Is it possible for a one-year-old child to have millet porridge: the pros and cons of porridge. Millet porridge for children Recipes for children

In the morning, it is customary to prepare porridge for breakfast for a child one year and older. So that the baby does not refuse cooked food, the porridge must be prepared tasty and correctly. With the help of simple recipes you can learn how to properly cook milk porridges with various cereals.

Porridge is necessary in the diet of a one-year-old baby every morning. At this age, you can cook porridge using milk, alternating between different cereals. But how can a 1-year-old child cook porridge without him turning away and refusing to eat it? And what kind of cereals can a one-year-old baby have for a not fully formed digestive system? There are several simple and quick recipes for tomorrow morning porridge.

Semolina porridge recipe

The recipe for semolina porridge is the simplest and easiest. And if you follow this recipe, the porridge will turn out without lumps. To cook semolina porridge with milk you you will need:

• 200 ml. milk
• 1 tbsp. semolina
• 5 g butter
• ½ tsp. Sahara

Pour the milk into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Gradually add semolina, stirring all the time. Stir for about 2-3 minutes until the porridge thickens. After this, turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid. After 10 minutes, the porridge will reach the required consistency. You can add butter and sugar. You can prepare semolina porridge with milk and water.

Rice porridge recipe

Do not give rice porridge often to children who are constipated. But consuming it once a week will only benefit the child’s body. To cook rice porridge take:

• 200 ml. milk
• 1 tbsp. rice
• 5 g butter
• ½ tsp. Sahara.

If you want to cook rice porridge with milk, add the milk to the pan and bring to a boil. Rinse the rice thoroughly and place in a saucepan with milk. The heat should be medium, and the porridge should be cooked for 25 minutes; there is no need to stir it. The readiness of the porridge can be seen by its consistency. At the end of cooking, add sugar and butter. You can add pieces of fruit or a little jam.

Recipe for wheat and millet porridge for a 1 year old child

Wheat and millet porridges are only similar in name, but they are prepared from different grains and in different ways. Millet porridge is prepared from millet, and wheat porridge is made from wheat. The process of preparing milk porridges using these cereals varies in duration and cooking method. To prepare these porridges for you you will need:

• 200 ml. milk
• 1 tbsp. cereals
• 5 g butter
• 5 g sugar or a little jam

The cooking process is very simple. Add washed cereal to boiling milk and continue cooking for a certain time. Millet porridge takes a long time to cook – about 30 minutes. And after cooking, it should stand for another 10-15 minutes. Also, during cooking, millet porridge must be stirred occasionally. Wheat porridge is prepared a little differently.

When the milk boils, add the wheat and reduce the heat to low. So the porridge will simmer for about 40 minutes. There is no need to stir it, but it is important to cover the pan with a lid. After cooking, add oil to the porridge, stir and leave for 10 minutes.

Oatmeal for a one-year-old child

To prepare this porridge you you will need:

• 200 ml. milk
• 2 tbsp. oatmeal
• 5 g sugar
• 5 g butter

Pour milk into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add oatmeal and reduce heat to low. The porridge cooks for 5-7 minutes, but do not forget to stir it periodically. When the porridge is cooked, turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave for 5 minutes. At the end you can add sugar and butter. This oatmeal recipe is perfect for a one year old child.

If you introduce them to your baby correctly and in a timely manner, they will become his faithful companions for life.

The benefits of cereals

Dishes made from various cereals are considered valuable food products. Cereals are sources of complex carbohydrates, which provide energy and take a long time to digest, giving a feeling of fullness. Therefore, they serve as an excellent breakfast - in the form of porridge or part of lunch - in the form of a cereal side dish. In addition, in addition to proteins, fats and carbohydrates, cereals contain many vitamins (especially group B) and microelements, such as magnesium, calcium and iron, which a child needs for proper development. There are several types of cereals - and each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The greatest value among cereals is buckwheat, it contains a lot of proteins, fats, starch, iodine, B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron that are easily digestible by the child’s body. In addition, it does not contain gluten, the protein responsible for the development of celiac disease (an autoimmune intestinal disorder).

Gluten-free cereals also include rice and corn. Rice groats are the richest in starch; they are low in plant proteins, minerals and vitamins. But it is perfectly absorbed and digested by the child, helps with loose stools and is very tasty. The third gluten-free grain is corn, crushed into small particles. It is rich in starch, has a little calcium and phosphorus, but enough iron and B vitamins. This cereal takes a long time to cook, but when boiled it is absorbed very well.

It rightfully occupies second place in nutritional value after buckwheat. oatmeal and products made from it - crushed oats, rolled oatmeal, oatmeal. They contain a lot of vegetable proteins, which contain essential amino acids, in addition, this porridge contains the most fat compared to others, as well as a lot of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, vitamin E and B vitamins. One significant drawback of this porridge - that it contains gluten. Oat processing products - rolled oats and oatmeal - undergo special processing; they are steamed, pressed, and dried. Therefore, their absorption by the body improves, which means they are more suitable for the child.

Millet also belongs to the group of gluten grains, it is produced from millet. It contains a lot of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and especially iron. But in terms of nutritional value, millet is inferior to almost all cereals, since it is quite difficult to digest.

Barley and pearl barley Cereals also belong to gluten porridges; they are made from barley by crushing them into particles of different sizes. These cereals are rich in minerals and cleanse the intestines well, but they are “heavy” for digestion due to the large amount of coarse fiber, so they are difficult to digest for young children; under 1 year of age, they, along with millet, are not given at all.

Our grandmothers' favorite porridge is semolina, it belongs to the gluten category and is not the healthiest of all. Of course, it contains a lot of protein and starch, but it is very nutritious and if consumed frequently will lead to excess weight. In addition, it contains a lot of special protein - phytin, which binds calcium and iron in the intestines, leading to rickets and anemia. Therefore, modern doctors do not recommend semolina porridge for feeding a child under 1 year of age.

When to introduce porridge

There is no doubt that grains are healthy. However, in order for them to bring maximum benefit and be fully absorbed by the body, it is necessary to introduce them into the baby’s diet within a strictly defined period. Porridge is the first cereal product to appear in a child's diet. Along with vegetables, porridges are dishes for a child’s first feedings. Acquaintance with them occurs at the age of approximately 6 months. In rare cases, if the baby is persistently underweight, the doctor may recommend introducing porridge into the child’s menu a little earlier - at 5–5.5 months.

Porridges replenish the body of a growing baby with energy, which is spent more and more, expand the boundaries of taste and gradually teach him to eat more and more dense food. Getting acquainted with cereals should begin with gluten-free, dairy-free porridges - rice, buckwheat and corn. They are introduced gradually one after another over six months. Then, at 8–9 months, oatmeal is gradually added to them. In addition, you can make porridge from several types of cereals. From the age of 1, semolina and thoroughly boiled millet porridge are introduced into the child’s diet; from 1.5 years, barley and pearl barley porridge can be given. It is recommended to give porridge daily, alternating grains with each other, since each of the porridges is good in its own way.
In addition, from 1.5–2 years old, cereals can be offered to a child as a side dish for meat or fish dishes or as an additive to soups.

Our first porridge

As a first porridge, you can give your baby either store-bought porridge or home-cooked porridge. Now on store shelves there is a wide variety of instant (instant) cereals. They are completely ready for use - the dry powder only needs to be measured in the required quantity and diluted according to the instructions on the package. But many mothers believe that such cereals are less healthy than those that are cooked on their own, and sometimes that they are harmful to the baby. Is this really true? These porridges are prepared from ground grains that have been steamed. Due to this processing, some of the coarse proteins are lost, and the consistency of the porridge becomes more delicate. These products undergo strict control to ensure compliance with all standards, are additionally enriched with vitamins necessary for a growing body, and often add probiotics to promote the growth of beneficial intestinal microflora. The cereal is ground into flour and vitamins and minerals are added to it. However, this porridge also contains ingredients that are not entirely healthy; manufacturers often add sugar or various flavorings (honey, chocolate, fruit) to the porridge so that children are more willing to eat it. It is better not to use such cereals as first complementary foods - sugar (maltodextrin, sucrose, glucose or fructose are also sugars) and additives can become potential allergens for the child.

If you decide to cook porridge for your child yourself, you need to know some of the features of preparing such dishes.

Cereals should not contain pests or foreign odors.

Before cooking, the cereal must be carefully sorted (if it is rice, buckwheat or millet) or sifted (if it is semolina, corn, buckwheat) and remove foreign impurities.

Crushed cereals (semolina, corn, buckwheat, small wheat, oat flakes) are not washed before cooking; the rest must be thoroughly rinsed under running water in a colander.

It is necessary to cook porridge for a child in a stainless steel container; porridge in enamel will burn, and aluminum releases toxins.

All first porridges are prepared exclusively with water or vegetable broth; milk is added at about 9 months to the ready-made porridge. In addition, after cooking, baby porridge can be diluted with breast milk.

Up to 1 year salt and sugar are not used to prepare porridge; you can add fruit puree to porridge after introducing it into the baby’s diet. After 1 year You can add a little salt to your food and add a small amount of sugar to enhance the taste of the food.

Up to 1 year The porridge is cooked from cereal flour, grinding the cereal thoroughly in a coffee grinder, or it is prepared from whole cereals and, after cooking, is ground in a blender. First, they make a very liquid 5?% porridge - take 100 ml of liquid per 5 g of cereal, then move on to a more viscous, 7-10?% porridge - 100 ml of liquid per 7-10 g of cereal. From 1 year they begin to prepare thicker porridges from heavily boiled cereals, gradually moving on to regular porridge.

To prepare porridge correctly, you need to know the cooking times for cereals:

• crumbly buckwheat - 30–45 minutes,
• crumbly millet – 45 minutes,
• oatmeal 20–25 minutes,
• rice depending on the presence of pre-treatment with steam from 15 to 30–40 minutes,
• semolina 15 minutes.

But it is better to focus on the cooking times indicated on the packaging. For example, some varieties of rice can be cooked for no more than 15 minutes. There are also porridges that need to be cooked for 3-5 minutes.

From 7–7.5 months you can add butter to the porridge.

Children's porridge recipes

Puree buckwheat porridge

from 6 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of water,
• 1 tbsp. spoon of cereal flour.

Preparation: sort out the buckwheat, rinse it in warm water, put it in a saucepan, pour in 1?/?2 cups of hot water, leave for 5 minutes, then drain the water. Pour in the remaining half glass of hot water again and cook until thickened. Cover with a lid and place in a warm place to “cook”. While the porridge is hot, you need to rub it through a sieve or grind it in a blender. From 7–7.5 months you can add

Puree rice porridge

from 6 months

You will need:

2 glasses of water,

2 tbsp. spoons of rice,

1?/?2 teaspoons of butter (from 7–7.5 months).

Preparation: Sort the rice, rinse, boil in boiling water for 45–60 minutes, add butter to the porridge and grind in a blender.

Corn porridge

from 6 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of water,
• 3 tbsp. spoons of corn flour,
• 2 teaspoons butter (from 7–7.5 months).

Preparation: Add sifted flour to boiling water, but do not stir until the water boils again. As soon as the water boils, you should quickly mix everything so that you get a homogeneous viscous porridge without lumps. After this, you need to close the pan with a lid and let the porridge cook over low heat for 10–12 minutes. It is recommended to prepare corn porridge in small portions and no earlier than 20 minutes before serving, as with longer storage it becomes stale and tasteless.

Porridge with vegetable broth

from 9 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk,
• 1 glass of water,
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of any cereal (rice, oatmeal, corn),
• 1 carrot,
• 1?/?2 potatoes,
• 1 cup shredded white cabbage,
• 1 teaspoon butter.

Preparation: prepare a vegetable broth - wash small carrots and potatoes with a brush, peel and cut into cubes, chop cabbage. Place the vegetables in a saucepan, add hot water and cook with the lid closed for 15–20 minutes. After this, strain the vegetable broth through cheesecloth and squeeze out the vegetables. Add 6 tbsp to the vegetable broth. spoons of milk, heat to a boil, add cereal and cook the porridge, stirring, until boiled. Add the remaining milk to the finished porridge and boil for another 1-2 minutes. Season the finished porridge with butter.

Buckwheat porridge (oatmeal, rice) milk

from 9 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk,
• 1 glass of water,
• 2 tbsp. spoons of cereal,
• 0.5 tsp butter.

Preparation: Sort the grains, rinse, add to boiling water and cook until almost done for 25–30 minutes. Then pour in hot milk and continue cooking until the cereal is completely cooked. At the end of cooking, add butter.

Buckwheat porridge with fruit puree

from 9 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk,
• 1?/?2 glasses of water,
• 1 tbsp. spoon of buckwheat flour,
• 1 apple or pear or 100 g of ready-made fruit puree,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: dilute buckwheat flour in cold water and pour into boiling milk while stirring continuously. Cook, continuing to stir continuously, for 5 minutes, then add the cooked and strained fruits and bring the porridge to a boil. Place butter in the finished dish. Instead of fresh fruit, you can take ready-made baby fruit purees.

Puree oatmeal

from 9 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk,
• 2 glasses of water,
• 2 tbsp. spoons of oatmeal,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: pour rolled oats into boiling water and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Rub the boiled rolled oats hot through a sieve, dilute with hot milk and rub again so that there are no lumps. Instead of a sieve, you can use a blender. Stir the crushed porridge well and bring to a boil again. Add butter to the prepared porridge.

Oatmeal porridge with pumpkin

from 10 months

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk,
• 1 glass of water,
• 1 tbsp. spoon of rolled oats,
• 100 g pumpkin (or zucchini),
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: wash the pumpkin or zucchini, peel off the skin and seeds, cut into cubes, pour boiling water over it and cook under a closed lid for 20 minutes, then add the sorted rolled oats flakes, pour in hot milk and cook under the lid over low heat for another 20 minutes. While hot, rub the porridge through a sieve and bring to a boil. Add butter to the finished porridge.

Oatmeal porridge with dried apricots and prunes

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk,
• 1 glass of water,
• 2 tbsp. spoons of oatmeal,
• 2 prunes
• 2 dried apricots,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: pour oatmeal into cold water, put the pan on the fire and bring to a boil. Wash dried apricots and prunes thoroughly, chop finely and add to the porridge. Cook the porridge until it has the consistency of jelly, add milk and, continuing to stir, cook until tender for 20 minutes. Add butter to the finished porridge.

Semolina porridge

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of water or milk,
• 1 tbsp. spoon of semolina,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: bring milk or water to a boil, add semolina in a stream, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming, cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add butter. Let the porridge brew for 15 minutes under a closed lid without heating. If desired, add various fruits, mashed with a fork, or fruit puree to the finished porridge.

Semolina porridge with pumpkin

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk,
• 100 g pumpkin,
• 2 teaspoons semolina,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of sugar,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: wash the pumpkin, remove the peel and seeds, cut into small pieces, pour in hot milk and cook under a closed lid for 15 minutes. Then, stirring, add semolina, sugar and cook for another 15–20 minutes over low heat. Season the porridge with butter.

Mashed millet porridge

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of water,
• 1 glass of milk,
• 1 tbsp. spoon of millet cereal,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of sugar,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: Sort and wash the millet, rubbing it with your hands in warm water, changing the water until it becomes clear. Pour the washed cereal with 1 glass of water and 1/?3 glass of milk, then cook for 45–50 minutes. Rub the boiled millet hot through a sieve or in a blender, add the remaining hot milk, sugar, mix and rub again so that there are no lumps. Instead of a sieve, you can use a blender. After grinding, cook the porridge, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add butter to the finished dish and mix thoroughly.

Millet porridge with pumpkin

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk or water,
• 2 tbsp. spoons of wheat cereal,
• 150 g pumpkin,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of sugar,
• salt.

Preparation: place peeled, cut into small pieces pumpkin into boiling salted water or milk and cook for 7-10 minutes. Then add the millet, washed several times in hot water, add sugar and cook over low heat for 45 minutes. Season the finished porridge with butter.

Millet milk porridge in a pot

from 1 year

You will need:

• 1 glass of milk,
• 2 tbsp. spoons of wheat cereal,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons butter,
• salt.

Preparation: rinse the millet thoroughly in hot water, changing the water until it becomes clear, pour into boiling salted water and cook at low boil for 5-6 minutes. Then drain the water, transfer the porridge into a ceramic pot, add butter and milk, mix and, cover with a lid, put in the oven for 1.5 hours.

Berry porridge

from 1.5 years

You will need:

• 1 glass of water,
• 1 tbsp. spoon of cereals (rice, buckwheat, semolina),
• 2 tbsp. spoons of any fresh berries (raspberries, strawberries, currants),
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of sugar,
• 1?/?2 teaspoons of butter.

Preparation: rinse fresh berries, mash, squeeze the juice through cheesecloth, boil the pomace in water and strain. Put any cereal into the broth, cook until done, depending on the type of porridge, add sugar and butter, let it boil again, remove the porridge from the stove, cool and pour the squeezed juice into it.

Side dish for a child

Another valuable food product made from cereals is side dishes, but they are not at all limited to boiled rice or buckwheat. In addition to them, many other cereals (millet, wheat), as well as their various combinations with vegetables, can be used as a side dish. Such combinations will increase the nutritional value and absorption of dishes, and also add a special taste. The cereal will change its taste if you cook it not in water, but in vegetable or weak meat broth (after the meat boils, drain the water, add new water, bring it to a boil again and use the resulting meat broth to prepare porridge). Cereal side dishes will be an excellent addition to fish, meat or vegetables. Cereals may be included in some dishes.

Cabbage rolls with rice

from 2 years

You will need:

• 8 cabbage leaves,
• 200 g boiled rice,
• 50 g boiled beef,
• 1?/?2 large onions,
• 2 tbsp. spoons of raisins,
• a bunch of green onions,
• 2–3 sprigs of dill,
• 1 liter of chicken broth,
• 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil.

Preparation: grind the beef through a meat grinder, finely chop the onion and dill. To soften, place cabbage leaves one at a time in boiling water so as not to damage them, and cool immediately. Lightly fry the onion and beef in a deep frying pan in olive oil, add rice, half of the finely chopped dill, raisins and 100 ml of broth. Simmer covered for 15 minutes. Wrap the filling in cabbage leaves, tying them with onion shoots. Place the rolls in a saucepan, add broth and simmer covered for 30 minutes, adding broth as needed. Serve with sour cream.

Millet and rice balls with carrots

from 2 years

You will need:

• 100 g millet,
• 100 g rice,
• 1 liter of water (for porridge),
• 1 carrot,
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil,
• 1 tbsp. spoon of breadcrumbs,
• 2 tbsp. spoons of sour cream,
• salt.

Preparation: chop the carrots into strips and sauté in vegetable oil. Cook a viscous porridge from a mixture of millet and rice, add carrots, eggs and mix. Divide the resulting mass into meatballs or cutlets, bread them in breadcrumbs, place in a saucepan, pour in sour cream and place in the oven for 10 minutes.

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Millet porridge, more often called simply millet, is healthy and nutritious. It is usually boiled in milk and served with butter, fruit or stewed vegetables. Millet porridge for children is prepared a little differently.

The dish should be accessible to the baby's digestive tract. Recipes for infants and older children will help you avoid mistakes in proportions.

Millet, which after processing becomes millet cereal, contains minerals necessary for humans - copper, magnesium, iron, fluorine, manganese, silicon. Also includes:

• gluten;
• starch;
• protein;
• vitamins PP, A, E and group B;
• amino acids;
• fats;
• nitrogen substances.

Millet porridge for a child is, first of all, a high-calorie dish that promotes growth. The minerals it contains strengthen the skeletal system and stimulate brain activity. Fiber normalizes metabolism, improves microflora and intestinal motility.

It is also known about the ability of millet to remove residual traces of antibiotics and toxic compounds from the body. Its regular use has a beneficial effect on the condition of the liver and circulatory system.

The potential harm of millet porridge is associated with rare cases of individual hypersensitivity. In this case, the child may experience intestinal dysfunction.

In children under one year of age, after eating millet, symptoms are sometimes observed. Most often they are associated with the immaturity of the digestive system and improper grinding of cereals for porridge.

At what age can children eat millet porridge?

Millet porridge is allowed for infants only if it is made from cereals ground to flour. This porridge is sold in baby food departments; it can also be prepared by washing, drying and grinding the cereal in a coffee grinder.

Of course, it will be superfluous for a newborn. A baby can get acquainted with this dish for the first time at 8–9 months. Children fed formula rather than breast milk can be given complementary foods in the form of porridge made from millet flour as early as 7 months. In a year you can switch to medium-ground grains.

A child under 1.5 years old should not try whole millet. But having reached this age, children can eat regular millet porridge cooked in a slow cooker or on the stove.

Rules for introducing complementary foods

Millet is introduced into complementary foods after rice and buckwheat. You can make changes to your child’s menu only if he is healthy and feeling well. In the period after, as well as in case of any ailments, you should not give new dishes for the first time.

Millet porridge is cooked in the baby’s usual mixture or water. It should turn out liquid.

For the first time, half a teaspoon is enough. With each new feeding, the amount is doubled until the portion reaches the volume necessary to saturate the child. At 7 months, the baby usually eats 150-170 g at a time.

It is better to start introducing millet porridge into complementary foods in the morning in order to observe the reaction to the new product throughout the day. The appearance of constipation or an allergic rash is a reason to give up millet, at least for the current period.

Recipes for children

Recipes for your baby should be chosen according to his age. Millet porridge for infants is made as simple and light as possible, for older children - with various additives.

Up to a year

If the baby is breastfed, millet is cooked in water. To do this, add 10 g of millet flour to 100 ml of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, stirring.

Millet porridge for bottle-fed babies is prepared in the same way, but after cooling to a temperature of 35-40 degrees, a dry mixture is added to it. Proportion – 1.5 scoops per 100 g of millet.

Over a year old

Millet porridge for a one-year-old child may become thicker. Medium-ground grains (100 g) are mixed with a glass of boiling water and cooked until tender. It is allowed to add sugar, vegetable puree, berries or fruits that you have already introduced into complementary foods to the finished porridge.

Children over 1.5 years old are given whole millet, prepared at the rate of 100 g of cereal per 250 ml of water. The millet is thoroughly washed, brought to a boil and simmered over low heat for about 20 minutes. Add sugar or a little salt to taste.

Other millet porridge recipes for children over 1.5 years old:

• Classic with milk. Ingredients: millet – 200 g; water and milk – 0.4 l each; sugar – 2 tbsp. l.; a pinch of salt; butter - 25 g. Pour the cereal with water and cook until the liquid evaporates, then add pre-boiled milk, sugar, salt and keep the porridge over low heat until thickened. Millet burns easily, so constant monitoring is needed. Add butter to the finished dish.
• In a slow cooker. Millet porridge in a multicooker for a child is cooked without much effort and does not require stirring. Proportions: 100 g of cereal, 1.5 measuring cups of milk and water. All ingredients are placed in a bowl and the Porridge mode is selected. Millet is cooked in a multicooker for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the model of the device. Salt or sugar is added at the end of the program.
• With carrots and apples. Millet (100 g) is boiled in lightly salted water (200 ml) for half an hour. Add 1 tbsp to the finished porridge. l. honey and vegetable oil, as well as 150 g of apple and 30 g of carrots, grated.
• With pumpkin. There are two variations of this recipe. The first is to add 300 g of peeled pumpkin to classic millet with milk (cooked in the proportions indicated above). The vegetable is placed at the initial stage, along with the cereal. The second is cooking millet in a slow cooker. In this case, 150 g of pumpkin is placed in a removable steamer (provided that it is included in the package), installed inside the bowl of the device. At the end of the program, the pumpkin and millet porridge are combined.

Millet is a filling product, but it places an increased burden on the digestive system. Therefore, when adding this porridge to a child’s diet, you need to take into account the baby’s age and adhere to the rules for introducing complementary foods.

The millet from which millet porridge is prepared is the seeds of the cereal plant millet. It began to be grown in China several thousand years ago - even earlier than rice.

Millet porridge is less popular in baby food than other types of cereal dishes. But mothers are interested in how useful this porridge is for children, can it be given to infants, what millet dishes can be prepared for a child?

Millet grains differ in color: it can be white, gray, beige, yellow, red. The color of the cereal affects the taste and quality of the prepared dish: richly colored cereals taste better, porridge made from light-colored grains will not be crumbly.

There are such varieties of millet cereals:

1. Dranets: These are shiny whole grains without a shell, with a bitter taste. Cooking dishes from dranets requires a longer time.
2. Polished millet is a matte bright yellow peeled grain. They contain the maximum amount of nutrients, and dishes are prepared quickly.
3. Crushed millet is a product of processing grains, their fragments. Its shelf life is very short. Prepares quickly.
4. Millet flakes are a heat-treated product; there is no need to cook it.

Composition and calorie content

Due to its unique composition, millet groats were previously called golden

Millet cereal contains a unique composition of nutrients, a supply of vitamins and minerals. It is no coincidence that in ancient times it was called golden.

The main component of millet is starch, it makes up almost 70% of the grain. make up 15%, they include:

• essential (lysine, leucine, valine);
• nonessential amino acids.

Fats, including unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids and polyunsaturated omega-6, vary from 2.5% to 3.7% depending on the millet variety. The content of healthy vegetable fats is higher only in oatmeal.

• pectin;
• purines (substances that can be converted into uric acid);
• phytosterols (substances that can dissolve in fats and regulate the level of good and bad cholesterol).

Minerals contained in millet are:

• phosphorus;
• copper;
• silicon;
• potassium;
• manganese;
• vanadium;
• molybdenum;
• selenium;
• cobalt;
• gray;
• nickel;
• zirconium;
• boron;
• rubidium;
• strontium;
• chrome.

There is more protein and B vitamins in millet than in many other cereals. In terms of the amount of magnesium and molybdenum, millet is the leader among cereals. It contains 1.5 times more phosphorus than meat.

The calorie content of 100 g of millet cereal is 153 kcal. The energy value of millet porridge depends on the method of its preparation:

• 100 g of it, cooked in water, will give 90 kcal;
• on - about 120 kcal;
• porridge with pumpkin - only 70 kcal.

Benefit

Millet has a gentle effect on the digestive tract - in this it can hardly find a competitor among cereals.

The ingredients of millet cereal provide a versatile effect on the body:

1. Silicon, fluorine and phosphorus ensure the development and strength of the skeletal system.
2. Vitamin B1 (thiamine) and phosphorus are essential for normal brain function. The beneficial effects of B vitamins contained in millet porridge will reduce restlessness, anxiety and irritability, and a feeling of fatigue in children.
3. Plant proteins and millet amino acids contribute to the intensive development of muscle tissue.
4. Millet, with the help of pectin and fiber, will help the body get rid of toxins and toxic substances.
5. Increased sweating and a slight diuretic effect will help remove excess fluid from the body.
6. The vitamin and mineral composition of millet, when consumed regularly, enhances reparative processes, accelerates wound healing, and the fusion of injured bones and cartilage.
7. Vitamins PP, B 2 (riboflavin), the microelement zinc will ensure healthy skin, maintain its elasticity and relieve irritation, relieve dandruff, improve the condition of nails and hair.
8. Folic acid (vitamin B 9) and iron are important for hematopoiesis, they help in the treatment and prevention of anemia in children. By the way, there is more folic acid in millet cereals than in wheat and corn.
9. Pyridoxine (vitamin B 6) and potassium are necessary for the normal functioning of the heart muscle.
10. Vitamins and minerals of millet cereals help improve immunity and participate in carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
11. The lipotropic effect of the ingredients of millet porridge prevents the accumulation and deposition of fat in the body. Therefore, millet porridge can be given to children with.

Contraindications

Products made from millet cereals are not allergenic; individual intolerance to them is rare. But it is impossible to completely exclude development after their use. Therefore, children prone to allergies should be introduced to millet dishes with caution.

• A temporary contraindication for introducing millet porridge into a baby’s diet may be an underdeveloped digestive system that is unable to digest millet. In these cases, the question of when to introduce it into the infant’s diet is decided by the pediatrician.
• Digestive upset can be caused by improper (too coarse) grinding of millet grains taken to prepare porridge for infants.
• For chronic gastritis with low acidity, the consumption of millet porridge should be limited.
• You should not often give millet porridge if you have thyroid pathology, since millet contains substances that interfere with absorption.

How to select and store millet

The quality of porridge depends on the cereal chosen for it. When purchasing, it is better to follow these tips:

1. It is advisable to buy millet in transparent bags that allow you to see the grains. Cereals sold by weight undergo oxidation under the influence of external factors and lose their beneficial properties.
2. It is better to choose cereals made from whole grains rather than crushed ones, since dishes made from them are viscous and less tasty. Porridge made from whole grains, even ground into flour at home, will taste better.
3. You definitely need to pay attention to the expiration date of the cereal. You should buy millet that was harvested no more than 6-9 months ago. Stale grains will taste bitter as a result of fat oxidation.

The color of the millet also matters. An indicator of the quality of cereals is the bright yellow color of the grains and their matte surface. Gray and beige shades appear as a result of fat oxidation. Porridge made from such cereals will be bitter, and the child will not eat it.

You should also not store millet for a long time at home. It is easy for moths to grow in it. It is better to keep it in a cloth bag (pre-boiled in a strong saline solution) or in a hermetically sealed container made of glass, earthenware or plastic.

Cereals should be stored in a cool and dry place. Prepared millet flour can be stored in a sterilized glass jar with a lid.

If bitterness appears in the finished dish, then the millet should be doused with boiling water (or heated in a frying pan, preventing the color from changing).

How and when to introduce it into a child’s diet

After a year, you need to take half a glass of millet flour per 200 ml of water and cook until tender. You can improve the taste by adding butter, berries and fruits.

Millet porridge with milk

For older children, it is prepared from whole grains:

1. Well washed (until the water is clear) millet (1 cup) should be poured into a saucepan with water (400 ml).
2. After boiling, remove the foam and reduce the heat.
3. Cook while stirring until the water disappears.
4. Boil 400 ml of milk and add it to the porridge.
5. Add a little salt (if desired, you can sweeten the porridge with 2 tablespoons of sugar) and cook it while stirring until thickened over low heat.
6. Add butter (25-30 g) to the porridge and remove from heat.

Instead, you can add it to the finished porridge if you are not allergic to it.

Puree soup with millet in vegetable broth

1. Take 1 tbsp. l. washed millet, add water and cook until tender (possibly in a Turkish pot) over low heat.
2. Place chopped vegetables (2-3 medium-sized, 1 medium-sized) into another saucepan, add water and cook until tender.
3. Grind the vegetables and porridge in a blender until pureed.
4. Add boiled milk (200 ml) to the resulting mass, bring to a boil, remove from heat.
5. Add salt to taste; if desired, you can add dill and parsley.
6. Add (15-20 g) before serving.

Millet porridge with pumpkin

Preparation:

1. Rinse half a glass of millet with hot water and place in a saucepan.
2. Cut approximately 150-170 g of peeled pumpkin into small cubes.
3. Add pumpkin to millet and add hot water.
4. After boiling, remove the foam and add salt, cook until the water boils (the millet is still hard).
5. Add 200 ml of hot boiled milk and simmer over low heat, covered, until the porridge is ready.
6. Butter is added to taste, you can also add steamed raisins.

Summary for parents

Millet can not only quickly satiate a child, but also provide him with nutrients - vitamins and microelements necessary for a growing body.

Millet porridge is a source of valuable vegetable protein and healthy vegetable fats for a child. It will provide children of any age with a supply of energy, improve digestion, and ensure the normal function of many organs and systems.

The product can cause possible harm only if the recommendations of specialists are not followed.

Nutritionist Lidia Ionova talks about the properties of millet porridge: