Why did I start with ''Friday - a fish day''? I think, it has something to do with Christianity and as well as fishermen used to sail to fish for the whole week and normally came back on Friday, before the weekend with the fresh fish.
Fish for the baby. I have introduced fish to Benjamin at around his 9th month as he did not show any signs of having allergies so far. Fish is considered as a possible allergen for little ones. We have started with a white fish, just sadly frozen one. Austria is not very rich in fish choice in the shops. So I had to go with what it is there. And he loved it!
I have heard that some babies refuse to eat fish. I would say OK, just think of something to change a necessary Omega 3 which comes from the fish. Linseed oil can be an option. My younger sister started eating fish only when she turned 18, I think. She always didn't like the fishy smell. My son's face was not the happiest one as well after tasting fish, but I think with the right ingredients it is yummy and of course healthy! Coming back to the Omega 3... fish is a great source of that! Omega 3 is important for brain and eye development. Fish is saturated with vitamin D, protein and other nutrients. One factor that was worrying me was the mercury level in the fish, so I have got deeper into it.
Mercury levels. I really did not know about mercury levels in the fish before, that it is a concern and has impact on your health. So literature recommends starting with fish by following tables and charts which show mercury levels in the different fish. How do fish get that mercury? Shortly, mercury is everywhere. It is in the air as well, so when air particles set down, it goes into the water as well, and from the water to the fish.
''Almost all fish and shellfish contain some mercury, but large predator fish accumulate the most. That's because predator fish eat other fish – fish that have absorbed mercury themselves. And the bigger the predator fish, the more fish it eats. Larger fish also tend to live longer than smaller fish, so there's simply more time for mercury to build up in their bodies (quote babycenter.com) ''.
As mercury is a metal, it can have some negative effect on brain and nervous systems. There is a lot of debate about how much mercury is harmful for people, but definitely it has a bigger impact on children as they are so little and their systems are still developing. So basically it is recommended to choose fish with low mercury levels. In my head, you don't feed your baby with fish every day (I hope so), so it can't have such a huge impact, especially that most of the fish in supermarkets come from farms not wild waters. Anyways, it is good to be cautious and have a knowledge. So I use this table which shows which fish is rated as having a lot of or a little bit of mercury and just normally use it in a shop while buying fish. Maybe it will be useful to someone: https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/walletcard.pdf (2nd page).
Implication - don't cook tuna steak for your baby :)
I have got into a habit of preparing a fish dish once a weak for Benjamin and he seems to love it. Fish that he is eating now is mainly white fish and salmon. Few tips while preparing fish for a baby:
a. of course, check for bones!!! I always double check after it's cooked.
b. make sure fish is not bad, if you have any doubts, better throw it away.
c. if it is possible, buy fresh and local fish.
d. I always use something sour to go with a fish, like a drop of lemon or grated apple, it hides the ''fishy smell''.
e. I normally steam the fish as then it contains most of it's nutrients.
And few recipes that I cook and they seem to work :)
Steamed Salmon with veggies
- Salmon
- Sweet potato, peas, broccoli, fresh dills and splash of olive oil
Steamed Plaice with veggies and couscous
- Plaice
- Carrots, broccoli, peas, cauliflower
- Couscous, squeeze of lemon juice and a drop of olive oil
Salmon and Potato balls
- Steam salmon and potato
- Then mash everything into one mass, mix in an egg
- Form little balls and roll in bread crumbs (I use bought ones if I'm too lazy to make it, though bought ones contain a bit of salt)
- Cook in the oven around 15 min. 180 C hot oven.
- Can put cheddar or Parmesan inside (grated), onions (better steam before) or fresh dill.
Plaice with Basmati rice
- Steam plaice
- Steam veggies: I have used zucchini and tomato. As for the tomato, at the beginning I peeled of the skin by pouring hot water on and making few cuts in the tomato. And then steamed it with other vegetables. Even now, when Benjamin is one year old and has 8 teeth to chew, he gets a bit choking on the tomato skin, so peeling of is just a good precaution.
- Cook rice and mix all together!
Fish is not hard to cook, you can mix everything with fish and normally it will go well :) Just don't buy those frozen, already made fish sticks - make ones at home, it is easy! And I would say if your baby refuses to eat fish - I would read what kind of substitutes would be recommended to use instead for the same vitamin intake. Fish fingers.... sounds yummy - I will make Saturday a fish day then :)
Wishes xx
niom niom by Mama
Follow me on Instagram for visual goodies: niom_niom_by_mama
Wishes xx
niom niom by Mama
Follow me on Instagram for visual goodies: niom_niom_by_mama
