When starting the complementary food period, or known as MPASI in Indonesian, precisely at the age of 6 months and above, your baby can already be given healthy baby food.
The provision of healthy baby food serves to fulfill the energy and nutritional needs that are not fulfilled by breast milk.
Because, in the 1000 days after birth, babies' growth is in the golden period. So, these times must be optimized by providing nutritious food to prevent stunting and malnutrition.
However, many parents are confused about how to make healthy baby food correctly. Therefore, let's read this article until the end!
Healthy Baby Food Recipes
Here are some inspirations for making healthy baby food that you can try:
1. Chicken Liver and Brown Rice Porridge
To make chicken liver and brown rice baby porridge, here are the ingredients you need to prepare:
- 3 tbsp cooked brown rice.
- 2 pieces of boiled chicken liver.
- 3 tbsp of AQUA.
How to make healthy baby food from brown rice and chicken liver:
- Put all the prepared ingredients into a blender.
- Turn on the blender, wait until the texture is smooth.
- Pour the porridge into a baby bowl.
2. Potato Broccoli Porridge
Here are the ingredients and how to cook potato broccoli porridge:
Ingredients:
- 3 small bunches of steamed broccoli.
- 3 tbsp AQUA water or milk.
- 60 grams of potatoes that have been cut into small pieces and steamed.
How to make healthy baby porridge from broccoli and potatoes:
- Blend the broccoli and potatoes until the texture is creamy.
- Pour the blended porridge into a bowl, then mix it with milk or AQUA water.
3. Sweet Corn and Carrot Porridge
The last baby porridge recipe is made from sweet corn. Here are the ingredients and how to make it.
Ingredients:
- 30 grams of steamed corn.
- 30 grams of steamed carrots.
- 50 ml of breast milk.
- 30 ml of AQUA water.
How to make healthy porridge from carrots and corn:
- Put the measured corn and carrots into a blender.
- Turn on the blender while pouring AQUA little by little.
- If the texture is smooth, strain the porridge using a sieve.
- Mix the porridge with milk/breast milk.
Tips for Making Healthy Baby Food
If you want to try it, here are tips for making healthy baby food that you need to pay attention to:
1. Wash All Ingredients Thoroughly
To make baby food safe from germs and bacteria, be sure to wash all ingredients using clean running water.
This is because food ingredients that are not sterile can cause illness for babies, considering that their immune system is not yet fully formed.
In addition to the ingredients, make sure you have washed all the utensils, such as bowls, spoons, knives, and pots.
2. Choose Food Ingredients with Soft Textures
When the baby starts to enter the complementary food period, parents should introduce food slowly.
For children aged 6–9 months, make complementary foods by straining, so as to create a smooth texture. Then, at 9–12 months, you can add pureed food with a slightly coarser texture.
It is recommended that you choose foods that have a soft texture, such as banana, avocado, and mango.
Apart from fruits, you can also give vegetables. However, make sure to cook them first until they are softer because vegetables tend to have a hard texture.
3. Add Complementary Ingredients
After choosing the basic ingredients to make healthy baby food, you can provide additional spices to add flavor.
For example, if you want to feed your baby bananas, you can add a little avocado. Or, if you want to feed them vegetables, some recommended mixtures are spinach and sweet corn or potatoes with carrots.
4. Add Flavor Enhancers
In making healthy baby food, you can also add flavor enhancers so that it is not bland. However, make sure to add flavor enhancers made from natural ingredients.
It is because instant flavorings that contain MSG or preservatives are not good for your baby's health. Examples of natural flavorings that you can add to healthy baby porridge are cumin and cinnamon.
5. Avoid Uncooked Food
The thing to avoid when making healthy baby food is serving it in a state that is not fully cooked.
This is because undercooked food is at risk of containing Salmonella bacteria. Salmonella bacteria that are accidentally consumed can cause diarrhea and intestinal infections. So, make sure your baby’s food is fully cooked.
6. Avoid Adding Salt or Sugar
Salt and sugar are ingredients that should be avoided when you want to make healthy baby food.
This is because adding salt and sugar to food is not good for babies because they do not have a fully mature digestive system.
In addition, avoiding the use of salt and sugar can also shape a healthier diet. Instead of adding salt and sugar, it is better to use natural herbs or spices as flavorings, such as garlic, shallots, and candlenuts.
7. Store Food in the Refrigerator
To avoid cooking food repeatedly, you can store the baby food that has been made in the refrigerator.
Moreover, the portion of food that babies eat is certainly not as much as adults. In this case, parents also need to ensure the appropriate portion of food is given to the baby.
So, during the next meal time, you can take the stored porridge and warm it up using a steamer.
8. Avoid Overcooking
In addition to ensuring that the healthy baby food made is not undercooked, also avoid overcooking when preparing it.
This is because overcooked food will make the nutrients in it disappear, and also taste bad. This will make your child refuse to eat.
That is the full description that discusses tips for making healthy baby food, along with some recipes.
In essence, if you want to feed your baby who has entered the complementary food period, choose basic ingredients with a soft texture so that it is easier to digest.
Additionally, when entering the complementary food period, the baby is allowed to be given water as a companion.
As parents, don't forget to also provide the best water intake for your children, such as AQUA.
The reason is, not all mineral water is AQUA. So, choose #AQUADULU, high-quality mineral water that comes from selected mountain sources and has maintained its purity.
Moreover, AQUA already feels naturally cold and fresh to consume without the need to put it in the refrigerator.
Therefore, let's choose AQUA DULU to fulfill your baby's fluid intake with high-quality mineral water!
Created by nature, 100% PURE mountain mineral water without any additives, just the way nature intended you to drink it.
