Many adults love to drink chicory, so they naturally have questions about when it is possible to treat a baby to this drink, is it useful in childhood and what to consider when preparing chicory for a child.
Benefit
The drink made from chicory is intended to replace coffee and tea, as these caffeinated drinks are not recommended in preschool years.
However, in addition to such an excellent alternative to coffee, chicory has other advantages:
- The drink from it has a tonic effect.
- It gently increases the tone of the nervous system, but does not cause excessive excitability.
- Chicory contains a lot of vitamin C.
- The drink from this plant has a positive effect on the work of the heart.
- This drink is noted for the ability to increase appetite.
- It has a positive effect on the condition of the skin.
- The use of chicory has a beneficial effect on the digestive processes and acts as a prevention of constipation and dysbiosis.
- Drinking from the root of this plant improves milk absorption.
- Chicory helps eliminate toxins.
- Its consumption has a positive effect on metabolic processes.
- The chicory drink has a diuretic effect.
- It also helps to normalize blood sugar levels.
Such useful properties of the drink are due to its composition - the roots of the plant contain polysaccharides, pectin, ascorbic acid, inulin, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin E, iron, tannins and other compounds. The drink is recommended for diseases of the intestines and nervous system, problem skin, underweight, impaired metabolic processes and anemia. It also benefits healthy children, especially as a prevention of colds.
Harm and contraindications
Despite the many useful properties, chicory can be harmful, if you do not take into account the presence of contraindications to its use. Such a drink should not be given for obesity, and if the baby has a tendency to allergies (especially to citrus fruits), chicory should be tried very carefully.
Other contraindications for chicory-based drinks are:
- Bronchial asthma and bronchitis.
- Congenital malformations and serious heart disease.
- Vascular disease.
- Gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.
Types of chicory
Soluble
The chicory that dissolves quickly in water is in high demand these days. You can find it in pharmacies and many grocery stores.
The popularity of this chicory is due to its low price and ease of preparation. You just need to pour chicory powder into a mug and pour boiling water there.
When making a soluble chicory species, the root of the plant is dried and crushed, and then boiled. The resulting drink is evaporated, and the dry residue is packed in bags. There are options for powdered chicory that add various additional ingredients, such as cocoa, cinnamon, rose hips, chamomile and other additions.
Insoluble
Such chicory is a powder product, for the manufacture of which the plant is ground. Making a drink from this type of chicory requires brewing for some time. The main advantage of this chicory is considered 100% natural.
At what age to give?
In infancy, chicory is not given to children. For the first time, it is advised to try this drink not earlier than one year old, but better - at 1.5 or 2 years. In this case, for the first tests, you should give the child a maximum of three teaspoons of the drink.
Treat your baby with chicory after breakfast, then by evening you will be able to assess the tolerance of the new product. If no adverse symptoms appear, increase the portion to 100 ml at 1.5-2 years and to a full cup at 3 years. It is not advised to make a drink too strong - pour a teaspoon of powder with about 150 ml of water.
What can you add to your drink?
Many babies willingly drink chicory without any additives, but some children just don't like boiled chicory, so they sweeten it by adding:
- Honey.
- Natural juice from apples, oranges, spinach.
- A slice of lemon.
- Warm milk.
- Sugar.
Tips for choosing
- It is worth purchasing chicory that you plan to use in your child's diet in proven places. If you buy chopped root in a store, it is better to do it in a large supermarket, because in small stores, ground chicory can lie for a very long time, losing its useful properties.
- It also doesn't hurt to look closely at the label to see if there are additional ingredients in chicory powder. It is best to stop at the purchase of a product, on the packaging of which it will be noted that the raw materials are natural.
- Glass chicory is a good choice as you can see the contents of the jar. The powder must be uniform and dry and there must be no lumps.
Harvesting at home
When and how to harvest chicory?
The collection of the roots of this plant is carried out in the fall, when useful substances have already accumulated in them. They begin to dig them up in September, and finish by the first frost. The roots are not pulled out, but dug with a shovel or shovel. They are long and quite firmly "sit" in the soil, so an attempt to pull them out with your hands usually ends with the fact that the roots break off and remain in the ground. That is why digging chicory roots is best after rain, when the soil is still moist and soft.
Drying
Before starting to dry the roots, they are thoroughly washed under cold water to completely remove the soil. In this case, the aerial parts are cut off, and the top layer is left, since it contains certain active substances.
The washed roots are left to dry in the shade for a while. When milky juice is no longer released from them, the roots are cut into cubes and sent to the oven. The drying temperature is set at about + 50 ° C. It is gradually increased to + 180 ° C.
The cut roots should be dried until the raw material acquires a brown color with a golden hue, as well as until the characteristic aroma appears. If the root is roasted properly, it becomes hard, and when it cools down, it is quite brittle. It is sent to a coffee grinder and ground into powder. It is necessary to store such a powder in a dark place in a tightly sealed container for up to 2 years.
How to make a drink?
A small amount of ground roasted chicory roots should be poured into a cup and covered with boiling water. After a short infusion, the drink will be ready. You can drink it with cream, honey, fruit juice, lemon, milk, syrup and other additives to your liking.
Find out if your child's weight is normal using the following calculator.
