When a child is very young, whether they are breastfed or on formula, their basic feeding needs are basically taken care of. As the child gradually grows teeth, the first problem a new mother faces is: how to prepare meals for the baby? The first lesson I taught my daughter about cooking was to show her how to solve the problem of a child's indigestion through common, homemade foods.
The first food to aid digestion: Water simmered with candied haws
A child's digestive tract is still immature and fragile. Many children also tend to wolf down their food. Furthermore, with the abundance of food today, parents often let their children eat too much or have irregular meal times, which can easily lead to digestive problems.
When a child has indigestion and food stagnation, there's no need to buy medicine. You can buy a string of candied haws, put them in a pot to simmer over low heat, add two large red dates, and simmer until the dates and hawthorn flesh are soft. Remove the pits from the hawthorn and dates, and let the child drink this soup. It's sour, sweet, tastes good, is gentle on the stomach, and is also very effective.
The second food to aid digestion: Fermented glutinous rice (Laozao)
Laozao, also known as sweet fermented rice, is a southern Chinese snack that every household knows how to make. People in the north may not be familiar with it, but it's not difficult to make and can be learned quickly. For the sake of my child, I suggested that my daughter get into the habit of making Laozao. This food is rich in B vitamins, which aid digestion and help a child's metabolism. It helps the body metabolize carbohydrates and also aids in energy metabolism. Women trying to lose weight know that accelerating the metabolism of carbohydrates and energy leads to weight loss.
Today's children eat too many finely processed grains like rice and flour, which means their intake of B vitamins is too low, and this can cause obesity. Therefore, eating Laozao can also reduce the chance of childhood obesity. As it happened, my daughter's mother-in-law is from the south and is good at making delicious Laozao. I told my daughter to learn the craft of making Laozao well. This food is highly beneficial for children and is very inexpensive. Using this food to supplement vitamins for a child is much better than buying capsules from a pharmacy. The method for making Laozao is simple: soak glutinous rice until it's thoroughly soaked, steam it, mix it with sweet wine yeast bought from the supermarket, seal it, and let it sit for a period of time.
The third food to aid digestion: Yogurt
Yogurt contains probiotics (called bifidobacteria), which are one of the normal flora in the intestines. They are the body's "health guards" and the "clean-up crew" for the intestines, helping to maintain good intestinal function.
Why are bifidobacteria called the body's "health guards"? Because the bifidobacteria living in the intestine grow on the intestinal mucosa, forming a "bacterial membrane barrier," much like building a steel Great Wall on the surface of the human intestine. They act like police, preventing invading pathogenic bacteria from finding a foothold for growth and reproduction in the intestines. Why are bifidobacteria called the "clean-up crew" for the human intestine? Because the lactic acid and acetic acid secreted by bifidobacteria stimulate the intestinal walls, promoting intestinal peristalsis and maintaining normal bowel function, thereby promptly expelling harmful and toxic substances from the intestines.