At what age can borscht be given to a child?

Borscht is a favorite first dish for many people in our country. It is tasty and healthy, so many mothers are interested in when it is possible to give such a dish to a child and how to cook it for a children's menu.

What is this dish?

Borscht is based on different vegetables, and there are quite a few options for recipes for such a traditional Slavic dish. Some cook it in meat broth, others in bone broth, and still others without adding meat at all. Beets, potatoes, carrots are the invariable ingredients. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, cabbage and other products are also added to it.

Benefit

It contains many vitamins, organic acids and mineral salts. This product can act as a source of carotenoids, B vitamins, ascorbic acid, iodine, iron, as well as amino acids and antioxidants.
This nutritious dish stimulates the intestines due to its high fiber content. Its use will help prevent or eliminate constipation.
Beetroot, which is the main ingredient, has a hepatoprotective effect, as well as the ability to reduce nervous excitability and strengthen blood vessels. In addition, this root vegetable stimulates blood formation and prevents the development of diabetes.
Thanks to the use of borscht, various toxic substances, for example, pesticides, nitrates and heavy metals, are removed from the body.

Harm

Borscht can become a harmful product if the recommendations for its preparation in childhood, as well as the rules for storing such a product, are violated. Such a first course is contraindicated in case of intolerance to any of its components, for example, if you are allergic to beets (they are very allergenic vegetables). This dish should also not be used for pancreatitis or diarrhea.

At what age to give?

Doctors recommend introducing a child to beets at 8-9 months. If the baby has a tendency to constipation, such a root vegetable can be included in the complementary feeding menu a little earlier, for example, at 7 months. For children prone to allergies, beets are added to the diet later, for example, at 10 months or a year.

However, it is recommended to choose mashed beets for the first beetroot dish given to the child, adding it to other vegetables in an amount of no more than 1/3 of the total volume of the vegetable dish. For the first time, you should try borscht no earlier than the baby is 1 year old.

In addition, there are other restrictions:

To prepare such a dish, you should take only those products that the baby has already tried.
The use of broth during cooking is permissible, but it should be freed from fat as much as possible.
If a child is prepared borscht without meat broth, then separately boiled meat can be added to the finished dish.
Bone broth is not used when preparing meals for children under 3 years old.
It is advised to add sour cream no earlier than 1.5-2 years.

How to cook

Traditionally, the dish is cooked in a saucepan, adding ingredients for the duration of the boil. A multicooker can also be used for cooking.

We offer you a recipe for borscht that a one-year-old child can eat.

Take:

One medium-sized beet.
One small onion.
One medium carrot.
One small tomato.
Two medium potatoes.
100 grams of chopped white cabbage.
A pinch of salt.
Greens.

Prepare borscht like this:

Rinse all vegetables thoroughly.
Peel the onion and cut into small cubes.
Pour about 1 liter of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Dip the onion into boiling water and cook, covering with a lid.
Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes.
Add it to the water, where the onion has been boiling for 10 minutes.
Grate peeled carrots and beets on a coarse grater.
Dip the grated vegetables into the water over the potatoes and onions about 10-15 minutes after adding the potatoes.
Scald the tomato and peel it, then cut it into cubes.
Add chopped tomato and shredded cabbage.
Cook for another 10 minutes, then season with salt, add herbs and remove from heat.