At what age can children be given a liver? Liver dishes for children

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

When a baby is six months old, he is ready to start introducing complementary foods. After the child gets acquainted with the taste of vegetables and fruits, it is time for meat dishes. Questions arise whether it is possible to use offal in the diet and at what age children can be given liver. Some mistakenly think that the properties of the liver are inferior, for example, to meat tenderloin. However, it contains a large amount of useful and nutritious substances, which makes it very valuable for the body of babies. Properly cooked fresh liver can provide children with a daily dose of vitamins and minerals.

Liver types

In stores you can find different types of liver:

• beef (veal);
• pork;
• chicken;
• turkey liver;
• rabbit;
• much less often goose, duck liver.

Chicken, veal and turkey liver are best suited for baby food. They contain all the substances that are important for a growing organism and are easily absorbed. The value of chicken liver is sois great that some doctors recommend it for use by children without fail. You should refrain from goose and duck liver, it is too fatty and there will be no benefit from it for children's digestion. Beef Liver Pate recipe should be preferred over fish or poultry.

What is the benefit of the liver

The liver contains important vitamins and minerals such as:

• Vitamin A - strengthens eyesight, teeth, stimulates hair growth.
• Vitamin D (fat-soluble) - helps to absorb calcium, which forms a he althy skeleton against the background of the rapid growth of the baby.
• Vitamin PP involved in the production of hormones.
• Vitamin B12 - is responsible for the production of new red blood cells and the transport of oxygen in the body.
• Vitamin B9 (folic acid) - promotes the synthesis of RNA and DNA cells, the production of serotonin and dopamine, which balance the processes of excitation of the nervous system.
• Choline - improves brain activity, memory, participates in the proper formation of the central nervous system.

The liver is rich in various trace elements vital for the child - iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, potassium. They are necessary for growing up and maturation of all organs and systems. In addition, the liver contains amino acids necessary for the growing body, which are not synthesized in the body of the child.

Each type of liver additionally has its own unique properties, for example:

• Beef liver improves immunity, promotes rapid recovery afterinfections or burns. It is easy to digest, low in calories, and increases hemoglobin.
• Pork liver has a friable structure, which makes it quicker to cook and more delicate in taste. Contains phosphorus, sodium, vitamin H (biotin).
• Chicken liver is the most rich in nutrients, additionally contains ascorbic acid, selenium. Reduces the risk of anemia, increases the protective functions of the body.
• Turkey liver is similar in taste and quality to chicken, helps to strengthen the immune system.

Flaws

Each type of product has its drawbacks:

• beef liver is harsh and requires prior cleaning from the film and gallbladder duct;
• chicken offal can cause allergic reactions;
• any liver should be exceptionally fresh: when stored for a long time, toxins accumulate in it that are dangerous for the he alth of the baby;
• chicken liver is contraindicated in children with bladder diseases;
• has a specific taste that not everyone likes.

Age restrictions for children

There is no unequivocal opinion of doctors on the question of at what age children can be given a liver. It is believed that by-products should be introduced simultaneously with meat, that is, after acquaintance with vegetables and fruits. According to another opinion, the liver is somewhat harder for the baby's digestive system than meat. Therefore, it is necessary to attach to it after the introduction and assimilation of meat purees - at the age of 8-9 months.

How to enterliver in diet

Which liver should I give my child to try first? First, it is recommended to introduce veal liver, and only after that with chicken.

To prepare the first puree you need:

1. Fresh liver clean from veins, rinse thoroughly.
2. Boil a whole piece or cook in the oven for 20 minutes, without s alt. In the process of cooking, you need to change the water, that is, cook half the time in one water, half in another.
3. After the liver is ready, grind it until smooth with a blender.
4. So that the resulting porridge is not dry, you can add the broth in which the liver, breast milk or mixture was cooked. The consistency should be similar to runny mashed potatoes.

You should start trying a new dish only in a homogeneous form, in the amount of 0.5 teaspoon, increasing the portion every day until it is 70-80 grams.

When the baby gets used to the taste, you can mix the liver with broccoli or mashed potatoes. From the age of 1 year, liver dishes for a child can be prepared in small pieces, since he already knows how to chew.

How to choose the right liver

When choosing a liver for your child, you should pay attention to the following points:

1. Good appearance: even color, shiny smooth surface.
2. The presence of stains or plaque indicates a stale product.
3. It is worth buying from trusted suppliers to be sure that the animal has not been exposed toinjections with growth hormones or antibiotics. The liver is a filtering organ and is capable of accumulating negative chemicals.
4. Offal should have a slight sweet smell.

Cooking rules

Knowing how to cook chicken liver correctly for a child, you can avoid rejection due to insufficient juiciness or special taste. To make the liver soft and loved by the baby, you should follow the rules:

1. Rinse thoroughly under running water, trim fat.
2. Do not cook the liver for more than 20 minutes, it becomes tough from long exposure.

Depending on the age of the children, you can offer them the liver in the form of homogeneous souffles or pates, casseroles, small cut pieces, chicken liver fritters. Recipes for a few particularly popular dishes that children eat with great appetites are presented below.

Liver pancakes

It is preferable to cook chicken liver pancakes. The recipe is very simple:

• 500 grams of liver;
• one bulb;
• 3-4 slices of white bread soaked in milk (or 4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs);
• 3 tablespoons of sour cream;
• two eggs;
• s alt to taste.

In a blender or using a meat grinder, mix the liver, onion, bread. Add sour cream, eggs, s alt to the resulting mass. Let it brew for 20 minutes. Heat the frying pan and spread the pancakes on it with a spoon, frying on a strongfire for 3 minutes on each side. After turning, you can close the lid.

The fritters are ready, you can serve them with sour cream.

Soufflé

Great for kids liver soufflé. Ingredients:

• 200 grams of liver;
• one carrot;
• one bulb;
• 1 tablespoon semolina;
• 30 grams of milk or formula;
• one egg.

Chop onions, carrots and liver with a blender, break an egg into the mixture, add semolina and milk, mix. Put in a multicooker bowl and bake in the baking mode for 30 minutes (or place in a mold and put in an oven preheated to 180 ° C).

At what age can children be given a liver in the form of a soufflé? From 8-9 months, it is well baked, tender in texture and pleasant in taste.

Beef liver pate

The pate recipe can be varied by adding various ingredients at the request and preference of the child: carrots, onions, potatoes, meat, herbs and so on. You will need:

• 300 grams of liver;
• vegetables (carrots, onions, zucchini);
• one chicken or quail egg;
• 20 grams of butter;
• s alt to taste.

Vegetables and liver are boiled until done. After that, they are cut into pieces and ground in a meat grinder or blender to a homogeneous composition. Oil and s alt are added to the resulting mixture. The pate is ready, you can serve both with a side dish (mashed potatoes), and in the formsandwich, spreading on bread.

Braised Chicken Liver

One easy way to cook liver is to stew it with vegetables and serve with rice. Required:

• 300 grams of liver;
• one bulb;
• one carrot;
• 1 cup chicken stock.

Rinse the liver, dry with a paper towel and cut into small pieces. Grate the carrots on a fine grater, cut the onion into cubes. Put the liver in a preheated pan with vegetable oil and fry it over medium heat for 5 minutes. Then add vegetables and fry together for 10 minutes. Then pour in the broth, close the lid and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Boil rice for a side dish, make a slide out of it on a plate, put stewed chicken liver on top and pour gravy on top.

Liver dishes are tasty and he althy food for children. Cooked in the above ways, the liver becomes tender and loses its specific flavor. But deciding at what age you can give liver to children is still worth taking into account the characteristics of this product.