Did you know that spinach only arrived in French kitchens in the Middle Ages? Indeed, it was brought back from the Middle East by the crusaders, but at that time, this leafy vegetable was not much appreciated in our country. It was not until the Renaissance that Catherine de Medici, born in Florence, really made spinach known, hence the expression "Ă la florentine" which means: with spinach!
But what does it do for our bodies? When can we introduce them into our babies' diet and in what form should we cook them? Are they as rich in iron as has been claimed for generations? These questions are answered in this article...
First of all...
Spinach has the advantage of being rich in water and fibre, which makes it an interesting food to fight against constipation in some of our babies! It is also known to be a source of calcium (240mg per 100g) and non-haem iron, which respectively helps maintain normal teeth and bones as well as the formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin. To put a figure on this, one portion of spinach, i.e. 100 to 150g, provides between 2.1 and 3.1 mg of non-haem iron. I would like to take advantage of this article to inform you that the nutritional references concerning iron were updated in March 2021 by the ANSES. The iron requirements are 11mg per day for children aged 6 to 12 months, 5mg per day for children aged 1 to 2 years and 4mg per day for children aged 3 to 6 years. However, only 2-5% of this non-haem iron is absorbed by the body. A portion of spinach therefore provides your child with a little iron but will not meet his or her nutritional needs on its own. As a reminder, the most important source of iron for young children is infant milk, which is enriched with iron, so keep it up as long as possible!
Spinach is also rich in vitamin B9, which is necessary for the growth of maternal tissue during pregnancy and for reducing fatigue. Finally, it is also rich in vitamin C, which helps to maintain the normal functioning of the immune system, to fight against ageing and to increase the absorption of the non-haem iron it contains! As you can see, spinach is a superfood and can beintroduced from the beginning of the baby's diet (i.e. from 4/6 months)!
Small tips
Practical tips Spinach: it is preferable toremove the stems in the first few weeks of consumption so as not to irritate the baby's still immature intestine too much. Moreover, eat the spinach quickly after purchase to preserve all its nutritional virtues. It is available on the market practically all year round but you can also buy it directly frozen to save preparation time.
As usual, I have included a few recipes to introduce this delicious food into your children's dishes: spinach and hazelnut soup, coral lentil dhal with coconut milk and spinach, thin rolled omelette with spinach, egg Florentine on a bed of mashed potatoes, spinach and ricotta ravioli, spinach and goat's cheese tart, spinach and salmon lasagne, or the timeless spinach with cream! You can also offer it raw in a salad for older children who are able to chew it properly.
We hope that this information and these recipes will make you want to cook or rediscover this food that is sometimes shunned by children (as well as adults) in order to fill up on essential nutrients and to diversify your diet again and again! Be creative...
Dietician - Nutritionist specialising in paediatrics
Sources
- ANSES: Nutritional references for vitamins and minerals: Opinion of the Anses Collective expertise report Referral n°2018-SA-0238 Related referral n°2012-SA-0103 (March 2021)
- CIQUAL: Ciqual Table of nutritional composition of foods (anses.fr) (September 2021)