Experts believe that the optimal age for introducing pea soup into the baby's diet is 2 years. But it is better to use green peas as the main ingredient, because the soup from it will have a more delicate consistency.
Dishes featuring legumes are nutritious and healthy. Peas are more popular in Russian cuisine. It is a source of plant protein, valuable amino acids, antioxidants and minerals such as calcium and iron needed by the growing body. And yet, due to the difficult digestibility of peas not only by the child's body, but also by adults, children should be given pea soup with caution.
The readiness of the child's body to assimilate peas
Experts believe that the optimal age for the introduction of vegetable complementary foods is 8-9 months, but, despite the fact that peas are vegetables, this rule has nothing to do with them. You can give potatoes, zucchini, carrots, pumpkin. After 9 months, the muscular wall of the intestine is already ready to break down the coarse fiber of peas, but this process is accompanied by excessive gas formation, which can cause not only discomfort, but also pain. Therefore, pea soup should be given no earlier than 1, 5–2 years. As a rule, if at 2 years old the baby assimilates meat, liver, cottage cheese without any problems, then his body will cope with peas.
The introduction of complementary foods is so individual that in pediatrics there is such a concept as "pedagogical complementary foods", when a mother gives her baby a trial of a new product on the tip of a spoon or in the amount of one teaspoon and carefully observes the reaction. One child can happily absorb pea puree soup by the age of one year, while for another, even after three years, this dish causes rejection. The baby's behavior and reaction will tell the mother when to introduce pea soup into the diet. In any case, even for a three-year-old baby, the recipe for a traditional pea soup with pork broth or smoked ribs is unsuitable.
Features of making pea soup for a child
At first, you can try to cook just a vegetable soup without meat with the addition of peas, only peas should be taken brain green. To avoid the use of preservatives, it is best to use frozen peas, which will be soft after thawing. It is preferable to start with the introduction of puree pea soup, because the finer and softer the consistency of the pea soup, the easier the assimilation process will take place.
If the child perceives this version of the soup positively, then you can cook in meat broth, using finely chopped pieces of lean beef. When switching to regular split peas, the vegetable should be soaked in advance, 6 hours before cooking. This is not only done to speed up cooking. During soaking, a film comes off the peas and the mealy smell inherent in it will replace the aroma resembling a nut. Naturally, the taste will be somewhat different, more pleasant. Gradually, it will be possible to transfer the child to the use of pea soup, cooked for the whole family, but it is better to dilute it 2 times with vegetable broth or boiled water.
