SAEDNEWS: At 6 months, babies need more than breast milk to meet their growing nutritional needs. Almond porridge is one of the best complementary foods, though it’s not recommended before 4 months.
According to Saed News and citing Nini Site, here is the recipe for the best almond porridge. Almond porridge is one of the simplest complementary foods for babies. Feeding children when they reach the age to start solid foods has always been a concern for mothers. To help, Nini Site, with the guidance of Mrs. Iran Kouhestani, a cooking instructor, and Mahsa Mirzaei, a nutritionist, provides step-by-step recipes for nutritious meals suitable for your child. If you want to know the nutritional value of the first complementary food for your baby, read on.
Almonds: 6
Rice flour: 2 tablespoons
Pasteurized milk: 1 small glass (about 60 ml)
Sugar: 1 teaspoon
Water: ½ glass (about 30 ml)
Place the almonds in water and bring to a boil. Boil for no more than 30 seconds. Drain, rinse with cold water, and peel immediately.
Blend the almonds with some cold water and sugar until they form a white, milky liquid.
Pour the mixture into a pan over low heat and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring continuously.
Dissolve the rice flour in cold milk and add it to the mixture, stirring until it thickens to a yogurt-like consistency.
Store any leftover porridge in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Let it cool completely before sealing. Freshly prepared porridge is always preferable.
A six-month-old baby should start complementary foods in addition to breast milk, as they need more nutrients than breast milk alone can provide. Almond porridge is not recommended for babies under four months. It is one of the best complementary foods, so do not skip it.
Mahsa Mirzaei, nutritionist, explains:
In the sixth month, give your baby a 5% almond porridge once a day before breastfeeding. Start with one teaspoon and gradually increase to 150 grams (about two-thirds of a small glass) by the end of the month. One serving of porridge is enough; you don’t need to give milk at the same feeding, though babies may prefer milk. It’s fine to give half a bottle of breast milk before the porridge. In the seventh month, you can start 10% porridge, but the baby still needs other meals, with the rest of daily intake coming from breast milk (about 170–200 grams).
Rice flour provides protein, carbohydrates, B vitamins, iron, and calcium.
Whole milk contains protein, fat, calcium, and vitamin D.
Almonds are rich in vitamins A and D and essential fatty acids, suitable for babies from the end of the sixth month.
Mahsa Mirzaei recommends that in the early six months, porridge should mainly combine rice flour and milk, gradually adding almond powder as the baby approaches the end of six months.
Rice flour: 5 g
Milk: 50 g
Water: 100 g
Sugar syrup: 5 g
Salt solution: 1.5 g
Sift rice flour into boiling water and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring. Add warm milk, sugar syrup, and salt solution. After 1–2 minutes of boiling, cool and serve.
Rice flour: 20 g
Butter: 5 g
Milk: 200 g
Water: 50 g
Sugar syrup: 10 g
Salt solution: 3 g
Boil half of the milk with water over low heat, gradually add rice flour, and stir for 30 minutes. Add sugar syrup, salt, and the remaining warm milk. Boil 2–3 minutes, then stir in butter. Serve 50–200 g per meal.
Rice flour and almonds are generally non-allergenic, but peeling and grinding almonds helps digestion. Soaking almonds for a few hours makes this easier. Some babies may have sensitivity to cow’s milk; consult a pediatrician if this occurs.
Almond porridge is a safe, nutritious, and easy-to-digest first food for your baby.
