The first weeks, when baby starts the BLW , he will be more in the discovery phase . Your little bit will only nibble on a few foods , so no need to go and go to make the perfectly balanced plate. The most important and this throughout the diversification of baby is to offer healthy and quality foods .
Good eating habits taking place from a very early childhood of baby, offer him seasonal fruits and vegetables when possible. And the more fresh they will be, the more quality and taste they have!
Little by little, and depending on the baby (it can go quickly for some and take more time for others!), The baby's plate will look more and more to that of parents : a balanced plate made up of portions of the various food groups.
What are the food groups?
Food balance is not built in a single day or one meal. It is built day after day , depending on the variety of foods offered to it.
Foods are classified into 5 food groups :
- Fruits and vegetables
- starchy foods
- meats
- fats
- dairy products
Each group of foods is important and will bring different elements that our body needs . This is why, every day, we must find on our plate and that of baby (as soon as it has passed the phase of the discovery), each group of foods with specific proportions for each.
Fruits and vegetables
The vegetables must compose most of the plate (minimum half). We are finding the lunch and evenings and we favor seasonal vegetables .
As for the fruits , they are included at least one or two meals .
Starchy foods
With vegetables and fruits, are part of the basic elements of the food ! It is therefore important to offer them at each meal .
We think of varying the pleasures thanks to the great choices available to us:
Potato, semolina, rice, polenta, paste, quinoa, boulgour, lentils, chickpeas, bread, ...
Meat, fish and eggs
Animal proteins bring the iron that baby needs for the construction of his body. However, it only needs a very small quantity .
Health authorities recommend the following quantities:
1 year
10g/day (1 teaspoon or 1/4 egg)
2 years
20g/day (2 teaspoons or 1/2 egg)
3 years old
30g/day (3 teaspoons or 1 egg)
Baby’s food balance is done over a week , do not panic if you exceed the proportions of a day! It is much easier to adapt your menu over a week than daily: if baby eats a little more animal protein one day, we adapt and decrease the quantities the day after.
As in everything, the ideal is to vary as much as possible the different sources of animal protein . We tend to eat too many meats compared to our needs, the recommendations are these:
Meat
2 or 3 x per week
Fish
2 x per week
Egg
1 to 2 x per week
Also think of legumes which are an alternative vegetable owl bringing just as much baby iron!
To find out more about " animal proteins " go to our article!
Fats
Materials are essential for the good cerebral development of baby . It is therefore necessary to include systematic in the baby meal. Make sure to favor organic oils and cold pressure But the most important thing is to vary as much as possible !
Olive oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil, walnut oil, sesame, ... here are so many choices that is available to you!
Do you want to know more about " fat and baby "? Go to our article.
Dairy products
Up to 3 years of baby, dairy products will keep a key place in its diet .
Remember to vary those you will give to baby: milk, yogurt, cheese, ...
And the dessert in there?
To finish the meal, baby is offered a portion of fruit and dairy .
Ex: yogurt with strawberry pieces and blueberries
A response