Is rice necessary?
Dear doctor, My mother suggested that I give my 6-month old son rice on top of pureed vegetables and fruit. I think rice contains carbohydrate which vegetables like pumpkin and sweet potato already have. Is there any risk of nutrition deficiency in my baby if I don’t give him rice now?
ANSWER
Rice is usually the first grain food introduced to a baby when the time comes to start complementary feeding because it is one of the least allergenic foods.
Nutritionally, foods are grouped as such:
• Grains: Rice, oats, wheat, millet, semolina, pasta, noodles
• Fruit: Bananas, apples, pears, papaya, mango, etc
• Vegetables: Peas, carrots, French beans, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, avocado
• Protein-rich foods: Beans, fish meat, cheese, yogurt, eggs
The different foods within each group are to be slowly introduced to your baby as he grows from 6 to 8 months, 8 months to 10 months and 10 months and beyond.
As your baby grows in age, so will his ability to eat the different foods within each group. In the beginning, you could cook and puree a single food and introduce it to baby for several days to make sure he has no allergic reaction to it.
Single foods that your baby can tolerate can then be combined together. For example, you can combine pureed rice and pureed peas or pureed potatoes with pureed carrots, and so on.
Trust me, this is the fun part to feeding your baby. Steam, boil or roast the foods naturally without adding any salt or seasonings.
All the various foods provide your baby with important nutrients. The more variety of foods you expose your baby to, the less likely he will end up with deficiencies.