Nutrition: healthy cooking for your baby | PARENTS.fr

What a pleasure to prepare your baby's first homemade purees! Provided you choose the products and cooking methods that go well to make balanced and tasty dishes.

In order for your child to discover the true taste of a tomato or a strawberry, favor seasonal fruits and vegetables from local sources. They are picked at maturity, unlike those that have traveled thousands of kilometres.

Quality and well-preserved products

To benefit from the maximum vitamins, consume them quickly after purchase and learn how to store them well. No, they can't all be put in the fridge, otherwise they will lose their taste qualities! This is the case, for example, of tomatoes which are kept at room temperature. To optimize storage, go to www.interfel.com.

No time to prepare fresh fruits and vegetables? Frozen are a good alternative because they are peeled. And in addition, on the nutritional side, they have nothing to envy to their fresh counterparts. Frozen quickly after picking, their vitamins are well preserved. Should we favor those from organic farming? Yes, especially for the youngest children, because organic fruits and vegetables do not contain GMOs or chemical pesticide residues (or in infinitesimal quantities). However, some pesticides are endocrine disruptors.

When it comes to meat, it is also better to opt for those stamped AB, favoring the leanest parts. For example, choose 5% fat all-beef burgers.

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In video: Meat and fish: how to cook them well for your baby? Chef Céline de Sousa gives us her tips.

For fish, additional precautions are necessary because some may be contaminated by pollutants (methylmercury, PCB, etc.). To limit the risk of exposure, vary the fishing grounds, alternate between wild and farmed fish, and choose species that are suitable for toddlers. Certain fish likely to be particularly contaminated (swordfish, shark) should be excluded from their diet.

The right amount of fish: 60g per week for halibut, sea bream, tuna… For other species, you can offer it twice a week, alternating between lean fish (cod, hake…) and a fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, etc.).

Gentle cooking

Once you've bought the right products, it's best to try to cook them correctly! To preserve as many vitamins as possible in fruits and vegetables, favor gentle cooking with steam or in a pan of water. And use the cooking water (it contains all the vitamins) to dilute soups or purées! At the start of dietary diversification, it is important to cook the vegetables sufficiently to "pre-digest" the fibers and reduce the fermentation processes, which are responsible for stomach aches.

When it comes to meat and fish, it's best to grill or steam them, en papillote or in a court-bouillon. For children under 3 years old, the pieces must be thoroughly cooked to avoid the risk of listeriosis or salmonella which cause diarrhea and fever. On the other hand, no fried foods or breadcrumbs before 3 years, and to be limited thereafter, because of their fat content. Thus, they are given good eating habits from an early age.

A maximum of flavors

Don't rely on your adult taste to prepare your child's dishes: a pinch of salt is enough in the pasta water or in the ratatouille casserole. Another golden rule: do not re-salon the plate of children under 3 years old. And for the older ones, let them test before resalting. A little tip: to enhance the taste of certain vegetables, let's bet on spices and herbs (paprika, cumin, Provencal herbs, basil, etc.). It will also awaken his taste buds. And no need to sweeten its compotes. Again, let's use our imagination to sweeten certain fruits. Let's add apple or banana for example, sprinkle them with a pinch of cinnamon...

Finally, for cakes and cookies, it is recommended to reduce the amount of sugar by 30 to 50% compared to classic recipes. Instead, you can flavor the dough with a little vanilla, almond or hazelnut powder, cocoa... If salt and sugar are to be limited in the dishes of toddlers, there is no question of lightening them in fat. In suitable quantities, they are essential for their brain development. So let's add a teaspoon of vegetable oil (rapeseed, olive, walnut), or fresh cream, or a knob of butter, in their dishes.