We continue with our exhaustive review of each of the foods that make up the children's diet. After the complementary feeding begins, six months after the baby, they can be introduced meat in infant feeding.
In the previous post we talked about the first ones that are offered, white meats, because they are the most lean when they come from small animals: chicken, turkey and rabbit.
Once these meats are accepted by the baby without any problem, the next step is to offer another type of meat such as the lamb and the kid.
As for the age of introduction of lamb and goat meat, due to the high amount of fat they contain, it is best to offer white meat first and these later, at least from seven months which is the age recommended by the Spanish Association of Pediatrics.
Even so, there are pediatricians who recommend introducing it later, at 9 months รณ at 12 months for being a difficult meat to digest.
It is not advisable to include these meats regularly in the diet of the little ones. Its consumption should be moderate because its excess fat makes it a meat that can be indigestible for the delicate stomach of the baby.
The lamb
The lamb's meat It is tender and juicy, but has a high fat content, mainly in the form of saturated fat.
Among its nutritional benefits we find that lamb is an important source of good quality proteins and as in the rest of the meats, it highlights its contribution of vitamins of group B.
Vitamin B2 or riboflavin is essential for converting food into energy, while vitamin B12 is involved in the formation of red blood cells in the blood.
It contains minerals such as phosphorus, sodium, zinc and iron, a type of easy absorption, necessary to prevent anemia.
As we said before, lamb meat is the most fatty, but depending on the age of the animal, fat is found in different parts of the body.
In younger specimens such as baby lamb or calf is found in the viscera and under the skin, so if we remove those parts we also remove a large percentage of fat, while in larger animals the fat cannot be removed because it is inside the muscle fibers.
The most suitable to offer the baby is the lamb meat of young and skinless animals.
Which part of the lamb is most suitable for the baby
First you have to know which piece is the most suitable for the baby to say what is the best way to prepare it.
The part of the lamb with less fat is the leg, so it is the most suitable for children.
Spring is the time of the year when we can buy the most tender and least fat lamb meat because it is the time when lambs are born and breastfed.
The most common way to cook the leg of lamb is roasted in the oven. Also in stew or stew, but avoid fried foods for children when we talk about too fatty foods.
The baby goat
The kid is goat breeding up to 4 months old. Its consumption is less frequent and due to its strong flavor it is of the less chosen meats to offer the baby.
Its fat content is less than lamb meat, almost half, but almost double that found in chicken. That is why its consumption among the smallest should be moderate.
As with the lamb, the most advisable for the little ones is the meat of the suckling kid because it is the most tender and because its fat when concentrated under the skin and in the viscera, it is easier to remove.
It contains proteins, iron of easy absorption and among the minerals the one that stands out the most is zinc, with an antioxidant action.
As for the vitamins of group B, its vitamin B1 or thiamine content stands out, which helps convert carbohydrates into energy.
The kid's meat is usually cooked roasted or in stew and the way to give it to the baby at the beginning, like the rest of the meats, is crushed inside the vegetable puree.
Already later it can be cut into strips for sucking and once you chew it can be offered in pieces.
Photos | pieterjanviaene, stu_spivack On Babies and more | Meats in infant feeding, Complementary feeding: meat
