Are you aware of the goodness of avocado for babies? Do you know the health benefits of avocado for babies? When can you give avocado to babies? If you are not aware of these plus points of avocado, then don’t worry. We will give you answers to all these queries.
Avocado is regarded as “Nature’s Perfect Food”. This is one of the best nutrient-dense fruit with healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals that a baby needs for its proper and adequate growth and development in the initials days.
By the end of this article, you will get a fair share of information about the health benefits of avocado for babies along with the side effects. Scroll down for all the details.
Is It Good To Give Avocado To Babies?
As I said above, Avocado is regarded as “Nature’s Perfect Food”. This is one of the best nutrient dense fruit with healthy fat, vitamins, and minerals that a baby needs for its proper and adequate growth and development.
It is full of dense nutrients. It also contains vitamins like B, K, C, E and micronutrients like potassium, phosphorus, and selenium. As per the avocadocentral.com “Avocados contribute nearly 20 nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and phytonutrients, that are too necessary for the babies health”.
Avocadoes are also rich in sodium and free from cholesterol. It also has less sugar content in it. As per the wholesome baby food, (R) it is said that “Per serving, avocados have 3.5 grams of unsaturated fats, and that is too good and important for normal growth and development of the central nervous system and brain.”
It is also great as a baby food with its creaminess and soft texture, making it easy to digest completely and its nutrients are easy to absorb.
Nutrients in Avocados
VITAMINS: (one cup pureed)
- Vitamin A – 338 IU
- Vitamin C – 20.2 mg
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – .2 mg
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – .3 mg
- Niacin – 3.9 mg
- Folate – 205 mg
- Pantothenic Acid – 3.3 mg
- Vitamin B6 – .6 mg
It contains Some Other Vitamins in Small Amounts.
MINERALS: (one medium)
- Potassium – 1166 mg
- Phosphorus – 124 mg
- Magnesium – 67 mg
- Calcium – 30 mg
- Sodium – 18 mg
- Iron – 1.4 mg
Also contains small amounts of selenium, manganese, copper, and zinc
When Can We Give Avocado To Babies?
From above it is clear that avocadoes are full of dense nutrients and is the natural perfect food. As per the research and studies, it helps a lot in the physical and brain growth in the first year of a baby’s life.
Avocado (R) can be introduced as one of the baby’s first food in the food diets of the babies. For this, you can introduce this as early as when your child is 4-6-months old. All the foodstuff in avocado can be prepared at home, so no need to give any outside foods to the babies. Homemade avocado baby food is easy to prepare and store.
As per the American Academy Of Pediatrics (R) recommend that you should wait until the baby is at least six months old before offering any sort of solid food to them. Following that, it is good to start with solid or semi-solid foods including avocadoes.
The reason for this is that the baby needs to be ready to accept food, and the other reason for it is that the breast milk or formula milk should be the only source of nutrition during the entire first year of the newborn.
Once the baby is ready for other solid foods, then you can serve them with avocado baby food. You can also puree the avocado and mix the same with breast milk or water and give it to your babies.
In the case of a little toddler, you can mash an avocado and mix with applesauce, peaches or pears, bananas, and even yogurt to make a healthy meal or snack.
Health Benefits Of Avocado To Babies:
Here, let’s look into the amazing health benefits of avocado for the babies. Some of the avocados for babies benefits are as follows-
1. Enhance Intelligence and Brain Function:
The major benefit is that it contributes to healthy brain development in babies as avocadoes are rich in saturated fats that help a lot for the babies. The avocado is rich in refined oils, hydrogenated fat or trans-fat.
These healthy fats are one of the most important raw materials for a highly functioning and complex brain at least in the initial stages of a baby’s life.
It is directly related to a child’s intelligence and is the brain’s building blocks. As per the studies, good fat from avocado builds a healthy and intelligent brain especially during critical stages of development in the babies.
2. Protects with its Anti-inflammatory & Antimicrobial Properties:
This is regarded as one of the healthiest benefits of avocado for babies. The main reason why it works is because of its abundant and essential benefits that promote the baby’s health and wellness at least during the initial stages of growth and development.
Avocado is rich in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties which are too good for health. It is also full of essential nutrients that are required for the baby’s nutritional values. It also neutralizes and eliminates toxins out of the body. It helps the body of the babies to fight with infection as it is rich in antioxidant properties.
Avocado also possesses anti-inflammatory properties that help in protecting and controlling the inflammation in babies. It can fight with any kind of tissue damage, viruses and infections as well.
As per the studies and research, it can also heal wounds, scratches, and rashes on the skin faster than antibiotics. It also possesses antimicrobial properties that battle infections caused by pathogens.
3. Supplies Essential Nutrients:
Avocado is packed with essential nutrients as I mentioned above. It is rich in unsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients.
It is one of the best foods for the brain development of babies. Avocadoes are also rich in sodium and free from cholesterol. It also has less sugar content in it.
It is enriched with vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin E and minerals, including calcium, iron, potassium, sodium, and zinc which are essential for the baby’s growth and development.
As per the USDA National Nutrients Database, (R) one serving of avocado contains-
- 64 calories
- almost 6 grams of fat
- 3.4 grams of carbohydrate
- less than a gram of sugar
- almost 3 grams of fiber
4. Healthy For Heart:
As per the research and evidence, it has been founded that avocado is too good for maintaining a healthy heart.
What matters is that it contains 25 milligrams per ounce of a natural plant sterol called beta-sitosterol.
So, the regular consumption of avocado in the healthy diets of kids helps to maintain a healthy cholesterol level.
5. Great For Vision:
Avocados are too good for visions in babies. As it contains lutein and zeaxanthin which are especially good for the tissues in the eyes. They provide antioxidant protection that minimizes the damage from the ultraviolet light.
Adding avocado in the baby’s diet helps support the absorption of other beneficial fat-soluble antioxidants from the consumed diet.
6. Lower The Risk Of Depression:
Avocado contains high levels of folate which helps to decrease the risk of depression.
This is helpful because folate helps to prevent the build-up of homocysteine. This is a compound that can impair circulation and delivery of nutrients to the brain in case of the babies and toddlers.
The excess homocysteine can increase or leads to serotonin, (R) dopamine, and norepinephrine, which regulate mood, sleep, and appetite of the babies.
7. Improve Digestion:
Avocados are rich in minerals, fats, and vitamins that aid smooth digestion in the babies. Moreover, it is high in fiber with approximately 6-7 grams per half fruit.
As per the studies, the presence of nutrients in the fruit of avocado is effective in regulating irritable stomach walls or acidity in babies. The natural fiber also helps in preventing constipation. Avocado juice is highly effective in treating colic and chills in the abdomen of the baby. It helps to maintain a healthy digestive tract and lower the risks of colon cancer.
8. Natural Detoxification:
Avocadoes are loaded with fiber which helps in promoting regular bowel movements in babies. This is very important for the daily excretion of toxins through the bile and stool.
As per the studies, dietary fiber also plays an important role in regulating the immune system and preventing the risks of inflammation. (R)
9. Ensure Healthy Bones And Good Hemoglobin:
This is one of the primary benefits of avocado for babies. It is an excellent source of minerals which ensures to improve the health of the bones and tissues.
The iron levels help a lot to give and protect the level of hemoglobin count and prevent the risk of anemia in kids.
10. Prevents Infection and Provide Quick Wounds:
As per the studies, the avocado poses the antimicrobial properties, which helps to prevent the infection and protect the babies from viruses.
It is also said that it helps to heal wounds and injuries faster than normal medication. It acts as a natural wound healer for the babies.
How To Introduce Avocado To Babies:
Avocado is a perfect food for the babies. You can add it in almost every dish you can for babies right from sandwiches, soups, salads, toast, omelets, beans, salsa and more.
Some of the ways where you can introduce avocado to babies are as follows-
You can give as a puree:- It has a soft and creamy texture and it is too good for the baby’s first solid food of the baby. For this, you can scoop an avocado and place it in a blender. To it, add some breast or formula milk to have proper texture.
You can give in a Baby Led Weaning (BLW): In this, the avocado is good enough for the baby to munch with their gums. It is also regarded as perfect cold comfort food for the teething of babies.
For this, you can make the avocado in slice and roll into crushed cereal.
For a toddler you can make avocado toast, crackers or rice cakes.
Side Effects OF Avocado For Babies:
With the amazing health benefits, there are several side effects of avocadoes too. Some of them are as follows-
1. It Can Lead to Allergy:
As I mentioned above, it can leads to allergy as it doesn’t suit the metabolism rate of the baby. It can inflict skin allergies in babies. Some of the skin allergies include hives, itching, redness in skin or eczema.
2. Adverse Effects Of Avocado:
There may be adverse effects of avocado like the babies may suffer from adverse effects like flu, paralysis, nausea, gastrointestinal disorder, vomiting, migraine, fever, drowsiness, and asthma.
3. Sensitivity To Latex:
There are evidence and studies that the avocado is not good for the babies who are sensitive to latex as it can increase the level of serum IgE antibodies in the body. This may also lead to allergic reactions.
4. Gastrointestinal Irritation:
There are evidence that a large amount of intake of avocado in a baby’s diet can lead to an upset stomach. It can also cause gastrointestinal irritation.
5. Causes Mouth Allergy:
One of the major side effects of avocado for babies is that it can lead to mouth allergy. The mouth allergies such as itching sensation in the mouth and swelling on the tongue are some of the common problems.
Avocado Recipe For Babies:
Here are some of the avocado recipe for babies, have a look at it.
1. Avocado and Tofu:
All You Need:
- 1/2 cup of tofu
- Half an avocado, mashed with a fork
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- Juice from half a small lime
How To Do:
- Cut the tofu and avocado in cubes and mixed together in a bowl with a bit of salt in it.
2. Avocado On Toast:
All You Need:
- One piece of lightly toasted bread
- Half an avocado, mashed with fork
- 1-2 teaspoons of milk
How To Do:
- On a toast, add the spread of avocado.
3. Avocado And Banana:
All You Need:
- Half an avocado, mashed with fork
- 1-2 teaspoons of milk
- Whole banana, mashed
How To Do:
- Mix all the ingredients and make a smoothie.
4. Avocado And Apple:
All You Need:
- Half an avocado, mashed with fork
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
How To Do:
- Mix all the ingredients and make a smoothie.
5. Avocado And Yogurt:
All You Need:
- Half of an avocado, mashed with fork
- 1/2 cup of plain Greek Yogurt
How To Do:
- Mix all the ingredients in a blender to a smooth consistency.
6. Avocado and Chicken Puree:
All You Need:
- 1 chicken breast, boiled
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- Half an avocado
How to do:
- Cut and boil the chicken breast and then blend it with the avocado to a smooth paste like consistency.
Avocado is regarded as “Nature’s Perfect Food”. This is one of the best nutrient dense fruit with healthy fat, vitamins, and minerals that a baby needs for its proper and adequate growth and development. So be very sure in including it to the baby’s diet. I hope this article has given you a good knowledge of the goodness of avocado for babies.
