As we don't have children ourselves, children's nutrition is always a double-edged sword for us. Although we already know a lot about it, parents prefer to take tips from other parents.That's why we were delighted that TCM nutritionist Katharina Ziegelbauer offered to write an article on the subject.
When I became a mother for the first time almost 8 years ago, I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me. The infinite love for this small, perfect being hit me like a blow (a wonderful blow :) ).
But with it also came an infinite vulnerability and fear. What if I harm this baby? What if something happens to him that I can't prevent?
With Elias, it started right away with the fact that he was very delicate and didn't correspond to the standard figures on the pediatrician's charts. Supplementary feeding was on the cards! As a newly qualified TCM nutritionist, however, I knew that I definitely wanted to breastfeed my child fully, for at least 6 months, which according to TCM is simply the best thing for babies.
So I stood up to the pediatrician and my midwife (with great inner doubts) and lo and behold, Elias grew up healthy anyway. And he's still very delicate in stature (as are his parents).
Since then, I've advised many mothers and see one thing above all that really pains me: an incredible amount of uncertainty from paediatricians, the media and books when it comes to the topic of "feeding" babies and toddlers.
These questions come up again and again:
- Does the baby get enough milk through breastfeeding (you can't measure it in ml...)?
- Does it sleep through the night better if it gets a bottle of milk in the evening? (sometimes yes, sometimes no...)
- When should I start feeding and what should be in the first porridge?
- And what about iron, does my baby need meat?
In this article, I would like to look at precisely these questions about complementary feeding from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine. And help you to become more relaxed about complementary foods and enjoy your baby more.
Complementary feeding according to TCM
The abbreviation TCM stands for Traditional Chinese Medicine and refers to traditional healing methods from China. The TCM diet is now quite well known when it comes to improving the appearance of the skin.
Introducing complementary foods - here's how
Complementary feeding should be started with small portions. Children need time to get used to new tastes. At the beginning, stick to one food that you offer for several days in a row. This will help you to recognize any intolerances or allergies. Always offer your baby boiled water, but don't worry if they don't want to drink anything at first.
If your baby doesn't like the consistency of porridge, the following technique can help: The so-called baby-led weaning / baby-led complementary feeding, in which the baby is given a food that it can then bring to its mouth itself. This allows the baby to better control what and how much it wants to eat. A bib with sleeves is recommended.
The ingredients for the paps should always be fresh and the preparation should be gentle in order to preserve as many vitamins as possible. When cooking porridges yourself, it is advisable to add oils with plenty of omega-3 fatty acids afterwards (!). The rule of thumb is: one tablespoon of oil per 100 grams of vegetables. Porridge should not be reheated and reused, as traces of saliva have already been transferred to the porridge via your spoon after the first time. In addition, important vitamins are lost when reheating.
Babies are not allowed to eat honey in the first year and additional sweetening of food is generally unnecessary. Dairy products and flatulent foods are also not recommended in the first year of life. Make sure that plastic spoons are free from BPA (bisphenol A).
Eating at the family table is best, as babies benefit from watching others eat and feel motivated to join in.
Complementary feeding tip 1: Focus on the joy of eating and forget the strict rules
If you've looked around the internet on the subject of complementary feeding, you've probably already seen them: strict schedules on how many months old porridge must be given. Milk and cereal porridge from 6 months, meat and vegetable porridge from 7 months, and preferably weighed out exactly in grams so that you don't get anything wrong. It's like being at school or in the army!
These rules create one thing above all: a lot of pressure. Stress arises and insecurity grows. Based on the fear of doing something wrong. This fear is transferred to our babies, who hear everything we feel and think. What falls by the wayside is the joy, the fun of getting to know food with your baby. That's such a shame! According to TCM, these plans are not necessary at all. The only thing you need to stick to is this rule:
Trust your baby's signals.
Your baby will show you when it is ready to start complementary foods. It will look covetously at your plate or cheer when it sees you eating. And it will show you what it wants to eat and how much of it it wants to eat. Babies still have a very good sense of what they need. Let's trust that!
It doesn't matter which meal you start with. The main thing is that you are relaxed and have the patience and joy that your baby needs. So if you always have a lot of stress in the morning, it's better to start with lunch or dinner. You can start with one type of vegetable, e.g. the popular carrot porridge. Or millet porridge with apple. Just see what your baby likes!
By the way, as long as you are breastfeeding, you don't need to worry about the nutrients. to think about. Breast milk contains everything your baby needs, precisely tailored to their development. Incidentally, this also applies - with slight restrictions - to bottle milk.
Complementary food tip 2: Give your baby mainly cooked foods
A loaf of bread for breakfast, a banana as an afternoon snack? And a fruit yoghurt in between?
According to TCM, this type of diet sooner or later creates internal coldness in the body, can cause mucus in the lungs and weaken digestion. Cooked food is better, such as soups, porridge, stewed fruit, potatoes...
According to TCM, digestion works with heat, and too much cold food weakens our digestive fire.
Therefore: Avoid too much raw food. Avoid too much cold food such as yogurt and fruit juices. Don't eat bread every day. According to TCM, bananas, tropical fruits (oranges, pineapple...), raw tomatoes and cucumber in particular are very cooling and difficult to digest.
If eaten in excess, they produce pathogenic dampness and mucus in the body, which can be seen in frequent colds, ear infections and digestive problems such as flatulence and mushy stools.
This does not mean that you have to avoid these foods completely. There are no prohibitions in the TCM diet. Just make sure that cooked foods are in the majority.
Complementary feeding tip 3: Give your baby a cooked breakfast right from the start
A cooked breakfast gives us energy for the day, stimulates our digestive fire and strengthens the immune system. It is a very important pillar in TCM nutrition, precisely because of its many beneficial effects.
We humans are creatures of habit. If your baby knows about cooked breakfast from the start, it won't get the idea later that it would rather eat bread.
A tip: Eat cooked breakfast with your child, it is also very good for us adults. And your baby will want to eat what you eat (the older they get, the more they eat). You can take advantage of this role model effect. My children are now 4 and 7 years old and still love their semolina porridge or sweet polenta in the morning.
The older the children get, the more they eat out: snack, lunch and perhaps an afternoon snack at nursery and then at school.
Breakfast is the meal that we as parents still have the most control over! Let's use this opportunity to give our children a nutritious, wholesome meal so that they have a good basis for the rest of the day.
Complementary feeding tip 4: Get your baby used to water as their main drink
From the start of complementary feeding, always offer your baby water, lukewarm and boiled for the first few months.
Don't worry if they don't drink any or very little at the beginning. He is still getting enough fluid through breastfeeding or bottle feeding.
"My child just doesn't drink water, so I give him juice."
The problem with juice is that it is not a drink, but a is food. However, our body needs pure water as it is largely made up of it. Juice cannot replace water.
Drinking is a habit, and children can also be weaned off juice and get used to water. It is just much more difficult than if they drink water from the start. Stick to water and trust that no child will die of thirst from a full glass. Fruit juice also has a strong moistening effect and is therefore difficult to digest. According to TCM, orange juice is particularly unpalatable.
And what about the popular fennel tea?
Like all herbal teas, it has a medicinal effect. This is even stronger for babies than for us adults. Fennel tea is good for flatulence or general tummy ache. However, drinking it every day is too intense and can lead to undesirable effects.
The same applies to chamomile tea and other herbal teas. Give them to your baby when needed, but not every day. And always make the tea with fewer herbs than for adults. For example, my children are given chamomile tea when they have a fever because it has a cooling and anti-inflammatory effect. Fruit tea from time to time is ok, but according to TCM it is considered acidic and therefore difficult to digest.
Cow's milk? This is a separate topic in TCM. Quintessence: Cow's milk is considered to be difficult to digest, highly expectorant and has a high allergy potential.
My practical tip on cow's milk: If you don't want to do without it, make sure you give your child organic milk, or even better, goat's milk rather than cow's milk. And then not every day and only small amounts.
Complementary food tip 5: Pay attention to your baby's digestion
Digestion is the root of health. If it works well, the body as a whole can remain healthy. According to TCM, children's digestion is not fully developed until they are around 6 years old. Until then, we should mainly give them easily digestible foods.
Easily digestible foods
- Carrots
- rice
- Potato
- Millet
- Oat flakes
- Pumpkin
Foods that are difficult to digest
- Cabbage
- Onions
- Meat
- Cheese
- Cow's milk
Cooked meals are considered more digestible than uncooked meals.
How can you tell if your baby is digesting their meals well?
Look out for signs such as flatulence, especially smelly flatulence. This is a particularly good way to tell if your little one is not digesting something well. Then leave the suspected food out for a while and try it again a few months later.
Constipation, pain during bowel movements, diarrhoea and frequent stomach ache are other signs that your child is not tolerating something well. You will find the cause of the problems more quickly if you give your baby simple meals. So don't mix 5 different ingredients, but 2-3. This will make the meals easier to digest and you will find out more quickly what your child can tolerate. Children don't need as much variety as we think! A certain Monotony in the food selection strengthens digestion and helps with complaints.
You can find more about baby health in the following articles from us:
Thank you for reading this article! I hope you can now take a more relaxed view of complementary feeding. Trust your gut feeling and your baby, you two are doing it just right. :)
If you have any questions, we look forward to your comments below the article!
About the author
Katharina Ziegelbauer is a qualified TCM nutritionist and, after the birth of her children, specialized in nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding as well as complementary foods and infant nutrition. She passes on this knowledge in her online course "Mama Relax Package", with the aim of taking away mothers' doubts and worries and showing them how to relax and enjoy taking good care of themselves and their children. On Katharina's blog www.ernaehrungsberatung-wien.at/blog you will find recipes, TCM tips for various ailments from acne to headaches, book reviews and more.
