When introducing the meat-fish-egg group at the time of food diversification, cooked white ham is one of the meat products often present because it is practical to offer to baby. Indeed, cooked white ham is easy to measure, does not require additional cooking and has a tender consistency for baby. In your opinion, is cooked white ham classified as a delicatessen? Can you really give it to your baby? And if so, from what age and in what quantity? I give you my recommendations, tips and recipes for this food that is regularly used by children.
A side note on charcuterie...
So is cooked white ham a delicatessen or not? Well, no, it is not a delicatessen! A charcuterie is defined as a food preparation based on meat and offal, raw or cooked, mainly (but not exclusively) from the pig, of which almost all parts can be used, and often have salt as a preservative (salting, brine). Among the sausages we count: raw ham, sausages, pùtés, terrines, rillettes, etc.
Compared to meat, cured meats are higher in fat than in protein (about twice as much fat as a portion of meat) with a majority of saturated fatty acids. Cold meats are particularly high in salt (about 12 times higher: 0.2% salt in a portion of meat and 2.5% salt in a portion of cold meats).
Nutritional value of cooked white ham
- Same protein content as an average portion of meat (approx. 20%)
- Lower fat content than the average for meat (3.7% compared to 10% for meat)
- Low to negligiblecarbohydrate content (1%)
- High salt or sodium chlorideintake, for example 0.3 to 0.4g per 20g portion of cooked white ham. For information: the recommended intake for a 2-year-old child is about 1g of salt per day!
In view of this high salt content, I recommend that you choose cooked white ham with a reduced salt content, which is mentioned on the food packaging: "-25% salt".
Focus on nitrites
In addition, all commercial cooked white hams contain sodium nitrite(unless otherwise stated). Sodium nitrite is a preservative that prevents bacterial growth and is widely used in processed meats such as ham. During digestion, nitrite ions react with amino acids from proteins to form nitrosamines. Four of these substances are classified as probable carcinogens with, in particular, a supposed increased risk of colon cancer. As you can see, you should therefore choose cooked white ham without sodium nitrite, easily recognisable by its white or even grey colour, with a "nitrite-free" claim on the food packaging.
Diet tip! Cooked white ham should also be systematically combined with vitamin C, which can be found in fruit and vegetables, especially raw. Why is that? Because the antioxidant properties of vitamin C inhibit the harmful effects of nitrites!
Introduction of baby ham
The introduction of cooked white ham is possible at the same time as the introduction of meat, fish and eggs, i.e. at the time of dietary diversification, or around 6 months. The quantities are 10g from 6 months to 1 year, 20g until 2 years, 30g until 3 years...
As for the frequency of consumption, 3 times a month maximum seems to be reasonable. There are no regulations on this point, it's just common sense in my opinion.
Recipe ideas for cooked white ham
Here are a few ideas for recipes that include cooked white ham that you can offer to your little ones:
- Endives with ham
- Cauliflower with ham
- Buckwheat cake with ham and mushrooms
- Courgette and ham gratin
- Lasagne with spinach, cheese and ham
- Leek and ham quiche
To sum up, ham should always be given cooked, in controlled quantities and occasionally from the time of diversification. For cold meats, wait a little, the later the better, at least after 18 months and around 3 years old, the better! Baby has plenty of time to discover this type of food, which is less suitable nutritionally.
Dietician - Nutritionist specialising in paediatrics
Sources
- EFSA: food reference values for the EU (March 2021)
- CIQUAL: table of nutritional composition of foods (March 2021)
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