When can you give meat broth to a child and soups on it?

In the days of our grandmothers, meat broth was considered an extremely healthy dish, from which the introduction of meat products into the diet of babies began. It was given to children over 6 months old, and after a month they began to introduce meat puree. Such an early introduction of meat broth into the diet of babies was promoted by the opinion that this product is easily digested and very well absorbed in the child's body.

Nowadays, the approach to introducing babies to meat dishes has changed.

All pediatricians recommend first introducing mashed meat from 8 months of age into complementary foods and only after good tolerance and getting used to prepare meat broth for children.

This is due to the discovery in the broth of a significant amount of extractive compounds that affect metabolic processes in the child's body. These compounds include creatinine, taurine, glucose, cholesterol, lactic acid, urea, taurine and some other substances with high chemical and biological activity. They pass into the water from the meat during cooking and determine the flavor and many properties of the broth.

The benefits of meat broth

Such a product contains proteins, fats, vitamins and many other useful compounds contained in meat.
Due to the presence of extractives, this dish will increase your appetite.
The consumption of broth increases the secretion of gastric and pancreatic juices, so that food is digested faster.
Purines and other nitrogenous compounds from the broth are important for the construction of DNA and other structures in cells.
Useful substances from the broth are involved in the development of the nervous system.

Harm

Some children are allergic to meat broth.
Consumption of purines in large quantities can lead to excitation of the nervous system.
As a result of the breakdown of purines that have entered the child's body with broth, an excess of uric acid can be formed, which leads to the deposition of its crystals in the kidneys, as well as in the joints.
A large amount of uric acid disrupts the permeability of cell membranes, which increases allergic reactions.
The meat from which the broth is prepared can be treated with hormones, antibiotics and other hazardous substances. They all end up in the broth when cooked.

When to introduce into complementary foods

It is recommended to get acquainted with meat broth after meat puree is included in the child's menu. You can offer the baby broth when the baby is used to meat and tolerates it normally. This happens approximately at 9-10 months., that is, one month after the start of meat feeding. The introduction of a new product is carried out gradually, adding it in small quantities to vegetable dishes.

If the child is introduced to complementary foods according to Komarovsky's recommendations, then acquaintance with meat broth as a component of soups occurs at the age of 9-15 months, depending on the development of the baby, the presence of teeth, individual food preferences and other factors. This product is introduced when the baby has already tasted dairy products, cereals and vegetables. The next step Komarovsky advises to cook vegetable purees with the addition of meat broth, and then introduce the meat.

If the child has kidney or liver problems, as well as in case of a tendency to allergies, it is recommended to introduce soup with meat broth a year or even later.

Why you can't enter early

More than 50% of extractive substances pass into broth from meat, therefore it is recommended to start feeding a child with meat products with boiled meat. Such a product lingers for several hours in the stomach of the crumbs, where, under the influence of gastric juice, it is slowly digested. Due to this, the extractive compounds remaining in the meat enter the bloodstream gradually and are partially excreted with feces. They take part in metabolic processes and are broken down without adversely affecting the kidneys.

Unlike meat, broth is unable to stay in the stomach. It almost immediately enters the intestines, where it begins to be actively absorbed. As a result, all substances from the broth quickly enter the bloodstream. To neutralize them the liver functions with increased stress. At the same time, the concentration of uric acid in the blood increases greatly, which causes increased excitability, joint pain and other symptoms of neuro-arthritic diathesis.

That is why children up to 7-8 months old, whose digestive tract is not yet fully mature, the walls of the stomach and intestines are more permeable, and the liver is still not working actively enough, meat broth is harmful. The beginning of the introduction of broth with the addition of such a product to vegetable purees and soups with cereals allows you to slow down the absorption of its extractive substances and get used to the new product.

How to introduce into complementary foods

When making a vegetable puree or vegetable soup for your baby for the first time, add only a few tablespoons of meat broth. If the crumb reacted normally to the dish, gradually increase the added volume of broth to 30 ml. By one year, the child is advised to give no more than 50 ml of meat broth per day.

Since children over one year old begin to offer not only boiled meat, but also steamed meat, in the oven and in other ways, more extractives begin to flow. And therefore the limitation of meat broth is no longer relevant.

At the age of 1-2 years, a child can eat soup with meat broth in a portion of 200-250 ml daily.

How to cook broth for a child

For broth, use 200 ml of water for every 30-50 grams of meat.
If you need to cook broth for children, take the lean meat, remove the veins from it and rinse it thoroughly.
To reduce extractives to the broth, pour cool water over the sliced meat. When the liquid boils, let the meat simmer for 5-10 minutes, and then pour the resulting broth.
Pour the meat with a new portion of water, cook until tender.
If the child is not yet a year old (the amount of broth is limited), cook the meat separately, and then add it and the broth in the required amount to the vegetable dish.
Children over one year old can immediately cook soup with meat broth.