Garlic is known for its beneficial properties and is often used in cooking as a condiment. However, can it be given to children of the first years of life and how to correctly introduce it into the children's menu so as not to harm the health of the baby?
Benefit
- Rich in microelements, phytoncides, vitamins C, D, B-groups, A, phytosterols and many other valuable compounds.
- It is called a natural antibiotic for its bactericidal properties. However, it does not inhibit the intestinal microflora.
- It has the ability to strengthen the immune system, so it is popular for the prevention of ARVI.
- Eating stimulates appetite, so it is advised to add it to meals for skinny children.
- Traditional medicine recommends the use of this vegetable crop for the treatment of fever, worms, rickets, suppuration, tuberculosis. But most often, garlic is used to treat a runny nose, cough and other manifestations of the common cold.
- Its juice helps to relieve itchy skin from insect bites, herpetic eruptions and warts.
You can learn more about the properties of garlic from the video.
Minuses
- It is quite heavy on the stomach, so it is not given to young children.
- It has the ability to irritate the mucous membranes, which makes it prohibited for gastritis and other gastrointestinal diseases.
- An allergic reaction is possible, manifested by itchy skin, rashes on the body, swelling of the face or respiratory tract, and a decrease in pressure. Allergy is possible not only to the use of such a vegetable, but even to inhalation of its vapors.
- Some kids don't like the taste and smell of this vegetable.
- Excessive consumption of this vegetable leads to heartburn and abdominal pain.
- Garlic is contraindicated in case of high body temperature (above + 38 ° C), kidney disease, excess weight and epilepsy.
From how many months can complementary foods be introduced?
It is permissible to introduce heat-treated garlic into a children's diet from 8-9 months, and with an acquaintance with a fresh vegetable, they combine to wait up to three years.
How to give?
For children under one year old, it is added to soups and vegetable purees in an amount of up to 1/2 clove per day, starting with a small piece. It can also be present in meat dishes. It is advised to include it in the children's menu no more than twice a week.
Fresh garlic for babies over 3-4 years of age is added to salads, meats, snacks made from cheese or eggs. They can also be used to rub bread. Moreover, for children of this age, the daily amount of raw garlic should not exceed 1 clove, and the optimal frequency of consumption is 3 to 5 times a week.
Over the age of 10 years, the number of lobules can be increased to 3-4 per day.
Delicious recipes
You can cook with garlic:
- Cheese snack. Grate 100 g of cheese on a fine grater, add the finely grated clove of garlic and mix with a tablespoon of sour cream. This appetizer is tasty both as a separate dish and as a spread on bread.
- Vegetable Salad. Chop one tomato, one bell pepper and one cucumber, add diced feta cheese (50-100 g) to them. Squeeze juice from one clove of garlic, mix with olive oil and season salad.
- Toasts. Cut brown bread into slices and brown in a dry skillet or toaster. While the bread is hot, grate it with a chopped chive and sprinkle with hard cheese.
- Butter. Peel and finely grate the garlic, chop the dill or parsley. Mix everything with softened butter. Such butter is spread on bread.
In the next video, you can see how else to prepare garlic for a child using the leftover cucumber pickle.
Komarovsky's opinion
The well-known pediatrician considers the preventive effect of garlic to be not as pronounced as its psychological effect on the condition of the child's relatives.
Komarovsky does not deny that laying out such a vegetable in the children's room is a preventive measure against colds, but if the disease begins, this vegetable, according to the popular pediatrician, will no longer help.
Tips
- If the baby reacted to a pair of garlic or the addition of this vegetable to food with a severe allergic reaction, call a doctor for an antihistamine prescription.
- When buying it, choose large heads. They must be clean and tight, and the husks on such heads must be intact and dry.
- Use nets, perforated containers or baskets for storage. The best storage temperature for this vegetable is + 4 + 10 degrees.
- If the child does not like the smell, then before cooking, sprouts can be removed from the cloves (they are the most fragrant). In addition, the smell will bother you less if you do not rub the garlic, but cut it into small pieces.
Find out if your child's weight is normal using the following calculator.
