The benefits of eating fish for babies are probably well-known and don't need much explanation from us. However, when preparing nutritious fish for your baby, moms, don't just let them eat the fish meat! In fact, the whole fish is a treasure and is highly beneficial for a baby's growth.
The whole fish is a treasure, babies shouldn't just eat the fish meat
Fish Scales: Can Prevent Rickets in Children
Actually, fish scales contain a lot of lecithin, which breaks down fat globules into an emulsion that dissolves in water. This has the effect of enhancing human brain memory and slowing down cell aging. Fish scales are also rich in various trace minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus, which can prevent rickets in children.
Fish Eyes: Enhance Memory and Thinking Ability
According to the latest research in Japan, fish eyes are rich in DHA and EPA, which are rare unsaturated fatty acids. The greatest benefit of this substance is that it can activate human brain cells and enhance memory and thinking abilities.
Fish Head: Develop Children's Intelligence
The flesh of the fish head is tender. In addition to containing protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin B1, it also contains lecithin, which can enhance memory, thinking, and analytical abilities. The fish head is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which are particularly important for brain development, making brain cells exceptionally active and greatly enhancing reasoning and judgment.
Therefore, eating fish heads often can not only nourish the brain but also delay mental decline; The meat under the fish gills is transparent and gelatinous, rich in collagen, which can enhance vitality and repair the body's cell tissues.
Fish Skin: Improve Immunity
According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, fish skin is sweet and salty in nature with a neutral character, and has nourishing properties. Fish skin is rich in collagen protein, mucopolysaccharides, and various trace elements. The collagen and mucopolysaccharides are excellent products for women's beauty, skincare, and health preservation. Recent medical research has found that leucine in "fish skin" can improve immunity and has anti-cancer effects.
Fish Roe: "Soft Gold" of High-Protein Foods
Fish roe is rich in nutrition and cannot be replaced by other parts of the fish. Its moisture content is about 69%, crude protein about 26%, crude fat about 4%, dry matter about 30%, and ash about 1%.
Sockeye salmon roe is more precious than its meat. 7 grains of sockeye salmon roe are equivalent to one egg. Sockeye salmon roe is extremely rich in phosphates, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, etc. It is a very precious high-protein food, known as "soft gold."
The Benefits of Eating More Fish
1. Rich in complete protein. Fish contains a large amount of protein, such as yellow croaker (17.6%), hairtail (18.1%), mackerel (21.4%), silver carp (18.6%), carp (17.3%), and crucian carp (13%). The protein in fish is all complete protein, and the amount and ratio of essential amino acids are most suitable for the human body's needs, making it easy to digest and absorb.
2. Low fat content, mostly unsaturated fatty acids. The fat content in fish is generally low, most only 1%-4%, such as yellow croaker (0.8%), hairtail (3.8%), mackerel (4%), silver carp (4.3%), carp (5%), crucian carp (1.1%), bighead carp (0.9%), and cuttlefish (0.7%). The fat in fish is mostly composed of unsaturated fatty acids, and the longer carbon chains of unsaturated fatty acids have the effect of lowering cholesterol.
3. High content of inorganic salts and vitamins. Both seawater and freshwater fish are rich in iodine and also contain inorganic salts such as phosphorus, calcium, and iron. Fish also contains large amounts of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B1, and niacin. These are all nutrients needed by the human body.
4. Contains a variety of vitamins. Fish contains folic acid, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, and other vitamins. It has the effects of nourishing the stomach and spleen, promoting urination to reduce swelling, promoting lactation, clearing heat and detoxifying, stopping cough and promoting qi descent. It is effective for various edema, bloating, oliguria, jaundice, and insufficient milk supply.
5. Rich in magnesium. Fish is rich in magnesium, which has a good protective effect on the cardiovascular system and is beneficial for preventing cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and myocardial infarction.
6. Can nourish the liver and enrich the blood. Fish is rich in vitamin A, iron, calcium, phosphorus, etc. Eating fish often also has the effect of nourishing the liver and enriching the blood, and moisturizing the skin and hair.
7. Fish high in fish oil are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, mackerel, etc., play a very key role in brain growth. This is because more than 60% of the brain's composition is fat, and Omega-3 fatty acids account for half of it.
Which Fish Babies Cannot Eat
Everyone knows that children in their developmental period should eat more fish, but what kind of fish to give them should be carefully considered.
Recently, a research report on three Asian families showed that the children in these families, aged 15 months to 2 years, were given fish congee every day, and it was found that the mercury levels in these children's bodies were 5 times higher than normal levels.
According to the "Medical Journal of Australia", when children eat fish, they should pay attention to both the appropriate type and the appropriate amount. Even relatively low levels of mercury can affect a child's normal development.
Therefore, moms should be wary of 7 types of fish: shark, swordfish, sailfish, marlin, tilapia, tilefish, and catfish. In addition to their relatively large size, these fish are also longer-lived carnivores, and their mercury content is higher than other fish.
In this regard, we remind you to avoid giving babies large predatory fish such as sharks, sailfish, king mackerel, and tilefish because of their high mercury content.
Correct Ways to Eat Fish for Babies
Fish Soup Noodles
1. Skillfully use fish soup to cook noodles
Fish soup noodles are one of the best foods for babies over seven or eight months old.
2. Many wonderful uses for fish soup
In addition to cooking noodles, mothers can also give fish soup directly to the baby, or use fish soup to mix with rice cereal, mashed potatoes, or vegetable puree to feed the baby.
Fish soup is delicious and can stimulate the baby's appetite, allowing the baby to happily accept complementary foods and gradually transition to solid foods. Fish soup also contains soluble nutrients such as protein and fat.
3. Cook fish with few bones
Although fish soup is delicious, it's not enough to just give the baby fish soup, because most of the nutrition is in the fish meat. To cook delicious fish for your baby, you should know how to choose fish with more meat and fewer bones. For example: snakehead fish, sea bass, eel, grass carp, hairtail, and black carp.
However, compared with braised or sour fish, steamed fish is more suitable for babies. The fish should be lightly seasoned; too much salt can overload the baby's kidneys.
4. Make your own fish paste
Fish Paste and Tofu
Commercially bottled fish paste contains additives, which can affect the baby's health. Mothers can completely make fresh fish paste for their baby according to the formula of bottled fish paste.
Choose a fish with few bones, remove the head and tail, take the middle section, remove the skin and central bone, and chop the fish meat very finely with a cleaver until it's spreadable with no particles, like a paste. This is fish paste (also called fish roe).
Then, you can stew, stir-fry, or cook it according to the formula of the bottled fish paste you bought. You can also add various vegetable purees to cook and prepare more flavors of fish paste for the baby.
5. Let babies eat less fish floss
Fish floss is highly nutritious, convenient to eat, and very safe, so you don't have to worry about fish bones. You might think this is the best way for a baby to eat fish. Some parents let their babies eat a lot of fish floss. However, studies have shown that fish floss has a relatively high fluoride content, and babies have a high absorption rate for fluoride after eating it.
If parents give their baby 10-12 grams of fish floss per day, the baby will absorb 8-16 milligrams of fluoride from the fish floss, plus the fluoride taken in from water and other foods daily, the intake can easily exceed the safe value. Fluoride accumulation in the body can easily lead to dietary fluoride poisoning in babies.
Therefore, fish floss can be eaten, but it should not be used as a nutritional supplement for long-term consumption, nor should it become the only source of fish for the baby.
The Right Age for Babies to Eat Fish
Fish has become one of the common food allergens for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Therefore, many experts suggest that children eat fish after they are one year old. At this time, the baby's immune and digestive systems are more developed and can better accept fish meat.
4%-6% of infants and children have food allergies. Therefore, if your family has a history of allergies, such as hay fever, asthma, or food allergies, experts recommend waiting until the child is at least 3 years old before eating fish.
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