Soup, An Ideal Food For Children
There are many characteristics that make soup a very practical and safe food for children, especially because it is versatile in terms of preparation and ingredients. This healthy product can be a vehicle to supply important nutrients to children, and it can also be consumed from an early age.
Consuming the soup brings many benefits, but everything varies depending on the recipe we use. A good broth must have the right balance so that its nutritional contribution is ideal, especially when it comes to the food that we are going to give to our children.
Both poultry, fish and beef can be included in the soup, and of course all kinds of vegetables, which makes it a perfect option in case the little ones do not like eating these foods. Since the combinations that the soup supports are so varied, it is very likely that we will get the children’s favorite recipe.
What are the benefits of having soup?
The soup can be taken in different versions, times and tastes, and its consumption has great benefits. You can prepare soup with products that we have in the fridge or buy others that are generally inexpensive. It can also be used as a main dish and as a starter.
It is a very useful food to warm up in cold seasons and to introduce babies to the long-awaited complementary diet. We can use a very nutritious broth in case of a cold or to restore electrolytes lost by the body during a fever or physical activity.
Other benefits related to soup consumption can be:
- As they are made by a large amount of water, they are a hydrating food, which allows a better absorption of nutrients
- It is a simple dish to prepare, as it is usually a combination of food and boiling water. They are also available in industrial versions for microwaves, sachet soups or vegetable creams
- Helps prevent childhood obesity or being overweight when the recipe is low in calories.
- As a first course it serves to reduce the amount of food we eat per meal. Since they are very nutritious, they can achieve satiety quickly, as stated in an article published in the magazine “Appetite”. At least 20% of the calories consumed is reduced when we incorporate the soup into the menu.
- Promote healthy eating. Once the children acquire an eating habit related to the consumption of soup, they will prefer this type of food and will take advantage of all its versions.
- It favors the intake of food slowly. Eating slowly is something that children should learn from a very young age because it is safer for them, it also favors the digestive process, allows them to better appreciate the taste of food and control the amount they consume
- The soup allows you to take advantage of the nutrients in the vegetables, something that is usually lost in the broth that is discarded. This implies that children obtain the nutritional values of a product that is not always their favorite. It can also be rich in antioxidants, essential nutrients in the prevention of diseases, as pointed out in the “Journal of Complementary & Integrative Medicine”.
How to prepare an ideal soup for children?
As we have already said, preparing soup is not a very complicated process. However, there are some doubts regarding which ingredients are suitable for the little ones. Whether you are an expert in the kitchen or not, this recipe can help you lean towards a special version.
A good broth is enough, it is not necessary that all the products that we use for the preparation are present in the dish, it is enough that they are in taste. This is the recipe prepared for today.
- To start, you must choose the meat that you will use for the background . The bone is highly recommended in the case of beef, it can also be chicken, if it is fish we recommend using the bones and the head as well.
- Boil the meat you chose with enough water and in the meantime, cut some vegetables, which can be: carrot, pumpkin, potatoes, onion, leek, coriander and peppers.
- We recommend placing half of these ingredients at the same time with the meat and the other half once it has boiled for about forty minutes or is soft.
- Spices and salt can be introduced at once to taste. If we need more flavor, try adding an onion and garlic sauce for several minutes before turning off.
- As it is for children, one option is to put the whole soup through the blender with some pieces of meat. If you made it with fish, remember to pass the soup through a coffee filter or cotton napkin to catch any thorns and impurities.
To keep in mind!
Soup is an ideal preparation to introduce in the diet of children. It can be an approach to the complementary diet and supposes a great contribution of nutrients.
If we mix a piece of meat or fish with different types of vegetables, we obtain a dish rich in antioxidants and proteins. In this way we guarantee that the child has everything they need to develop and carry out their vital functions normally.
