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Can babies eat tempeh?
Is tempeh good for babies?
Babies can start eating with cooked and mashed vegetables from 12 months on and never before, especially in the case of soybeans. Soy is an Asian vegetable with which there is some controversy about how to use it.
The main problem of soy is its content on isoflavones, substances with hormonal effects. It is not known how they might affect babies if consumed too often.
Tempeh is NOT a food especially recommended for children because it is high in phytoestrogens and it is a food with yeast.
Children from 1 year on may try tempeh occasionally, but it is preferable to try other legumes such as lentils, peas or chickpeas, or homemade burgers with lots of rice mixed with these ingredients.
How to enter tempeh?
Babies can start taking small amounts of vegetables, about 20 grams mixed with pureed vegetables, from the age of 12 months and not before, progressively, starting with peas, and lentils.
They should be prepared well crushed and mixed with puree, without leaving complete pieces, and watching for the baby not to suffer excessive gas caused by them. Once these pulses properly accepted and tolerated, we can introduce peeled chickpeas prepared in the same way.
Then, you can enter other types of vegetables like boiled soybeans and derivatives thereof and, specifically, tempeh. However, it is not mandatory that all types of vegetables must be consumed in this age group.
Choose a good quality tempeh from a reliable brand
We must be especially careful with tempeh, since it can be prepared at home, so it can easily be contaminated by a poor preparation, lack of hygiene or a bad conservation, which would have detrimental effects on the baby’s health.
What are tempeh hazards for babies?
A baby’s immune system is very immature and,for this reason, caution should be exercised with the introduction of new foods.
We should note that babies do not have their metabolism sufficiently developed and defenses are susceptible not to become strong enough against external pathogens, hence special caution in the production and food hygiene should be considered. Being a fermented product, it may harm a baby’s health.
Significantly, moreover, legumes, if not properly prepared, insufficiently cooked, or with a proper hygiene conservation, can involve choking, poor digestion, flatulence or malabsorption. This can lead to a deficit of necessary nutrients, or even to an unwanted food poisoning.
When should tempeh be entered in babies´diet?
Anyway, if you want to enter this food, it should be done in very little amounts during the first days, and after verifying the acceptance of intake of boiled soy or tofu
Preferably, it should be given in the morning or noon, so to find out in time that any abnormal reaction after ingestion may occur. Do not give it at night till it has already been tested 2 or 3 times during the day, to avoid allergic reactions during the night.
* Related information: Soy for babies
More information on tempeh.
