Eggs are one of the best sources of nutrition. While eating eggs has many benefits for babies, how to eat them is the most critical issue. Mothers need to learn how to cook them to ensure that the nutrients are not lost. Do you also know the taboos associated with eating eggs for your baby?
Eggs are extremely nutritious, and eating more eggs is very beneficial for a baby's body. However, many mothers, in order to let their babies "absorb" more nutrients, always vary the ways of cooking eggs, feeding their baby three or four eggs a day. Is this really the right way? What is the healthiest way for a baby to eat eggs? Below, we will answer these questions for all mothers one by one.
Taboos for Babies Eating Eggs
Note 1: Babies eating eggs must remember "one calculation and two no-nos"
First "calculation": Calculate the portion size
A one or two-year-old child needs about 40 grams of protein per day. Besides regular food, adding one or one and a half eggs a day is sufficient. For infants to supplement iron, they need to eat egg yolks. Start by crushing and feeding only a quarter of a yolk, and gradually increase it to half to one whole yolk. If they eat too much, exceeding the child's needs, the child's gastrointestinal system cannot handle it, leading to indigestion and malnutrition.
One "no-no": Babies under half a year old should not eat egg whites
Because a baby's digestive system is not fully developed, the albumin molecules in the egg white are small and can sometimes pass through the intestinal wall directly into the baby's blood, causing the baby to have an allergic reaction to protein molecules, leading to diseases such as eczema and urticaria.
Second "no-no": It is not advisable to eat fried eggs
Because when frying or scrambling eggs, the egg is enveloped in oil, and the high temperature can cause some of the protein to char and lose its nutritional value. After a baby eats it, their digestion can also be affected.
Note 2: The healthiest way to cook eggs
How exactly are eggs the healthiest to eat? We have listed 3 rankings of egg cooking methods for all the moms, and found that in every list, "boiled eggs in the shell" ranks first.
Top of the "Heart-Healthy" list: Boiled eggs in the shell. Without a drop of oil, a low cooking temperature, and the cholesterol in the yolk not being exposed to oxygen (once oxidized, cholesterol becomes one of the most serious threats to cardiovascular health), this is the most heart-healthy way to eat them.
Top of the "Best Protein Digestibility" list: Boiled eggs in the shell. Research shows that the protein digestibility of boiled eggs is as high as 99.7%, which can be almost completely absorbed and utilized by the human body.
Top of the "Vitamin Preservation" list: Boiled eggs in the shell. Low heating temperature retains nutrients comprehensively.
The healthiest way to cook eggs
The healthiest cooking method for boiled eggs in the shell:
1. Place the eggs in cold water, start the timer once the water boils for 5 minutes. This way, harmful and pathogenic bacteria are killed, and nutrients are relatively well preserved. If boiled too lightly, the biotin inside the eggs will lose its activity, affecting the body's absorption of biotin, and it is also not conducive to killing bacteria and parasites in the egg; if the eggs are boiled in boiling water for more than 10 minutes, the protein structure becomes tight, making it difficult for the baby to digest.
2. The water must completely cover the eggs; otherwise, the protein in the parts not submerged in water will not coagulate well, affecting digestion.
3. Before boiling, soak the eggs in cold water for a while to reduce the internal air pressure; then use medium heat and bring the cold water to a boil. This can prevent the eggshell from cracking and avoid the loss of nutrients.
Note 3: Don't eat eggs with these 5 foods
1. Sugar: Boiling eggs with sugar causes the amino acids in the egg protein to form a compound. This substance is not easily absorbed by the human body and can have adverse effects on health.
2. Soy milk: Soy milk contains a special substance called trypsin inhibitor, which combines with the ovalbumin in the egg white, causing a loss of nutrients and reducing the nutritional value of both.
3. Rabbit meat: Rabbit meat is sweet, cold, and sour in nature, while eggs are sweet, neutral, and slightly cold. Both contain some biologically active substances, and eating them together can cause a reaction that irritates the gastrointestinal tract, leading to diarrhea.
4. Tea: A certain component in tea will coagulate with the protein in eggs, seriously affecting protein absorption, and the nutritional value of the eggs is wasted in vain. In addition, the theophylline in tea will also combine with the egg yolk, affecting the human body's absorption and utilization of iron, causing anemia. Therefore, tea eggs are not the best choice for babies.
5. MSG: Eggs themselves contain a lot of glutamic acid, the same component as MSG. Adding MSG again when scrambled eggs is not only redundant but also destroys the natural umami flavor of the dish.
Babies who should not eat eggs
3 types of babies should not eat eggs:
1. Babies with incomplete gastric function should not eat too many eggs.
2. Babies with skin sores or pus should not eat too many eggs.
3. Babies with a fever should not eat eggs. The egg protein can produce "extra" heat after consumption, increasing the body's internal heat, which is not conducive to the baby's recovery.