Some parents may still be reluctant to give seafood to their children because they are worried that it could harm their health, for example because of the mercury content in seafood or the risk of allergies. The question is, is it safe to give seafood to children?
Seafood is food that comes from the sea. Types can include fish, shellfish, oysters, shrimp, squid, octopus, crab, and lobster. Seafood is a good source of daily nutrition to meet balanced nutrition guidelines.
Seafood Safe to Give to Children
Actually seafood is safe for children to eat, Bun. In fact, this type of food can be given to your little one since he was 6 months old or has received solid food.
Apart from being safe, seafood also contains a variety of important nutrients needed by the heart, such as protein, fat, omega-3, B vitamins, vitamin D, calcium, selenium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.
Given the nutrition is quite complete, consuming seafood can provide extraordinary benefits for the health of the Little One, you know, including:
- Supports brain health and growth
- Increase intelligence
- Increase endurance
- Maintain heart health
- Supports muscle and nerve function
- Maintain eye health and function
Giving Tips Seafood to children
Although it is safe and can be given to children, some types of seafood contain mercury which is dangerous for their health. Mercury is a toxic metal that can damage nerves, brain, and various body organ functions.
Therefore, Mother should limit giving seafood that contain a lot of mercury, such as shark, swordfish (swordfish), or marlin.
However, the type seafood Others that contain less mercury, such as shellfish, shrimp, tilapia, oysters, sardines, and salmon, are quite safe and can be given to children in appropriate portions.
So that the benefits of seafood can be obtained optimally, there are some safe tips for storing and processing seafood What you need to implement, among others:
- choose seafood which contains a small amount of mercury.
- Make sure you always choose seafood fresh and does not smell bad or change color.
- save seafood in an airtight lunch box and place in the refrigerator or freezer, if you don't want to cook seafood right after buying it.
- Wash hands before and after handling
- Use a separate cutting board and separate for processing seafood or meat and other foods, such as fruits and vegetables. This is to prevent bacterial contamination from seafood or meat in fruits and vegetables that are at risk of causing food poisoning in children.
- Don't give your little one shells that don't open even though they're cooked. The shells are probably not fresh and are not safe to eat.
- exercise seafood by steaming or roasting to maintain the nutritional content. Limit processing seafood by frying because it can increase the number of calories and oil.
- Limit administration of excessive salt or micin (MSG) to seafood.
When giving seafood to the little one, Make sure the food has been processed until it is fully cooked. Mothers are also advised to completeseafood with other nutritious foods, such as vegetables, fruit, and nuts, so that the nutritional intake obtained by the Little One can be more complete.
After knowing the information above, you don't need to hesitate anymore to give seafood to children, yes. Besides being rich in nutrients, seafood also has a delicious taste, which is certainly liked by children. If your little one doesn't like it seafood, Mother can try to process it in a more creative way.
Despite nutrition, some children can experience allergic reactions to seafood, Bun. The risk of your little one having allergies will be higher if the mother or father also has a history of allergies to seafood.
If your little one has allergy symptoms after eating seafood, such as itchy skin and bumps, stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, shortness of breath, or swelling of the face, lips, or throat, stop giving immediately seafood and take him to the doctor for treatment.
