Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals. Eating tomatoes for babies is good for their health, but they are particular about how to eat them. Babies of different ages have different ways of eating them. Let’s take a look at them below. How to eat tomatoes nutritiously.

How old can babies eat tomatoes?

Generally speaking, babies can eat tomatoes after adding complementary foods. However, because tomatoes taste sour and sweet, and the taste is relatively irritating, it is best for parents to After the baby has adapted to supplementary food for a period of time, tomatoes can be given to the baby. Tomatoes can be eaten again after six months.

Benefits of eating tomatoes for babies

1. Treat indigestion

Take 12 grams of hawthorn and 2 tomatoes. Boil hawthorn with water for 10 minutes, add tomatoes and sugar and cook for 5 minutes before eating. It can cure indigestion and food accumulation in children.

2. Helps in bone growth

Tomatoes are rich in nutrients, including minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, organic acids and a small amount of protein. The provitamin A it contains can be converted into vitamin A in the human body, which can promote bone growth.

3. Improve immunity

Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals. Their sweet and sour taste can help babies appetite and supplement nutrition. And according to statistics, eating tomatoes can improve the baby's immunity and reduce the baby's mortality caused by severe diarrhea.

Different age groups eat tomatoes in different ways

1. 6 months to 1 year old: Peel and mash or make soup to drink

Babies at this time start Try to add complementary food. The requirements for food are fine, soft and rotten. Therefore, it is recommended that mothers try steamed tomatoes for their babies around 7 months old, mash them into pulp and feed them to them; at 9 months old, they can try mixing other foods. Make vegetable soup or juice from vegetables for your baby. It should be noted that tomato skin is not easy to digest, so do not let your baby eat the skin at this stage.

2. 1 to 2 years old: You can cook with appropriate oil

Babies at this stage are in a period of rapid growth, and various physiological functions of the body are gradually improving. At this time, the baby’s Eating arrangements can be similar to those for adults. Lycopene is a fat-soluble substance. If you add a little vegetable oil when cooking, or cook it with fat-rich meat, it can promote its absorption and utilization in the human body, so that the health-care effects of lycopene can be truly exerted. In addition, tomatoes also contain a small amount of carotene, which also needs fat to help absorb it. Therefore, frying tomatoes is a very scientific cooking method. It is recommended that mothers fry tomatoes for their babies at this stage.

3. 2-3 years old: It is recommended to eat whole tomatoes

Many mothers like to eat tomatoes after peeling them because they are afraid of pesticides. In fact, tomatoes belong to the Solanaceae family and have the least pesticide residues among various vegetables. Moms don’t have to worry too much about pesticide residues. Since tomato peels are very thin, processing or eating has little effect on the release of lycopene in the pulp; on the contrary, during the artificial peeling process, lycopene is easily lost with the juice. Moreover, tomato skins are mainly composed of dietary fiber, which helps maintain intestinal health after consumption. At this stage, the baby's chewing ability and tooth development are enough to chew the tomato skin into pieces. It is recommended that mothers eat whole tomatoes without peeling them.