The benefits of avocado for babies are very diverse. The various nutrients contained in avocados make the fruit good for supporting the health and development of babies. So that your little one can get the benefits of avocado, you can add it to the MPASI menu.
Avocados contain calories and carbohydrates that are high enough for babies. Not only that, avocados also contain fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, choline, and protein.
A variety of vitamins can also be found in avocados, such as vitamin C, B vitamins, folate, vitamin E, and vitamin K, as well as various minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, and zinc. These various nutrients make avocados one of the healthiest foods for babies.
The soft texture of the avocado flesh is ideal for making porridge or puree for babies. The slightly sweet and savory taste of avocado also makes it easy for babies to like.
Various Benefits of Avocado for Babies
The following are the various benefits of avocado for babies:
1. Smooth digestion
Because it contains high enough fiber, avocado is one of the types of fruit that is recommended to be given as complementary food to babies. The fiber content is very good for smoothing the baby's digestion and maintaining the health of the digestive tract, as well as preventing the baby from being constipated.
2. Supports baby growth
Babies who are given high nutritional food intake, including avocados, will have better growth and development when compared to babies who are malnourished.
Various types of nutrients, such as monounsaturated fats, carbohydrates, proteins, antioxidants, as well as various vitamins and minerals, play an important role in supporting baby's growth and development. These nutrients are found in avocados.
3. Supports baby's brain development
Avocados contain lots of omega 3 fatty acids, protein, choline, and antioxidants. These various nutrients play an important role in supporting the baby's brain development.
Several studies suggest that adequate intake of omega-3 and choline in infants can make them smarter, learner quickly, and have better thinking power.
4. Prevent anemia
Avocados contain folate, iron, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 which play an important role in the production of red blood cells in the body. Therefore, avocados are good to give to babies to prevent them from getting anemia.
5. Increase baby's weight
Because it contains calories, carbohydrates, and fats that are quite high, avocados are good to give to babies as an intake to increase their weight.
Not only good to give to babies who have less weight, avocado is also good to give to healthy babies to keep their weight stable.
6. Maintain eye health
Avocados contain antioxidants, lutein, and zeaxanthin which can maintain eye health. Giving avocados to babies is also good for supporting the development of their sense of sight.
Easy Ways to Serve Avocado to Babies
Avocados are recommended as food for babies because they are nutrient dense and easy to serve. However, you can only give avocado to your little one when he is 6 months old or when he can be given complementary foods.
When you want to give avocados to babies, there are several things you need to pay attention to, namely:
Choose a quality avocado
When buying avocados, you should choose good quality avocados. Choose avocados that are not damaged or do not have black spots on the skin of the fruit.
Mothers also need to choose ripe avocados. The characteristics of a ripe avocado is not too hard or too soft when held.
Process avocado well
Before serving avocado to your little one, wash the fruit first thoroughly, then slice the middle of the avocado until it splits in two. Set aside the avocado seeds and scoop out the flesh using a spoon.
After that, you can smooth the avocado flesh by pressing it using a spoon or smoothing it using a blender. To add a savory taste to avocados, you can add breast milk or formula in it.
Pay attention to the texture of the avocado
Serving avocado for babies should be adjusted to their age. If your little one is only 6 months old, you should serve avocado that has been processed to be smoother and watery. If your little one is older, you can give avocados with a denser texture.
Giving avocado as a complementary food is highly recommended because of the various nutrients and benefits contained in it. In addition, the presentation is quite easy. However, make sure you start introducing baby foods according to their age level.
In addition to giving avocados, Mother also gives the Little One a variety of other types of food to complement their nutritional needs. Although rare, some babies may have an allergic reaction to avocado.
If you find your little one has itching, fussiness, stomach pain, or diarrhea after he eats avocado, try consulting a doctor to determine if he has an avocado allergy.
If your little one has an allergy to avocado, the doctor can suggest giving fruit or other foods with the same nutritional content as this fruit.
