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Gluten is a vegetable protein that is found in oats and wheat, rye and barley. It is difficult to digest and assimilate, and often causes allergies, especially in babies in the first six months of life. Introducing gluten into a baby’s diet too early will lead to indigestion and stool problems.

For children's first feeding, as well as for children prone to food allergies, it is recommended to eat gluten-free cereals. In addition, they are suitable for people with problems with the intestines, intolerance to gluten and other foods, and some neurological diseases.

Porridge is introduced into infant feeding in the sixth or seventh month. First, choose gluten-free porridge with water.

Gluten-free porridges

• Buckwheat porridge rarely causes allergies, so when starting complementary feeding with porridge, it is recommended to choose buckwheat. It has high nutritional value, contains phosphorus and potassium, iron and magnesium, B vitamins and other important useful elements. This is the healthiest porridge with a low starch content, so it is easily digestible. Buckwheat has a beneficial effect on digestion, hair and nails. But children and adults are not recommended to eat buckwheat porridge with milk, since such a dish is very difficult to digest;
• Corn porridge contains a large amount of starch, but after long cooking it is easily and well digested. It eliminates intestinal problems, improves digestion and eliminates constipation, strengthens muscles and blood vessels, helps with skin diseases and hair loss. Corn grits are characterized by a reduced risk of allergies and low calorie content. It is acceptable to eat up to two times a week;
• Rice porridge is also rich in starch, although it is still easily digestible. It removes toxins and salts, cleanses and renews the body. Stimulates brain activity and strengthens the nervous system, improves the condition of hair and skin. Dairy-free rice porridge rarely causes allergies. However, cereals are not recommended for severe constipation, diabetes and increased weight. Rice is given to children from seven to eight months.

How to introduce gluten-free porridge into complementary foods

Dairy-free, gluten-free porridge is allowed for infants at the age of six months, for artificial babies at 4-5 months, and is introduced after vegetable puree. First they give buckwheat and rice, then corn grits. The consistency of the porridge should be liquid and without lumps. Therefore, after cooking, the finished dish must be chopped as much as possible.

Complementary feeding is given in the first half of the day and starts with 0.5 - 1 teaspoon, the portion is gradually increased to 150 grams. Break between introductions various types cereals should be about a week.

After the first test, carefully monitor the baby’s reaction for two days.

If symptoms of a food allergy appear, eliminate the product from your diet and consult a doctor! How to determine allergies to foods and what to do in this case, read the link http://vskormi.ru/problems-with-baby/pischevaya-allerguya-u-grudnichka/.

If there is no negative reaction, the porridge can be given further. For babies with constipation, it is better to give buckwheat, and for unstable stools - rice. The daily norm for a baby at eight months is 160-170 grams, by 10 months it increases to 180 grams, and per year - to 200.

It is advisable to make porridge for complementary feeding yourself and prepare it again before each feeding. Ready meals and any other food for small child Do not heat in the microwave or store in the refrigerator for more than a day! If necessary, food is heated in a water bath.

After eight months, the porridge is mixed with chopped vegetables, fruits and dried fruits, minced meat and fish. Closer to one year, they include dairy, gluten and multigrain cereals, if the child does not have food allergies or problems with stool.

How to cook porridge for babies

The first time I porridge for infants boiled only in water. It is important to use a minimum amount of salt and not add spices. For taste, add a little breast milk or two or three drops of vegetable oil. When preparing, keep in mind that the daily sugar intake for children under one year old is 20-25 grams, for children under three years old – up to 50 grams, and up to seven years old – up to 55 grams.

To prepare porridge, rinse the cereal thoroughly and use a metal bowl with a thick bottom. Before cooking, you can grind the cereal in a coffee grinder, then it will cook faster. The ground product is slowly added to boiling water, constantly stirring in only one direction to avoid lumps. Leave the finished dish covered for 5-10 minutes.

You don’t have to prepare the dish yourself; you can buy it ready-made. Manufacturers offer dozens different compositions and flavors of porridges for children of all ages. Before purchasing, be sure to check the composition and expiration date.

Do not take food containing fructose and sucrose, milk powder and preservatives, vanillin and other dangerous substances. During the period when your baby eats only gluten-free cereals, choose products with added calcium and vitamin D.

Choose food that is designed for your child's specific age. These data are indicated on the packaging.

The best gluten-free cereals for babies

Each manufacturer presented in the rating has undergone research and is approved for use by children in European countries and Russia. But remember that children are different and can react differently to the same product. Before choosing, consult your pediatrician. He will select the type of nutrition depending on the individual development of the child.

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Source: http://vskormi.ru/children/bezglutenovye-kashi/

Description of gluten-free cereals for baby's first complementary feeding, how to choose

Gluten is a plant protein that is present in cereal plants. It is difficult for the baby to digest and absorb.

With the early introduction of products containing this substance, there is a risk of digestive system disorders. In addition, gluten can provoke allergic reactions.

What types of gluten-free porridges are there?

The introduction of cereals into a child’s diet begins at the age of 6 months. The baby should try gluten-free ones cooked in water first. Doctors advise postponing the consumption of milk and dairy products until the baby is 10 months old.

The most suitable gluten-free cereals for complementary feeding are:

• Buckwheat. It very rarely causes an allergic reaction, is nutritious, promotes normal digestion, rich in potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, B vitamins. This cereal contains a minimal amount of starch, so the baby’s body copes well with the digestion and assimilation of this product.

• Rice. Made without milk, this product is also hypoallergenic. Pediatricians recommend introducing it as complementary foods at 7-8 months. Rice is useful for activating brain activity and strengthening the child’s nervous system. Eating rice cereal helps cleanse the body of salts and toxins. But in some cases, this product should be treated with caution: with diabetes, regular constipation, excess weight.

• Corn. Like rice cereal, it contains a large amount of starch. However, it is easily absorbed during heat treatment. The product is low in calories. The risk of developing allergies when consuming it is minimal. And the benefits that corn porridge brings to a child’s body are invaluable: digestive problems and constipation are eliminated, blood vessels and muscle tissue are strengthened. Pediatricians advise offering dairy-free corn porridge to babies no more than 2 times a week.

Which one to choose for the first complementary feeding?

The first porridge that a baby is introduced to should be dairy-free, single-ingredient, that is, consisting of one type of grain, and gluten-free.

Important: many pediatricians call buckwheat the most preferable choice for a baby’s first acquaintance with “adult” food.

Another pressing question for most mothers is whether to buy a ready-made product in a package or cook it yourself. There is no single correct answer. Each option has its pros and cons.

Advantages of home-cooked and ready-made porridges:

Flaws:

The correct answer to the question of which gluten-free porridge to choose for complementary feeding lies in the golden mean, and the most optimal choice is a combination of products sold ready-made and cooked in-house. In addition, parents should take into account the preferences of their children: some prefer homemade cereals, others prefer store-bought ones.

Introducing porridge into a baby's diet

The age at which a child can start feeding cereals is 6 months. When deciding whether this product can be given to your baby, you need to consider that:

• Vegetable purees are usually used as the first complementary food; they are given from 5 months, and only after a month can the baby eat cereals;
• for children with low body weight, with intestinal disorders, pediatricians recommend porridge as the first “adult” dish;
• If the child is large and overweight, then introduction to cereals is often postponed for 1-2 months.

It is good to start complementary feeding with gluten-free, dairy-free buckwheat porridge. For the first time, it is enough to give the child one teaspoon.

Then the portion can be increased little by little, so that after a week it is 150 grams.

After getting acquainted with buckwheat, you can move on to rice and corn cereals. And only after 2 months is it permissible to replace low-allergenic gluten-free cereals with foods containing gluten. During this period, it is necessary to carefully monitor the child’s well-being.

How to cook gluten-free porridge

To cook porridge for your baby yourself, you need to take gluten-free cereal and grind it using a coffee grinder. Then slowly pour it into a bowl of boiling water.

To prevent lumps from appearing, you must stir constantly. After 15-20 minutes of cooking over low heat, you can remove the dishes and leave the porridge covered for another 10 minutes.

For taste, you can add 2-3 drops of vegetable oil.

Important! You should not add salt or sugar to the dish, for children early age they are of no use.

For babies under one year old, the norm for sugar consumption is 20-25 grams per day. And starting from 7-8 months, you can diversify the taste of porridge with the help of fruits.

When feeding a baby, parents need to consider that:

• Not only cereals with gluten are not suitable for first feeding, but also porridges containing flour, oat or wheat infusion;
• It’s worth holding off on eating porridges made from several types of grains;
• if the product contains cookies, then it is prohibited, since in the manufacture of cookies, wheat flour containing gluten is usually used;
• When buying ready-made gluten-free cereals for your child, it is better to give preference to products with added calcium and vitamin D.

Source: https://grudnichky.ru/vopros-otvet-pediatra/bezglyuteinovyie-kashi.html

Gluten-free cereals for complementary feeding

Hello, dear readers! Lena Zhabinskaya is with you again! It is difficult to overestimate the help of relatives and beloved grandmothers in raising a healthy and strong baby. They are the ones who are wise life experience, it is often advised to start the first complementary feeding with semolina porridge. But is this right?

Unfortunately, most often young parents think about this, whose children have already encountered unpleasant consequences - increased gas production, constant screaming caused by pain in the baby’s tummy, problems with bowel movements or various allergic reactions. Gluten-free cereals for complementary feeding are designed to prevent them. .

Gluten-free products: what is it and why?

You've probably already encountered such problems when... Once again When going to the store, we looked at boxes of baby food with a special symbol – a crossed out spikelet. It is this designation that is adopted for labeling gluten-free porridges, because gluten is a protein of plant origin, which is part of the shells of some cereal crops (rye, wheat, oats).

The enzyme for its breakdown begins to be produced in the baby’s body later than 6 months or is not produced at all - in this case we are talking about an allergy to gluten, so it is quite natural that semolina (from wheat) introduced at the age of 6 months leads to the most unpleasant consequences.

Where to start and how to give

For the first complementary feeding, you can choose special “store-bought” cereals, which are replete with the shelves of pharmacies and children's stores. Their composition is balanced and ideally selected for a specific child’s body.

Moreover, each of them is hypoallergenic and incredibly easy to prepare. Or you can make your own flour from cereals at home. How? I talked about this in the article which porridge to start complementary feeding with.

Initially, you need to introduce dairy-free one-ingredient cereals into the diet, first offering the baby 2-3 teaspoons of the product, and then gradually increasing the volume.

Pediatricians advise giving gluten-free grains in the following order for both infants and formula-fed infants:

1. Buckwheat. The queen of cereals and fields contains a maximum of protein, vitamins and microelements, which is why it is ideal for first feeding.
2. Corn. Protein, iron and fiber are far from full list useful substances that are in corn grits, so offering it to your baby can and should be done.

Between the introduction of each new cereal, it is necessary to maintain a break of 2 weeks, starting acquaintance with the product only if no unpleasant consequences are detected.

The main rules and principles for the correct introduction of complementary foods can be found here.

Do you have suspicions that the baby is crying from malnutrition, and not from nutritional problems? Then it’s time to check with your pediatrician whether you can give your baby gluten-free milk porridge. Ideally, they are offered no earlier than 4 to 5 months after the introduction of dairy-free foods, but each child is individual, so minor deviations from the rules are possible under the close supervision of a specialist.

The benefits of milk are obvious: it contains vitamins, microelements, fat and protein, which, accordingly, increases its nutritional value. The principle of introducing gluten-free milk porridges does not differ from the rules for introducing other products.

Meanwhile, we have already discussed that it is many times healthier to cook porridge not with milk, but with an adapted mixture, which reduces the risk of an allergy to cow's milk and increases the nutritional value and vitamin content of the product.

By the way, cereals are not the only possible option for starting complementary feeding; read about this in the article on where to start your baby’s first complementary feeding.

Review of products from popular brands

What cereals are best to give to your baby? It's all about your own preferences and budget. Meanwhile, especially for blog readers, I found a rating of gluten-free cereals, compiled based on the products of the most popular manufacturers. You can use it.

• Nestle (Nestlé). This brand produces a huge number of children's dairy-free and milk-based cereals. And everything would be fine, but in a separate paragraph on its website the manufacturer indicated that all its products are produced on the same equipment. In other words, there may be traces of gluten in gluten-free foods. Parents of children who are at high risk of developing celiac disease need to remember this.
• Heinz (Heinz). It offers its young consumers several options for milk and dairy-free porridges, including gluten-free ones. The brand is extremely popular and has an impeccable reputation.
• Gerber (Gerber). Another manufacturer where you can find your favorite products with a range of vitamins and microelements. Their only drawback is consistency. Such porridges are very thin and are not suitable for children who prefer thick foods.
• "Frutonyanya" and "Vinny". These brands have several gluten-free options, each of which has earned rave reviews from new mothers. Moreover, they all dilute well and are characterized by the absence of lumps in their composition.
• Hipp (Hipp). There are several suitable products for little ones, including porridge with wild berries and fruits. It is worth noting that the latter can be offered to the baby only after the introduction of one-component cereals.
• "Little one." Produced under this brand whole line Gluten-free products, however, doctors do not recommend them for children with celiac disease. Simply because they may contain traces of vegetable protein, which can provoke an exacerbation.

The list of cereals allowed for babies is endless. How not to get confused in it? Read the packaging carefully, follow the instructions for preparing baby food and supervise your baby.

In the end, children's doctors say that only a mother can ultimately say for sure which cereals are best for him.

And most importantly, choose products without starch, but with calcium and vitamin D to prevent rickets and be healthy!

I’ve already told you that I’m working hard to get myself back into shape after giving birth. I do this with proper nutrition and daily physical activity. However, today I was a little sick, I felt groggy all day and had a fever, so training was out of the question.

Just for such cases, so that the day does not go completely in vain in terms of burning extra calories, I have breeches for weight loss. I put them on for a couple of hours in the late afternoon, and then watched with satisfaction the results.

Of course, elastic buttocks need to be pumped up with the help physical exercise, but breeches on their own can also remove a little volume.

Source: http://www.baby-lifestyle.ru/malysh/bezglyutenovye-kashi-dlya-prikorma.html

Why are gluten-free cereals needed in complementary foods?

Porridge is an important component of baby food. When the first feeding has taken place, the baby is familiar with vegetables and fruits, it’s time to offer porridge.

Why do you need to start with these cereals? What is gluten and how does it affect the body? When the time comes to introduce complementary foods, these questions concern all mothers. Let's take a detailed study of such an important topic together.

Why is gluten-free food preferable up to one year of age?

Gluten (gluten) is a protein of plant origin. It is found in grains of cereal plants - wheat, barley, oats, millet. This protein is absorbed by the human body and does not pose a threat to health.

However, gluten is difficult to digest. Therefore, it is not recommended for children under one year old. The digestive system is not yet strong enough to process heavy foods.

By starting complementary feeding with food that contains gluten, you risk causing the following phenomena:

• increased gas formation;
• bloating;
• painful sensations;
• stomach upset.

But that's not the worst thing. There is such an unpleasant disease as celiac disease. It is extremely rare. Still, the possibility is worth considering. With celiac disease, the body cannot tolerate gluten. People suffering from this disease are forced to adhere to special diet. In most cases, the problem is hereditary. But there are factors that can cause its development.

Caution when introducing new dishes into your diet is one way to avoid trouble. The rush to consume products containing gluten is unjustified.

The time will come, and the menu will include egg, millet, baked goods, and much more. Let everything take its course.

Introduction of cereals into the infant's diet

Porridge is a secondary complementary food. They are given vegetable and fruit purees. But in some cases, pediatricians advise starting with cereals. Indicators for the first complementary feeding in the form of porridge are:

• insufficient weight gain;
• the baby's tendency to constantly and profusely regurgitate;
• frequent occurrence of loose stools.

The optimal period for introducing the first complementary foods for formula-fed and breastfed children is slightly different. For the first - from 4 months, for the second - from 5-6 months.

Cereal porridges are a source of carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They must be on the menu after six months. As mentioned, there are three types of gluten-free cereals that are suitable for babies. The sequence of administration is as follows:

This diagram is not a template. It all depends on individual characteristics child. For example, if there is such a thing as unstable stool, rice comes first.

Complementary feeding should be started from a bottle. Consistency – liquid. Meeting time is in the first half of the day. To begin with, a minimum portion, followed by a gradual increase.

With age, you can give thicker porridge and feed the baby with a spoon. Over time, you can add variety with fruits. Multi-component cereals are introduced no earlier than the child has successfully gotten used to the above-mentioned trio.

And the main rule is freshly prepared food before each feeding.

It is permissible to prepare dairy products after a year. The first porridges are boiled in water. Store-bought ones are diluted with formula, water or breast milk.

Don't forget to take it in moderation.

Serving volume for one dose: 8 months – 140–170 grams, 10 months – up to 180–190 grams, a year and more – 200–250 grams. This does not mean that you should definitely cram the specified amount into the child. Everything is relative and individual.

If you are lucky and your baby has an excellent appetite, try not to exceed the given indicators. Don't stretch your baby's stomach.

The benefits of buckwheat porridge

Most pediatricians advise starting complementary feeding of porridge with buckwheat. Its taste is similar to mother's milk. The first time you can offer your baby such food is at 4 months.

It is even suitable for dietary nutrition. Low carb, high fiber. It extremely rarely causes allergic reactions. It is perfectly absorbed by the child's body.

Saturates and gives energy for a long time.

The product contains 18 amino acids, B vitamins, as well as PP, E. Buckwheat contains the following elements necessary for the human body: Ca, Fe, K, Cu, I, Zn, Co.

Buckwheat porridge is useful for jaundice and throat diseases. In addition, it increases the body's resistance to viruses, improves blood circulation, and has a good effect on the processes of epidermal renewal. An indispensable product for low hemoglobin.

Benefits of Rice

Rice is introduced first into the baby's menu if the child suffers from frequent diarrhea. Porridge made from rice strengthens the stomach, and the stool becomes denser. Rice porridge coats the walls of the stomach. Thanks to this process, there is no irritation. It is safe to give to a baby from 4 months, but pediatricians recommend waiting until 5 months. As a rule, young children really like the delicate taste.

Included of this product there are a huge number of micro and macroelements:

• Zn (zinc);
• Fe (iron);
• Ca (calcium);
• Na (sodium);
• K (potassium);
• Cu (copper);
• P (phosphorus);
• Se (selenium).

There are vitamins such as PP, C, E and B. There is folic acid.

Eating rice has a beneficial effect on the child’s body:

• hair grows better;
• nails become stronger;
• the skin looks healthy;
• stomach upset goes away;
• the nervous system calms down (which is important for restless toddlers).

The baby's digestive system copes well with digesting rice porridge. This product does not require active enzymatic activity.

Some mothers, fearing constipation in children, consider it necessary to be careful when introducing rice into the menu. However, this is not entirely correct. If the baby has difficulty defecating, just add a little grated apple to the rice porridge and there will be no problems. Great combination with banana. In the future, you can mix it with minced meat or fish.

Advantages of corn grits

Kids willingly eat porridge made from corn grits. Corn wealth: A, PP, H, K, C, E, B. B In addition, the body is saturated with the following elements:

• iron;
• gold;
• calcium;
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• silicon;
• nickel.

The presence of this dish on the menu has its own effect:

• strengthening the immune system;
• normalization of the gastrointestinal tract;
• sedative effect;
• positive effect on blood composition.

This is light food. It is rich in fiber and is easily digestible. It can be introduced into a baby’s diet from 6–8 months.

Fun fact: Corn is sometimes called the golden food. The fact is that corn grains actually contain Aurum, and in a form that is absorbed by the human body.

Cook it yourself or buy a factory product?

When starting to introduce porridge into your diet, you can go with two in different ways. Each mother decides for herself whether to cook on her own or buy instant powders in packs. The first option is more troublesome, the second is quick and easy. But what is healthier for a child? There is no clear answer.

Homemade food has always been considered the most delicious and high quality. However, today baby food manufacturers offer a completely worthy alternative to home-cooked food. Instant porridges are not only convenient to use.

They are adapted for children:

• made from quality raw materials;
• contains vitamins, minerals;
• the content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates corresponds to age.

Having decided to buy a store-bought product, you should not be tormented by remorse. Choosing the simpler path does not mean that you are a bad mother. The baby will be able to receive all the valuable substances in factory-made cereals. The main thing is to learn how to make purchases correctly.

1. Always check the expiration date on the packaging. Make sure the date is not blurred. The numbers must be clear.
2. Study the composition carefully. It must be on a pack of porridge.
3. Give preference to a well-known, reliable manufacturer.
4. Don't skimp on children's health. Buy cereals of appropriate quality.
5. Pay attention to the designation, from what age is permissible for use.

If you still want to pamper your child with homemade porridge, you should learn how to cook it. You can pre-grind the cereal, turning it into flour. All that remains is to throw the required amount into boiling water, boil a little, cover with a lid and leave for a while. There is another way. You need to cook the liquid porridge in the usual way, and then grind it using a blender.

No added sugar or salt. A little oil is allowed closer to a year. You can improve the taste of a dish with fruit.

Assortment of store-bought cereals

Many manufacturers produce gluten-free cereals. Which ones are the most popular? Most parents trust brands from the following list:

1. The assortment includes dairy-free organic porridges such as buckwheat, rice, and corn. They are enriched with vitamins, do not contain sugar and are easily digestible. Provides a feeling of fullness for a long time.
2. There are three varieties of low-allergenic, gluten-free porridges to choose from. 12 vitamins and 4 minerals included in the composition give the baby energy and good health. No artificial additives.
3. Buckwheat porridge contains prebiotics, as well as a complex of substances necessary for the child’s body. The base is dry milk mixture. There are no preservatives or dyes. Strengthens the immune system and does not cause gastrointestinal disorders.
4. Baby sitter. Balanced composition. All three types are available. Rice and buckwheat are recommended from 4 months, corn - from 5 months.
5. Safe for babies. Instant fortified porridges made from buckwheat and rice flakes are offered. Minerals present. High fiber content. No lactose, gluten, sugar, GMOs, preservatives.
6. Grandma's basket. Starting from 4 months, a choice of buckwheat and rice, corn - from 5 months of age. Enriched with prebiotics: inulin and oligofructose. This is beneficial for the intestinal microflora. Composition matches high standards quality.
7. Vinnie. The assortment includes dairy-free buckwheat, dairy buckwheat, rice with prebiotics, rice-corn with banana, and dairy corn. Some cereals can be consumed as early as 4 months, while some need to wait until six months. Composition adapted for small children.
8. Frutonyanya. A large selection of dairy-free and milk porridges, as well as with various additives (apples, apricots, peaches). Components only natural origin plus a set of vitamins.
9. BelLact. Buckwheat porridge from this manufacturer can be included in the diet from 4 months and after a month you can try rice-buckwheat with prunes. The products are made from selected raw materials, do not contain harmful compounds, and are enriched with vitamins. They are perfectly absorbed and do not cause allergies.
10. Agusha. Buckwheat and rice-corn porridge are suitable for complementary feeding (from 6 months). Look for prebiotic content on the packaging. Some products are created specifically for use before bed - “Go to sleep.” Disadvantage: contains sugar.

Whether you buy cereals and do the cooking yourself, or opt for the products of one of the brands - this is a personal decision for each mother. The main thing is that the child receives all the substances necessary for growth and development. Gluten-free cereals are the first step to adult food.

The older your little one, the more varied the menu. If everything goes smoothly, after a year he will be able to eat almost all grains. If you have the slightest doubt about further actions regarding nutrition, you can always consult your pediatrician.

Concern for the health of children should always remain in first place.

Here's an article that might help.
The first complementary food is porridge:

WHAT PORRIDGE SHOULD I GIVE?

Let's take a closer look at which cereals are best given as first complementary foods and why.

There are several types of porridges:

1. Dairy-free

a. Gluten-free
b. gluten-free

2. Dairy.

a. Gluten-free
b. gluten-free

Here I will consider only dairy-free cereals, and I will explain why below.

Of the cereal crops, the most allergenic are rye and wheat. Allergic reactions are caused by the following cereal proteins: gluten, found in wheat and rye; hordein in barley; avenin in oats. Malt made from barley also contains gluten. Grains can cause both true food allergies and celiac disease (gluten enteropathy).

That is why the first porridge for a baby must be gluten-free - rice, buckwheat or corn porridge (by the way, one of components regular corn porridge - corn starch, which is 80% gluten. Therefore, when talking about corn porridge, I mean industrially produced porridge specifically for children, and not ground corn, which is also called “polenta”). As I already wrote above, other porridges: oatmeal, semolina, millet, barley, etc. contain gluten and are not suitable as a first complementary food.

It is best to cook porridge in water, but it is allowed, if the baby is breastfed, to cook porridge with expressed mother’s milk. The same applies to artificial ones - it is permissible to cook porridge with the mixture that the baby usually consumes.

If your baby has a tendency to constipation, then it is advisable to start complementary feeding not with rice porridge. Best with buckwheat. Although they say that buckwheat is very allergenic, this needs to be determined by the child. If you are prone to allergies, then start complementary feeding with rice; if you have constipation, then start with buckwheat. If you are prone to allergies and constipation at the same time, then start complementary feeding with corn, and then introduce oatmeal.

So, the following porridges are most suitable for first feeding:

ABOUT MILK PORGEAS

Separately, I would like to talk about milk porridges and why I recommend only dairy-free porridges for the first and subsequent complementary foods. In my opinion, it is not worth buying them, since it is unknown what kind of milk powder was added there and the fruit there is clearly not fresh and natural. A baby may develop an individual reaction to milk porridge, while there may be no reaction to dairy-free porridge from the same company (or another company). It is best to always buy only dairy-free porridge, and then, at your discretion, add the milk mixture to which the baby is accustomed and, if desired, add fresh fruit to improve the taste of the porridge and for variety, you can also add vegetable puree. Then the likelihood of a reaction occurring is minimized. I personally know many children who ate gluten-free dairy-free porridges and there was no reaction, but as soon as their mothers bought gluten-free milk porridges with various fruit additives from the same companies as the dairy-free porridges, the child immediately had a negative reaction to this porridge. The reaction was either to the milk powder included in the porridge, or to fruits added to it (apple, banana), or to both fruit and milk powder at the same time. Now it’s difficult to figure out what the reaction was to. But what is known for sure is that everything went away as soon as mom stopped milk porridge and switched to dairy-free porridge (on breast milk, water or mixture).

It is also strictly not recommended to make porridge with cow's milk for at least a year!
Previously, there were no normal formulas and babies were fed cow's milk and made into porridge. But the fact is that in breast milk and the most adapted formulas (close in composition to breast milk) the ratio of whey protein and casein is somewhere around 60% to 40%. In undiluted cow's milk and fermented milk products made from it, the protein content is twice as high, and the ratio of whey protein to casein is 20% to 80%. Young children's kidneys are unable to handle excess sodium, which is probably why nature has made breast milk a very low-sodium diet (only 5 mg sodium per 235 g, compared to 120 mg in cow's milk). Therefore, cow's milk is poorly digested, creating an increased load on the baby's kidneys and metabolic system.

Cow's milk does not contain all the nutrients that a child needs in the first months of life, and, as I wrote above, it contains significantly more salt and protein than breast milk or formula, and this excess causes excessive stress on the kidneys It also lacks iron. Babies who are fed exclusively on cow's milk, as well as those who receive an artificial formula that is not fortified with iron, require iron supplements in the form of vitamin-mineral drops (later, iron-fortified porridge can compensate for the lack of this element). In addition, cow's milk causes slight bleeding in the intestines in some infants. Although blood is passed through the stool and is usually not visible to the naked eye, bleeding poses a health risk to the baby because it can lead to anemia.

I still give my daughter (she’s a little over two years old) dairy-free porridge, without sugar or salt. I cook it in water, then add a little mixture and, if desired, banana, apple, peach, etc. Until the age of 1 and 4, I made porridge only with water, and then I started adding an age-appropriate mixture (we use Frisomel, Nanny, Enfamil Junior). Until she was a year old, she ate porridge without fruit, without milk, salt and sugar. Having tried porridge from many companies (we tried almost all companies), we decided on porridge from Baby Sitter.

ABOUT THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF PORRIDGE

Buckwheat has the greatest nutritional value. In second place nutritional value There are cereals that are produced from oats. Made from wheat semolina, it contains relatively little fiber, is rich in vegetable protein and starch and is very well digestible. True, the content of vitamins and minerals in it is much lower than in buckwheat and oatmeal. Rice is the most rich in starch cereal, but it contains little vegetable protein, and it is relatively poor in minerals and vitamins. Due to its low fiber content, rice is easily digested and absorbed, so it can be given to babies who have digestive problems. Millet is produced from millet. In terms of its nutritional properties, it is inferior to other cereals because it is difficult to digest. However, millet contains more phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and especially iron than semolina and rice. Pearl barley and barley are made from barley. They are relatively rich in potassium, phosphorus, and iron. However, they contain a lot of fiber, they are difficult to digest, and it is better not to give them to babies. Corn grits are rich in starch, have little phosphorus and calcium, but enough iron and vitamin PP.

HOW TO GIVE?

Under no circumstances should you give even the smallest child porridge from a bottle. It’s better to make thin porridge and give it from a spoon, let the baby eat a little, but eat it right! For a baby, the amount of food at the first feeding is not so important; for him, it is still only an introductory, trial, and not satiating. When feeding from a bottle, food does not pass through, which negatively affects the digestive process. The fact is that the baby’s saliva contains special enzymes – amylase and lysozyme. When food enters the baby’s mouth from a spoon, it manages to be completely, so to speak, saturated with saliva, and enters the stomach already thoroughly “soaked” with saliva. And amylase greatly promotes digestion and breakdown of food. Already in the stomach, it helps to quickly break down food into smaller components and thereby promotes faster digestion. When a baby is given food from a bottle, it does not have time to become saturated with saliva and almost immediately goes into the throat, without lingering in the mouth. Thus, it enters the stomach without primary treatment with amylase.

To reduce a possible allergic or other reaction to porridge to a minimum, you need to introduce porridge (and any other product) as carefully as possible, especially if the baby is prone to diathesis, allergies, constipation, diarrhea, etc.

Offer a new porridge at the end of feeding, if possible mix it with old familiar food to the child. If you are breastfeeding, then let your baby take each new complementary food with the breast (at his request, of course), this will help the baby digest and assimilate a new product for his gastrointestinal tract. If the baby is bottle-fed, then it is optimal to give a little familiar mixture after introducing a new product. If this is not the baby’s first complementary food, then mix the porridge with “old” (familiar to the child) food.

This is done to prepare the gastrointestinal tract for new food, so that it is easier for the enzymatic systems, intestines, and stomach to work, digesting “familiar food.” By introducing complementary foods at the end of feeding, you will not “take the child by surprise” and will not harm him.

The smaller doses you start with complementary feeding, the better. The smaller the initial amount of porridge, the slower it increases, the less likely it is for diathesis to occur.

WHEN TO GIVE?

The introduction of porridge into a baby’s diet depends only on the baby himself and his mother. Traditionally, if the baby is underweight, if the baby is thin, then it is advisable to start complementary feeding with cereals. If the baby is chubby, if he has a slight (or large) excess weight, then it is best to start complementary feeding for such a baby with mono-vegetable puree.

The time of day for introducing porridge is not of fundamental importance. Traditionally, porridge is given either in the morning or for dinner. But for the first feeding it is better to choose the morning time in order to see during the day what the baby’s reaction to the new product will be. If you give a new product at night, you may not notice it. When you have already introduced porridge into your child’s diet and are sure that the baby reacts normally to it, you can give the porridge at night (or leave it like that in the morning).

IF YOUR BABY REFUSES PORridge

Unfortunately, not all kids love porridge; many simply refuse to eat it. If your child is one of them, don’t insist, try to outsmart him: change the appearance of the dish or choose a replacement in the form of a different porridge.

As for older children, prepare them vegetable and fruit porridges, such as rice or millet with pumpkin, oatmeal with apples, fruit and rice pilaf. It is very useful to make casseroles from various cereals with cottage cheese, fruits (fresh and dry) or vegetables.

It is permissible to add some fruit or cottage cheese to the first porridge to change the appearance and taste of the porridge. It is not advisable to add sugar or fructose or salt to the first porridge. If you want to sweeten the porridge a little, it’s better to add a banana, peach or some other fruit. But, of course, it would be better if the baby’s first porridge were without additional additives - just cereal and water (milk or formula). Children usually eat porridge very well if you add canned fruit puree to it. You yourself know how varied fruit purees are on the baby food market, so there shouldn’t be any problems with the choice.

Idea: when you have introduced different cereals to your baby and want some variety, try mixing different cereals with each other - you will get a very original dish. I myself, and my daughter too, really fell in love with rice-buckwheat porridges (the proportions of the porridges depend on the taste), rice-oatmeal and buckwheat-oatmeal. It’s very tasty to add cottage cheese to buckwheat porridge. From the age of one year and 8 months, I sometimes started adding a little juice to my porridge.

Hello, dear friends!

Without cereals, or rather, without porridges, for me personally, it’s difficult to imagine a healthy menu.

In addition to the fact that porridge is both an independent dish and an excellent side dish “for all occasions”. It is very tasty, and the main thing here is to choose “your” porridge and cook it correctly.

And most importantly, cereals contain a lot of useful substances that have the most in a positive way on our health and well-being.

The “catch” is that most of the cereals we are used to, from which we prepare porridge, contain gluten. And in this article, we discussed in detail the topic of what gluten is, why it is dangerous, and to whom it is dangerous.

BUT there are cereals that do NOT contain gluten, there are quite a lot of them, and the porridges made from them turn out incredibly tasty and healthy!

I invite you to get acquainted with their list and discover a lot of interesting things.

Get inspired to prepare a new dish from gluten-free cereals, which will expand your usual diet a little more, add new taste sensations, and will definitely have a positive effect on your well-being and appearance!

So, what is included in the list of gluten-free cereals, and what nuances are useful to know when faced with a choice?

From this article you will learn:

Gluten Free Cereals - Detailed List

And if you are still convinced that “gluten-free food is too limited in choice,” then I take the liberty to convince you of this!

I hope I can do it.

“Soup cabbage soup and porridge are our food!”

Porridge is not a “newfangled trend of the century.” They began to be prepared a very long time ago; many centuries ago they already existed and formed the basis of human nutrition.

Despite the fact that in recent years they have faded into the background due to potatoes (the statistics here are depressing, of course...), in Lately their use is steadily growing, and this, of course, only makes me happy, as a “true healthy lifestyle person.”

Porridges, although slowly, but more and more confidently, are returning to their rightful place on our tables.

The good news is that they are no longer just an “addition to meat,” as was the custom quite recently, but are becoming the main ingredient of dishes.

And all because porridge - or rather, cereals - is a self-sufficient product.

By flavoring the finished porridge with a portion of healthy fats, we get a balanced, tasty and easily digestible dish.

Many cereals do not contain the protein gluten and can be eaten by people intolerant to gluten.

Question: “Is it possible to feed such cereals to children, or are these cereals a purely “adult” food option?”

Answer: “It’s not only POSSIBLE, but it’s also very NECESSARY!”

List of the most famous gluten-free cereals

First, let's briefly list it to indicate:

• corn,
• millet (millet),
• corn,
• amaranth,
• hemp,
• quinoa,
• teff,
• oatmeal.

Yes, you noticed correctly: this list includes not only cereals, but also seeds.

My task is to show you what you can use to make porridge, so these seeds rightfully occupy places among the “cereals”, and these places are worthy!

Many you already know well and most likely cook, and some may be a revelation to you.

And, nevertheless, if in our country they are just becoming more or less popular, then abroad they have long been included in the diet of patients with celiac disease.

And now in more detail about the cereals listed above - familiar and not so familiar.

The order of priority is free, that is, I did NOT adhere to the ranking!

Gluten-free cereals - rice

Rice is a familiar, familiar, and for many even an everyday food product.

Does rice have gluten?

Unlike the case with, the answer is clear: no. Rice is completely safe for people whose bodies do not accept gluten.

It cannot be said that rice has any “outstanding” beneficial properties. It contains very moderate amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Healthy product? You can say this - definitely NOT harmful. When used in moderation.

It is better, of course, to exclude white (polished) rice completely, and instead introduce unpolished (brown, brown, wild) rice into the diet - due to the preservation of its integrity, it contains much more more benefit. Moreover, by soaking unpolished rice, you can rid the grain of phytic acid, which cannot be done with polished white rice.

If you have problems with digestion and timely bowel movements, then it is better to exclude rice altogether, especially white rice.

Whole rice does not have such a pronounced strengthening effect as white rice, but in the case of bad work It’s better not to use it anyway.

By the way, many people intuitively feel what foods they need and what they should not eat, and rice is not liked mainly by those who have difficult digestion, so listen to YOURSELF, first of all!

Rice prepared in a special way (with preliminary long-term soaking and washing), and consumed without salt and oil on an empty stomach, while following a certain diet, is one of the detox methods that helps cleanse the body and removes a huge amount of toxins from the blood and internal organs.

Every housewife probably knows how to use rice:

• first courses (soups) with rice,
• side dishes (porridge, pilaf, rice with legumes, etc.),
• sweet and salty casseroles,
• fillings for pies, pancakes, pies,
• fillings for stuffed peppers, zucchini, cabbage rolls and baked tomatoes,
• vegetable stew with rice,
• rice cutlets,
• sweet (porridges, salad ingredients)
• Another option for eating rice is rice noodles.

There are plenty of options.

Buckwheat

An incredibly healthy cereal that does not contain a single gram of gluten.

By the way, buckwheat is NOT a cereal crop, which contains a huge amount of the nutrients our body needs most - a real salvation for those who avoid gluten in their diet.

Cereals, to which, directly and figuratively, you won’t find fault.

It does not form mucus in the body, which accumulates in the body from eating many cereals, and because of which we have frequent runny noses, colds, decreased immunity, inflammatory processes in internal organs, skin rashes, swelling and pain in the joints.

Moreover, buckwheat reduces signs of inflammation, lowers blood sugar, facilitates the functioning of all internal organs, and promotes weight loss, as it itself is an excellent detox product.

It is easy to digest, easy to prepare, filling and tasty.

We know buckwheat mainly in fried form.

Brown buckwheat is roasted buckwheat grains, which already have a richer and stronger taste. The downside of roasting is the reduction in the benefits of this grain + the impossibility of getting rid of phytic acid, since all grains need to be soaked before cooking.

The solution is to eat green buckwheat more often.

You can boil it, you can simply soak it for several hours, you can germinate it. Many people love porridge made from green buckwheat.

The slight “sliminess” of green buckwheat is beneficial for the sensitive digestive tract - it has enveloping and protective properties:

• Using sprouted/soaked buckwheat, you can prepare a huge variety of smoothies and sauces, as well as add it to tabbouleh-type salads.
• Brown buckwheat can be used to make soups and side dishes.
• The ideal combination of buckwheat, vegetables and mushrooms is a win-win option!
• Ready-made crumbly brown buckwheat can be added to salads, pates with vegetables, nuts and mushrooms (try it, it’s very tasty!).
• If you don’t mind frying, then try fried onions and carrots in addition to buckwheat - it turns out to be a completely independent hearty and tasty dish.
• Any meat and fish, as well as seafood, will go well with buckwheat.
• The ideal dressing for buckwheat would be: vegetable oil, and butter (or ghee), as well as any of your favorite sauces, for example, creamy tomato (cream can be either cow’s or vegetable).
• Buckwheat is used to make cutlets (grechaniky), casseroles, and bake buckwheat bread.
• From green sprouted or simply soaked buckwheat, you can prepare many sweet cream desserts, which are not only absolutely harmless, but also incredibly healthy.
• As an option: green buckwheat + any berries, fruits + soaked sesame and flax + a little honey. Beat in a blender. The consistency of the cream is easily obtained from flax, and the “creaminess” comes from sesame seeds (pre-soaking them will remove the bitterness). You can add coconut cream, or make this dessert with vegetable (the same coconut milk). I want to make a reservation right away: if you are lazy and don’t pre-soak the buckwheat and sesame with flax, you will get a completely different taste of the dessert, which will have a “mealy” taste ( from buckwheat) and bitterness (from flax and sesame).

Choose organic green buckwheat - it's a little more expensive than NON-organic, but the taste is completely different, and it's worth it either way!

For many, sweet buckwheat is associated only with cow's milk - the taste of childhood, when milk, sugar and butter were added to buckwheat - and, if without milk, then only salted.

Try cooking brown buckwheat with fruits, dried fruits and nuts. Add ghee or butter.

Not sweet? Add a spoonful of honey. If you want creaminess, add plant milk or coconut cream. This sweet porridge is enjoyed by children who don’t want to eat usually prepared buckwheat.

All vegetables go well with cooked buckwheat dishes - both fresh, in the form of salads, or cut into pieces, and cooked - stewed cabbage, vegetable stew, steamed broccoli, and much more. As for greens, anything will do, fresh dill is especially good, the combination of taste and aroma of buckwheat and dill is 100%.

Buckwheat is used to make pasta and spaghetti.

They can be found in a regular supermarket, or in specialized health food stores, and online stores.

The main thing is to carefully read the ingredients on the back of the package: it should contain only buckwheat flour, and not buckwheat + wheat, for example. Very often you can find a pack with the inscription “buckwheat noodles,” for example, and on the back side - the composition - it will be indicated that it also contains wheat flour.

It’s the same story with store-bought buckwheat bread.

It says “buckwheat bread” (or bread, for example), but it contains wheat flour. The situation is even more complicated with those bakery products that are produced directly in the supermarket kitchen.

Yes, freshly baked products are fragrant and incredibly inviting, but there are no “findings” to be found there - how, what, from what, etc. There is no guarantee, but there is a lot of risk.

Do you think that without adding wheat flour the product will not hold its shape? Yes, you can find a lot of such information now.

Then get ready - I’m about to “disappoint” you: you CAN make delicious absolutely gluten-free buckwheat bread in the form of wheat flour! At home, with your own hands, with a minimum of time and products. Moreover, this bread has NO baker's yeast, no added sugar, no eggs, no milk or kefir.

And it is incredibly soft and fluffy, with a hole all over it. And most importantly, it is not made from flour. You and I will prepare buckwheat bread from whole buckwheat groats, namely green buckwheat!

The recipe will be in the next article.

Gluten-free cereals - corn grits

Corn grits, and therefore dishes prepared from them, are an absolutely gluten-free product. Don't even doubt it!

Corn grits are ground corn kernels.

Yes, this is a minus - that it is NOT whole, and is inferior - in terms of nutrient content - to its other “colleagues”.

But it’s still worth diversifying the menu with its help - it’s tasty and healthy. It supplies the body with complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins A and selenium.

Its properties are similar to semolina (that is, not particularly “salty-healthy”), but in any case it is - great option to expand your diet. In addition, it is easily digestible, gentle and versatile.

For people on a gluten-free diet, the desire to eat pasta is often very strong.

Or there is a need to bread something. Then corn comes to the rescue.

Choose pasta made from corn flour, breaded in finely ground corn grits - it’s tasty and unusual!

How to use corn grits:

1. Cook soups: any soups are good with it - regular and pureed soups, vegetable ones - including
2. Cook porridge: corn porridge is both an excellent side dish and a completely independent dish: milk porridge (with vegetable or animal milk), porridge with butter, salty or sweet porridge - corn is universal! Absolutely any vegetables (if the porridge is salty) or fruits and berries (if the porridge is sweet) are suitable for porridge.
3. Bake bread, muffins, cookies, cook pancakes.

Corn grits can be cooked in a saucepan, steamed, in a slow cooker, or in the oven.

Let's prepare a very simple and incredibly tasty dish - baked corn porridge with tomatoes and cheese:

• Let's cook corn porridge (if desired, add milk and butter, both vegetable and animal, salt, spices), add grated cheese (vegetable or animal - any will do), mix, transfer to a baking dish. You can place pieces of melted butter on top - it will be very tasty.
• Bake in a well-heated oven for 10 minutes, then take it out, place thin tomato slices on top, chopped basil, sprinkle with grated cheese if desired and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
• You can add mushrooms to the dish (or on top of it) - both fresh and already fried, as well as any vegetables you wish and your preferences - corn porridge is in harmony with many vegetables.
• If you don’t use any cheese, cook without it. A dish made from corn grits will hold its shape in any case - both without cheese and without eggs. Let's say add vegetables. Or in general - make sweet baked corn porridge - with fruits and berries, nuts, melted butter or coconut, vegetable milk or cream, then pour it with honey or syrup - it will be incomparable, really!
• And you won’t want any sweet pie made from white flour!

Millet (millet)

This ancient cultivated plant has been known to Asians and Africans for more than 5 thousand years, and it still remains the main food product third of the world's population.

At the same time, in the USA and in Western Europe millet was used mainly as feed for livestock and poultry.

But in recent years, due to the widespread craze healthy eating, this protein- and carbohydrate-rich cereal is beginning to enter the daily diet of Europeans and Americans, who call it by the Russian word proso.

It is a good source of protein and complex carbohydrates, fiber, beta-carotene, vitamin E and B vitamins, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and lecithin.

It is one of the few grains that is alkaline and balances the adverse effects of acidic foods such as meat, dairy, sugar and white flour.

Millet porridge is rich in silicon, which is necessary for healthy skin, hair and nails, and also prevents atherosclerosis and lowers cholesterol levels, plays important role in the process of bone mineralization and prevents their decalcification.

This is an easily digestible product, it is well suited for restoring strength, providing the body with the nutrients it needs.

Several types of cereals are obtained from millet:

1. Millet-dranets, i.e. whole grains, freed only from flower films. This cereal has an intense yellow, characteristic shine and bitter aftertaste.
2. Polished millet - only grain kernels, completely cleaned. It is lighter than millet-dranet and does not shine.
3. Crushed millet. This is a by-product of millet processing, namely crushed kernels.

How to use:

• millet is boiled as a side dish,
• stewed with meat and vegetables,
• they make casseroles out of it,
• prepared independently in the form of porridge - sweet and salty,
• prepare soup with this grain.

Millet cereal is very unpretentious and goes well with almost all vegetables and fruits. Both onions and garlic, as well as all spices - from hot to sweet - are ideal for it.

Bread is baked from millet flour.

Interesting to know:

• Kazakhs love “nauruz-kozhe” - millet fermented with katyk.
• Ukrainians often prepare kulesh - liquid millet porridge with lard, sunflower oil, cracklings, onions, garlic and herbs.
• In the Caucasus, until the beginning of the twentieth century, the main food was hard millet porridge - “basta”.

The not very expressive taste of this porridge is actually its advantage!

Thanks to this property, it “works” well as a base for meatless burgers and pates, a component of soups, salads (with pesto and other sauces - absolutely fire!), as well as for desserts (for example, millet pudding - a delicious thing!), and sweet dishes for breakfast (with fresh and dried fruits, nuts and cinnamon - a favorite!)

Gluten-free grains - quinoa

Originally from South America, and today it is valued more and more, and deservedly so:

1. The big advantage of this gluten-free grain is that it supplies proteins in the form of all the essential amino acids. It is also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, vitamins A, C, E and group B.
2. Take note: quinoa grains contain saponins that protect plants from pests, so there is no need to use chemical pesticides when growing this crop!
3. In addition, they exhibit anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory effects, and stimulate the immune system.
4. Quinoa is easily digestible and has a low glycemic index, making it suitable for diabetics. It is especially recommended for the prevention of not only diabetes, but also cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
5. Its only “minus” is its price, which is significantly higher than other cereals.

How to use: prepare porridges, soups, side dishes with vegetables, add to salads, pates and casseroles, prepare fillings with this cereal (instead of rice, for example).

Quinoa is also used to prepare pasta, only here they are not yet very widespread, but in the USA they are already being produced at full speed.

Quinoa is suitable in all recipes that call for rice, couscous or bulgur: feel free to substitute quinoa for these products if you wish.

Quinoa is mixed with fruits and berries - it is wonderful in desserts, puddings and sweet casseroles.

Quinoa can be sprouted and eaten instead of oatmeal/muesli in the morning - with nuts, berries, chia seeds and honey - the healthiest breakfast!

Secret “subtleties” of cooking quinoa:

• To enhance the aroma of raw quinoa seeds, they are fried in oil or without oil - then the dish will smell divine of nuts
• Sometimes quinoa tastes bitter because it is covered with a layer of saponins (substances of plant and animal origin, found in many medicinal plants). In order to get rid of bitterness, the cereal should be soaked for several hours, rinsed and then cooked.

Quinoa with black beans.

This is an incredibly satisfying, tasty, aromatic, delicious, and generally very worthy dish:

• You need to soak black beans overnight (quinoa can also be soaked separately), rinse and boil until tender, adding a pinch of soda (for better digestibility without bloating).
• Rinse the soaked quinoa and place in a sieve.
• Onions, carrots and sweet bell pepper fry in coconut or ghee. If you are against frying, no need to fry, simmer, it will be delicious!
• Add beans and quinoa, pour in a little water or vegetable milk (you can use cream) - it turns out even tastier, bring to a boil, cover with a lid, cook over very low heat until tender.
• Five minutes before the end, add spices and salt.
• For spices, try using cumin, cayenne and black pepper, and dried cilantro if you like. In general, spices can be anything, the main thing is that you like them.
• You can experiment with tomatoes and mushrooms - they are very good here!
• The beauty of this dish is that it is delicious both hot and cold. It goes extremely well with avocado (as a cold option), try it!
• If you like garlic, add it, it will be just right!

Gluten-free grains - amaranth

“Food of the Gods”, I love it!

Did you know that amaranth is a “relative” of quinoa and... spinach? Yes, he also belongs to the same family!

A few years ago it was still practically unknown, but today it is gaining more and more popularity, and this is encouraging.

The cereal is easily digestible, very rich in protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron, calcium and phosphorus.

Supplies the body with an unlimited amount of antioxidants and mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, lowers high blood pressure, reduces the risk cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes

Available in the form of grains and in the form of ready-to-eat popping (that is, puffed grains).

How to use amaranth: as an ingredient for salads, pancakes, pancakes, casseroles and puddings. Bread, cereals, cutlets, side dishes with vegetables, and soups are prepared from amaranth. It's ideal in grain mixtures - for example, millet + amaranth, quinoa + amaranth, rice + amaranth - you might like it!

Amaranth is good in both salty and sweet form, so raisins, nuts, berries or fruits, cinnamon + boiled amaranth - and you have a complete breakfast or snack ready.

Amaranth, like all whole grains, should be soaked before use.

It can also (and even NEED!) be sprouted, then added to salads and all kinds of smoothies with fruits, berries and herbs.

Secret “subtleties” of preparing amaranth:

• Amaranth has very small grain crumbs, and they stick to each other and also stick to the bottom of the pan. Therefore, it is better to cook this cereal in a non-stick pan or steam it,
• Amaranth contains a lot of oil, so it is recommended to store the finished boiled cereal in a glass container (preferably dark color) in the refrigerator - then the healthy fatty acids in it will not give a rancid taste. And best of all – cook for one time!

Sorghum, sago, teff

Little known, little widespread.

If you don’t find it, it doesn’t matter, you won’t lose much: all the gluten-free cereals listed above are much healthier and are not inferior in taste.

There are a couple more gluten-free “cereals”.

These are hemp and flax, and in quotes - because hemp and flax are not cereals, not grains, but seeds.

And yet, they deserve our obligatory attention and use. These are very healthy products and should definitely be in our diet, and at the top of the list!

Read about them in the next article. There will also be a recipe for buckwheat bread without adding wheat flour.

I think, friends, you are already convinced that a gluten-free diet is a huge number the greatest variety?

Gluten-free cereals exist!

Then read a couple more recipes from flax and hemp, and also try to bake buckwheat bread, and write your impressions and thoughts in the comments, I will be very interested!

See you all soon!