Why rice cereal

Here are some great foods to choose from. You can also puree beef or lamb with some formula or breastmilk, and serve it with a spoon.

Thighs and drumsticks have more heme iron than breast white meat. You can cook and puree dark poultry with some water or unsalted broth, or offer pea-sized cubes or thin strips that your baby can pick up with his fingers.

Or, offer scrambled eggs. Egg yolks contain non-heme iron, but if you serve them with berries or melon, the vitamin C can help to improve absorption. Alternate brown rice cereal with these nutritious options. All of these cereals are low in arsenic, iron-fortified and easy to prepare.

Stir them with some breastmilk or formula, and add pureed vegetables and fruit to help your baby better digest the non-heme iron. Chickpeas and beans are rich in non-heme iron and are a good source of protein.

Puree cooked beans in a blender baby hummus! Like beans, lentils offer non-heme iron and protein. With no soaking required, red lentils cook to an oatmeal-like consistency in about 20 minutes, while brown and green lentils hold their disc shape and cook in about 25 minutes.

Their testing found that most infant rice cereals on the market either meet, or are close to, the proposed level. Researchers followed children for a number of years, noting the amount of rice products they ate and analyzing the arsenic levels in their urine. Ruth A. Lawrence, M. A type of rice cereal can also be made as a hot meal with fresh cooked or leftover rice, and heated in a saucepan.

Often made with milk, margarine , and salt, other ingredients can be added for flavor, such as dates or raisins. Spices like cinnamon or brown sugar can be added to make the dish sweet as well. The rice will absorb the milk while cooking, and thickens in the process.

Hot rice cereal can be served as a small, healthy meal any time of day. Matthew F. Please enter the following code:.