Mushrooms are one of the world's favorite dietary foods. They are rich in protein and many valuable micronutrients. But at what age should you start giving children food with this ingredient? Can a two-year-old child eat at least mushroom soup?
What do the doctor's say
Russian doctors strongly advise against feeding babies with mushrooms in any form. Including in the soup. And even if you have chosen the best and most environmentally friendly, in your opinion, mushroom.
Why? Firstly, it is a product that is difficult to digest. It contains the polysaccharide chitin, due to which it is poorly absorbed by the human body. For a child, especially a preschool age, it may not be possible to digest even a little mushrooms.
Second, fungi absorb contaminants from the soil as they grow. Finding completely "clean" places for picking mushrooms in nature is already very difficult. That is, even a harmless oiler or champignon cut in the forest can be fraught with harm.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to be sure of the absolute ecological purity of mushrooms bought in stores. Manufacturers claim that the product is grown in compliance with all the rules. But is it worth testing it on your child?
Third, many types of mushrooms can cause allergies.
Thus, even if you ate delicious mushroom soup and feel great, the dish may turn out to be poison for your baby.
Despite the medical warning, many people continue to feed their children with mushroom dishes. Often nothing terrible happens because of this. However, take a look at the chronicle of incidents in the summer and especially autumn. Chances are, you will find news about edible mushroom poisoning to babies.
The plot of the messages is usually similar: the whole family ate soup or other mushroom dish, everyone is healthy, and the baby or even several children ended up in the hospital. Unfortunately, sometimes this leads to the death of the child.
How old can you be?
Doctors insist that children under six should not eat mushrooms in any form at all. Some experts are spreading this recommendation for children under 12 years old. In any case, if you give mushrooms and soup from them to a schoolchild, then you need to do it with caution:
- choose the safest mushrooms: champignons, honey agarics, boletus;
- do not buy mushrooms for a child that are collected from an unknown place;
- when choosing mushrooms in the store, do not skimp. Give preference to manufacturing firms that have proven themselves well. Even if their product isn't cheap;
- cook mushroom soup strictly according to the recipe, in no case shorten the boiling time of the mushrooms;
- if the child feels unwell after eating, go to the doctor immediately.
