What Is Coriander And Is It A Good Herb For Baby?
As parent, everyone wants to spend the best thing for our children. When your child reaches the time of weaning, it will take you a lot of time to find out which foods are good for your baby. Today, more and more parents want to give their children a variety of food sources, especially herbs. And coriander is the most common herb that people use.
What is Coriander?
Coriander, also sometimes called cilantro or Chinese parsley, is an annual herb. Coriander is a type of herb with a strong fragrance and sweet smell. Therefore, it has been used in the cuisine of many countries for a long time. The use of coriander is very flexible. You can use it as an ingredient in your salads or a dish decoration.
With its popularity around the world, have you ever wondered if baby can eat coriander? The answer is YES. Why is that? To know, please continue reading.
Why Can Baby Eat Coriander?
According to The National Nutrient Database from the United States Department of Agriculture, the nutritional value in 100g of coriander is as follows:
Nutrient | Unit | Value per 100g | Nutrient | Unit | Value per 100g |
Water | g | 92.21 | Calcium, Ca | mg | 67 |
Energy | kcal | 23 | Iron, Fe | mg | 1.77 |
Protein | g | 2.13 | Magnesium, Mg | mg | 26 |
Total lipid (fat) | g | 0.52 | Phosphorus, P | mg | 48 |
Carbohydrate, by the difference | g | 3.67 | Potassium, K | mg | 521 |
Fiber, total dietary | g | 2.8 | Sodium, Na | mg | 46 |
Sugars, total | g | 0.87 | Zinc, Zn | mg | 0.50 |
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | mg | 27.0 | Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | µg | 310.0 |
Thiamin | mg | 0.067 | Vitamin A, RAE | µg | 337 |
Riboflavin | mg | 0.162 | Vitamin A, IU | IU | 6748 |
Niacin | mg | 1.114 | Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | mg | 2.50 |
Folate, DFE | µg | 62 | Vitamin B-6 | mg | 0.149 |
What Is The Effect Of Coriander On Your Baby?
As the table above shows, coriander contains a lot of nutrients. Thus, coriander can be considered natural medicine. They work against cancer, stomach disorders, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, provide antioxidants to help reduce eye diseases, fight fungal infections, antibacterial, protect the liver, possess anthelmintic properties and protection against lead poisoning and heavy metals.
However, because coriander is an herb with strong flavor, if you want your child to eat coriander, please wait until your baby is at least eight months old. The reason for this is that for children under eight months of age, the digestive system has not been fully developed.
So, if the child's diet includes too many spices or herbs, it may upset the baby's digestive system. Therefore, to avoid any risks related to your baby's health, you should only add coriander to your baby's diet when they are 8-10 months old or older.
There will be some exceptional cases that your baby is allergic to coriander. If your baby is allergic to certain foods like carrots, celery, apples, and some nuts such as peanuts, star anise, walnuts, cashews, and so on, Keep your baby away from coriander because it may cause an allergic reaction.
In the case that you accidentally give your child coriander and cause an allergic reaction, immediately take your child to the nearest hospital and consult with a pediatrician. Always be careful with new ingredients that you are going to feed your baby.How Does Your Baby Absorb Coriander?
Not every child can eat coriander directly, so here are some useful ways to add coriander to your child's diet:
Adding when cooking meals for children:
You should chop and add coriander during cooking or after cooking. However, if added during cooking, nutrients in coriander may be lost due to temperature, so it is best to add it after cooking.
Making coriander juice/ soup:
There are many ways to make juice; one is that you directly put it in the blender and squeeze it to get the juice. Remember that you must clean and cut the roots of coriander to get the best quality juice.
If children do not drink juice with 100% coriander, you can mix coriander with avocado. At first, you use a small amount so your child can get used to the taste of coriander, after a while you can increase the amount. Also, you can add lemon juice to change your child's taste.
Another way is to boil coriander to get the juice. After obtaining the liquid, use it to make soup or meal for your baby.
In addition to processing, buying and preserving coriander is also essential. About buying coriander, buying fresh coriander is quite important to buy fresh coriander because it will have the most nutrients. The best way to find fresh coriander is to smell it because fresh coriander often gives off a cool fragrance.
Do not buy coriander in large quantities, as it can easily be broken. Besides, you should store the herb in the cooler of the refrigerator.
Eight Herbs Your Baby Can Eat
Besides coriander, many other herbs are useful for children that you can refer to:
Thyme
It is an herb commonly used in the winter because it contains warming and anti-flu properties. It helps fight against anti-virus, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, fungi. With the properties of Thyme, it helps to clear nasal congestion for the baby, making it easier for them to breathe.
Mint
In contrast to thyme, mint is often used in the summer because it has a fresh, aromatic, and sweet flavor. It will be a great and refreshing ingredient for summer dishes.
Chamomile
Chamomile is an extremely benign and useful herb. With its calming properties, it can solve many health problems of children such as wound healing, immune boosting, digestive aid, and so on.
Like mint, this is a healthy herb. However, with a strong flavor, use it with moderation.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass is an herb that appears a lot in soup or tea. Lemongrass helps you avoid colds, clear the nose, and reduce diarrhea.
Lavender
Lavender helps calm the nervous system. Like Chamomile, it has an analgesic effect, anti-anxiety and anti-microbial properties.
Fennel
Fennel tastes a bit sweet. This is an excellent herb for reducing stomach pain or digestive disorders for your baby. In addition, fennel is known for relaxing muscles, and it is also useful for reducing digestive problems.
Parsley
Parsley is a nutrient supply for children who are deficient in vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron.
Conclusion
As mentioned above, coriander is very good for young children. In addition to coriander, you can use other herbs as supplements. However, consider the age of the child as well as whether the child is allergic to certain types of herb. Make sure that your baby can get the most appropriate and adequate nutrition.
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Kevin Richard is the founder of https://richardpantry.com/ He spends plenty of time in the kitchen every day because he loves cooking healthy and delicious foods for his family and friends. Cooking gives him a chance to be creative and fun. It’s also one of the most meaningful ways to express his love and take care of his little family.
