You can fill the vegetable gap with "garden" stocks, as well as use frozen fruits in children's nutrition. True, there are some myths about the latter, so I propose to dispel them.
Myth one: fresh vegetables are better than frozen ones
On the one hand - yes, on the other - no. If we are talking about the summer months, then, of course, it is desirable to eat fresh gifts of nature. If the conversation is about winter, then we will give preference to frozen fruits in the nutrition of children. Why? The fact is that the maximum amount of valuable and useful substances in fruits is contained in harvesting. Over time, their number decreases, and, hence, the child will receive much less vitamins than planned. And now let's remember where "fruits" come to us in winter? Morocco, Brazil, China, Chile, thus, while the long-awaited "winter" apple gets to our Russian store, it will take weeks and a half, no less. Add to this the use of preservatives and paraffins to eliminate the external shortcomings of overseas fruits, and you get a real picture.
Frozen fruit, in turn, with proper storage, retains most of the vitamins and minerals. The issue of storage, in this case, is very relevant. The frozen products have their own nuance - they can undergo the defrosting procedure once. After repeated freezing, nutrients are lost in huge quantities. To rule out the option of buying fruit that has gone through several frosts, purchase the products of those firms that supply packages with defrost indicators.
Myth Two: Frozen fruits lose their taste
If the freezing of products was correct, i.e. almost instantly, and all the storage rules were retained, then the frozen fruits have sufficient brightness and juiciness. If you want to freeze food yourself, then keep in mind some of the nuances of this process:
- Be sure to thoroughly wash the fruit, and then dry it;
- Frozen is well suited to almost all fruits, except bananas and fruits that contain a lot of water;
- Berries and sliced fruit freeze on a tray, and then pour into containers or polyethylene bags;
- Apples, pears and peaches before freezing can be sprinkled with lemon juice so that they do not darken
- Do not store frozen fruit in one compartment of the freezer, along with fish and other products.
Using the rule "fast-slow", i.e. quickly frozen and slowly thawed, for example, in the refrigerator, thereby maintaining more taste and moisture in the product, we will achieve the most beneficial effect. This is very important, especially in children's nutrition.
Myth Three: Frozen fruits lose their color
Indeed, there is an opinion that manufacturers add dyes to frozen foods to preserve their color. It's not like that at all. Again, if you go back to the processes of freezing, storing, defrosting and making sure that everything is done correctly, no artificial "colors" are needed. And why? After defrosting the fruit, it immediately becomes clear that something was "used from the outside", and you can easily return this product to the store.
Myth Four: Frozen fruits are used for fruit
All is even quite the opposite. Only good quality fruits are suitable for freezing. Even a little spoiled will have to be processed for a long time, therefore manufacturers use fresh and "strong" fruit. Even if the package contains spoiled specimens, they immediately rush into your eyes. Take the packaging safely and - to the store!
Myth number five: homemade compotes and jam more useful than frozen fruit
Of course, everything done at home seems to us more useful, but, alas, this is not always the case. Firstly, making fruit compote, we subject them to heat treatment, which in any case leads to the loss of part of the vitamins. Secondly, in the same compotes, and even more so in jam, we add sugar and citric acid. Perhaps, home preparations are more delicious than frozen fruits, but in the nutrition of children, the most important aspect is all the same good.
So, with the myths about frozen fruits, we sorted it out. Let's go on to the fruits themselves, or rather, in what form they can be frozen, and what can be done with them then.
Freeze fruits can be whole, if they are not large in size, cut and even juices and mashed potatoes. Given that we are talking about baby food, the latter option is quite easy to use. Fresh fruit can be crushed in a blender to a creamy state, transferred to a container designed for storage in a freezer and, in fact, frozen. With juices is approximately the same, but I note that the use of glass containers for storing frozen juices, in no case impossible.
You can use frozen fruits in different ways. For example, to do in winter a vitamin cocktail. Mix in the blender milk and frozen fruit set. It turns out and tasty, and useful, and quickly. Fruit salad, mashed potatoes, mousse, pudding, fruit drinks and compotes will please your child and support his health. The most common use of frozen fruits is the decoration of desserts as whole fruits, so ground, filled with food gelatin.
To summarize, I note that in the winter time the organism of the child is exposed to large loads of threats to the disease. Immunity is reduced, and, therefore, it must be maintained. A balanced diet, in this case, is one of the ways to support the well-being of your child. Frozen fruits in the winter will provide you with a good service for replenishing the stores of vitamins and microelements in your baby's body.