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Prepared by: Elena Alex
04/04/2016 Cooking time: 45 min
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Millet porridge for children is healthy and valuable in its nutritional properties, as it contains many vitamins and minerals necessary for the proper development of the child’s body.
Useful properties of millet cereals
Millet groats are made from millet and are a source of complex carbohydrates and proteins, minerals, and easily digestible amino acids. Millet is very useful for children a year. The product participates in the development of muscle tissue and skin cells, helps in the absorption of vitamins.
At the same time, there is almost no sugar and fat in millet cereals; it does not contribute to excess weight gain. Fiber, which is present in large quantities in the product, helps normalize digestion processes.
- Flint, calcium and fluorine, which are part of millet, are building materials for teeth and bones. This means that millet is necessary for a growing organism. The calcium content in millet cereals is so high that doctors recommend this product during the recovery period after injuries and fractures.
- The iron present in cereals is very useful for children with anemia. B vitamins have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, so they are necessary for restless babies. Iodine is needed for the development of mental abilities.
- Special substances have also been found in cereals that can strengthen the body during epidemics. Pediatricians recommend giving millet porridge to a child during the “season” of colds.
Harm and benefit
Millet, which after processing becomes millet cereal, contains minerals necessary for humans - copper, magnesium, iron, fluorine, manganese, silicon. Also includes:
- gluten;
- starch;
- protein;
- vitamins PP, A, E and group B;
- amino acids;
- fats;
- nitrogen substances.
Millet porridge for a child is, first of all, a high-calorie dish that promotes growth. The minerals it contains strengthen the skeletal system and stimulate brain activity. Fiber normalizes metabolism, improves microflora and intestinal motility.
It is also known about the ability of millet to remove residual traces of antibiotics and toxic compounds from the body. Its regular use has a beneficial effect on the condition of the liver and circulatory system.
The potential harm of millet porridge is associated with rare cases of individual hypersensitivity. In this case, the child may develop diathesis or disruptions in intestinal function.
Children under one year of age sometimes experience constipation after eating millet. Most often they are associated with the immaturity of the digestive system and improper grinding of cereals for porridge.
Millet for children: is it possible or not, from what age
Increasingly, young parents are becoming anti-gluten. This newfangled topic is tormenting many today. It is believed that cereal protein is difficult for a baby’s fragile body to digest and can cause allergic reactions.
Indeed, unlike rice, millet contains gluten, but in minimal quantities. The gluten content in millet is so low that pediatricians do not consider its presence a sufficient reason to refuse the product in childhood.
Now let's move on to the second part of the question - at what age can children eat millet.
Pediatricians advise introducing the product into the baby’s diet starting from one year.
Millet is a very tasty, nutritious and dietary product that fully meets the requirements of a healthy diet for both adults and children. It is not only possible, but also necessary to introduce it into the baby’s diet, following the pediatrician’s recommendations.
Millet porridge recipe
Millet porridge for children is a valuable food product that provides energy for vigorous activity. In one year, the baby actively explores the world, is interested in everything and spends a lot of calories on movement. Porridge can provide a growing baby’s body with everything necessary for growth and development.
You should choose millet very carefully. It is necessary to focus not only on the bright color of the grains, but also on the date of packaging of the product. Old millet is bitter and will discourage the child from wanting to eat.
Until the baby is one year old, the porridge is cooked to a liquid consistency. To do this, dilute 10 grams of flour in one hundred grams of water and cook for 3-5 minutes over low heat. Make sure that the porridge does not burn - stir constantly with a spoon.
After the baby is one year old, you can cook porridge at the rate of half a glass of flour per 200 grams of water. If your baby is used to eating porridge with milk, you can dilute the water with milk. To improve the taste, add fruit or vegetable puree and a spoonful of melted butter to the finished dish.
How to give millet to a 1 year old child?
You need to gradually accustom your baby to new dishes and tastes.
Start with half a teaspoon of millet porridge, gradually increasing it to the norm that your baby needs according to his age.
Caution also doesn’t hurt: start offering your baby millet porridge after rice, buckwheat and corn grits. Do not insist under any circumstances if your baby refuses a new product. If there is a negative reaction from the child’s body, you should not give millet porridge.
Millet has few contraindications, but they do exist.
Giving millet porridge is not recommended for chronic constipation and low acidity of the stomach.
How to cook millet porridge with milk
Tender and crumbly millet porridge can be obtained using the following recipe. You will be surprised at its simplicity. If you used to end up with a sticky mess that your kids rejected, today you'll understand how to make the perfect breakfast dish.
youtu.be/1HEAXrcwWeI
Grocery list:
- a glass of cereal;
- 2 tbsp. milk and water;
- 2 tbsp. Sahara;
- salt;
- 30 g butter.
Cooking time – 10 minutes.
Step-by-step action plan.
Step 1. Clean the cereal under running water. Continue washing until you see clear water. Then pour boiling water over it once.
Step 2. Transfer the millet to a saucepan. Fill with water and boil. During cooking, foam appears, which should be skimmed off. Then cook over medium heat until the liquid evaporates.
Step 3. Without removing from heat, pour hot milk. Stir, salt and season with sugar to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent burning.
After cooking, cover the saucepan and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. When ready, serve immediately, adding a small dollop of butter to each serving.
How to cook millet for a child?
For children aged one year, porridge is prepared from ground millet. And from the age of one and a half years - from the usual, like adults.
Give the little ones some mushy porridge. To do this, the ratio of cereal to milk should be 1:2. You can also cook porridge in water, keeping the same proportions. With this ratio of cereals and liquid, millet secretes a mucous substance, which simplifies absorption and promotes comfortable digestion.
Pumpkin, banana, baked apples and pears are usually added to liquid porridge for babies. But it’s better to give up sugar. It is better to add honey as a sweetener (if the child is not allergic to bee products).
Children at the age of three are prepared with crumbly millet. You can prepare sweet porridge with milk with the addition of dried apricots, prunes, raisins, honey and nuts. The vegetable option is no less useful - in this case, add carrots, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, and green peas. Casseroles made from cottage cheese and millet are very tasty. For example, with pumpkin or pear slices.
Recommendations for parents
So, we already know how to prepare millet porridge for babies. The above recipe is the simplest, and a similar dish can be given to a child already at 9-10 months. After a year, you can add fruits, sugar, and butter to the porridge - if the baby is not allergic to these products. If desired, you can cook millet in light meat broth or vegetable broth.
During complementary feeding, it is advisable to follow these recommendations:
1. In order for the child to be at least a little familiar with the taste of porridge, you can try adding a little breast milk to the dish while cooking.
2. The dish should be well cooked, viscous, but at the same time quite liquid.
3. It is best to give complementary foods in the morning - in the evening, parents will be able to evaluate how the child’s body reacted to the new dish.
4. You need to start with a very small portion - a couple of teaspoons is enough. Gradually the amount of porridge can be increased.
5. In its entirety, grain can only be consumed after reaching 1.5 years of age. Until this age, the porridge must be thoroughly ground using a coffee grinder.
Millet recipes for children
You can prepare a lot of healthy and tasty dishes from millet. The main thing is to use only age-appropriate products.
Millet milk porridge with pumpkin and cottage cheese
- Rinse the cereal thoroughly and cook in water in a ratio of 1:4. Boil until half cooked.
- Wash and peel the pumpkin, remove seeds and cut into small pieces.
- Add the pumpkin to the cereal, which is cooked until half cooked, and simmer for another 15 minutes.
- A couple of minutes before readiness, pour in 100 ml of cream.
- A minute before readiness, add cottage cheese, stir and immediately remove from heat. There is no need to sweeten such porridge. Pumpkin is a sweet product.
Krupenik of millet and rice with broccoli and cauliflower
- Boil rice and millet separately (sort thoroughly and rinse first).
- Wash the broccoli and cauliflower florets and divide them into many small pieces.
- Wash and peel the zucchini, chop finely and blanch for 3 minutes along with the chopped broccoli and cauliflower florets.
- Beat eggs with cream in a blender.
- Layer the grains and blanched vegetables in an ovenproof dish, pouring the egg-cream mixture over each layer. Place in a preheated oven and cook until golden brown. Sprinkle with fresh herbs before serving.
Millet goes well with most foods, both sweet and non-sweet. Every mother can prepare a huge number of dishes from millet cereals.
Milk millet porridge with pumpkin
You can diversify traditional millet porridge by adding just 1 ingredient – pumpkin. In this case, you will get a surprisingly tasty and healthy dish, which is recommended for breakfast.
youtu.be/QL8RAioDUGs
Grocery list:
- a glass of millet;
- 2 tbsp. water and milk;
- 5 kg pumpkin;
- salt, sugar;
- 50 g butter.
Cooking time – 40 minutes.
Step-by-step action plan.
Step 1. Rinse the millet thoroughly. To do this, pour the cereal into a saucepan and fill it with water. For a glass of porridge, two glasses of water will be enough. Place on the fire until it boils.
Step 2. Peel the pumpkin from seeds and skin. Grind the pulp into small cubes.
Advice! The fruit pulp can also be grated with a grater, but I prefer it when you can feel the pieces in the dish.
Step 3. Pass the boiled millet through a sieve and rinse under running water. Then put it back into a clean saucepan, pour in and boil. Then add the pumpkin.
Step 4. After the second boil, stir the contents, reduce the gas, cover with a lid and leave for 10 minutes. When the water has evaporated, pour in the milk, salt and sugar to taste. Also don't forget about butter.
When the contents boil again, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. At the same time, do not forget to stir. After half an hour, you can turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes under the lid. Then place on plates.