's table in a dairy-free version, because milk is also a serious allergen. When the child tastes each of the types separately, you can include multi-cereal cereals in the menu.
Introducing gluten products into the diet of an infant should be extremely careful so as not to miss allergy symptoms and to cancel dangerous cereals in time. If the crumbs are diagnosed with gluten intolerance, they will have to give up gluten-containing cereals in the future. The doctor will prescribe a gluten-free diet for such a child.
It provides for the exclusion from the diet of not only cereals containing gluten (oatmeal, semolina, wheat), but also bread, pasta, and various types of pastries. Fortunately, many manufacturers these days offer alternatives to such products with gluten-free counterparts, including biscuits, pasta, waffles, cereals, crisps, desserts, and so on.
Dr. Komarovsky will tell you what gluten is in the next video.
