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Can Babies Eat Mushrooms?

Published on: 19 November , 2019 | Ekta

Mushrooms – the proven food which has become a quintessential inclusion in the diet of every health conscious person- be it a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian. So what is with this extremely fleshy, spongy and juicy flavor of this delicacy? Well, the answer is quite simple. Mushrooms lend meatiness and flavor to any plain recipe – giving any dish a complete transformation. There is a prevailing confusion as to whether Mushrooms could be grouped under the fruits or vegetables category? Well, the answer is none!! Yes, indeed, you heard it right. Can Babies Eat Mushrooms?

Also read Can You Eat Bananas During Cold & Cough

What Are Mushrooms? Can Babies Eat Mushrooms?

Mushrooms belong to the family of fungus. They originate from fungus – either on the ground or other surfaces, even concrete. So difficult to judge if mushrooms are vegetarian or non-vegetarian; there is a school of thought which believes that it falls under both the categories. The standard shape of the mushroom is a cap and a stem, although the sizes may vary. Some varieties of mushrooms are non-edible, as they may be wild, toxic or having mind-altering effects, while some may be poisonous too.\

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How to choose Mushrooms for your baby?

With over 10,000 varieties of Mushrooms existing, it is not a difficult task to identify the edible variety. Mushrooms have the standard shape, yet there are a few facts which you must look out for before choosing the right Mushrooms. Generally, the Mushrooms which are available in your Grocery store or the Vegetable Market are safe and edible. Yet, these points should be considered before you buy them:

  • When you look upside down of a Mushroom, there should not be any visible gills (both black and white).
  • A sack-like base or a red colour on the cap or the stem.
  • Mushrooms should be light pink or white in colour. Avoid mushrooms which are black or brown in colour.
  • Mushrooms should not be cracked or bruised and must not be moist from the outside.
  • Choose Mushrooms which are freshly delivered, never go in for old stock, as they could acquire a weird smell when kept overtime.
  • Canned mushrooms should be avoided as they contain a lot of preservatives.

On the whole, the best variety of Mushrooms for your baby is the soft, white button mushrooms, which are widely available in the market. Look out for the plump size of the Mushrooms. So, now you know if you wanted to know that can babies eat mushrooms, the obvious answer is YES!

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When to introduce Mushrooms in your baby’s diet?

There is no specific age restriction to introduce Mushrooms as such. On the completion of 6 months of age, when we start introducing solids then Mushrooms could be included too. Provided they should be hygienically washed and dried before using them in any form. The ideal form to introduce this food is in a puree form or sauté form. Mushrooms can also be given as finger food to babies of 10 months age and above. As they are soft and fleshy to chew upon.

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Nutritional Benefits of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a boon, especially to the vegetarians, as they are the highest source of non-animal protein. They do have cholesterol, added to this they also are low in sodium and calories. They are also a good source of dietary fibre, iron and selenium. The biggest advantage being that they are one of the rare food sources of Vitamin D, which generally could be obtained only by exposure to sunlight. When the Mushrooms are exposed to sunlight, the ergosterol in mushrooms gets converted into Vitamin D. It also helps in building strong bones and may help fight colon cancer. Mushrooms also contain a good amount of B Vitamins like niacin and riboflavin. The other important health benefits of Mushrooms are:

  • Helps in maintaining good liver health by helping in detoxification of the liver. Young kids and babies are more prone to the risk of Hepatitis B and jaundice, which ultimately affect the liver.
  • Strengthens bones and teeth
  • Boosts immunity
  • Regulates blood pressure
  • Helps to fight colon cancer
  • Vitamin D present in Mushrooms helps in promoting good vision.
  • Helps to relieve stress
  • Mushrooms are rich in vitamin B12, phosphorus and other essential nutrients which help in boosting energy levels
  • Mushrooms being rich in antioxidants promote excellent skin health, thereby preventing skin diseases.
  • They help in maintaining your kid’s excretory system as it contains an important mineral called selenium. It is proven that 100 grams of raw mushrooms could provide 47% of the daily value of selenium.
  • Selenium, an important mineral is also believed to lower the risk of colon cancer.

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How to store mushrooms?

Mushrooms are generally available in plastic packaging. It is best to be consumed the very same day, as the taste is the best on the date of purchase. If there is a need for storage, then wipe the mushrooms with a dried cloth or tissue paper and then wrap them in a cloth bag or netted cloth. Storing in plastic could hamper the freshness of the Mushrooms. Care should be taken than the mushrooms must be completely dried with no moisture content. They could be refrigerated for upto one week.

Can Mushrooms cause allergic reactions?

Mushrooms belong to the family of fungus, which have the tendency to release spores in the air. Therefore, it could cause allergic reactions similar to pollen or mould. But the risk factor involved is quite low. If your baby shows any signs of allergy, then you need to check with the doctor.

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Healthy Mushroom Recipes for babies

Mushroom Soup Recipe - Healthy Soup Recipes For Toddlers

Ingredients:

200 gms button mushroom

Spring onions

20gms crushed garlic

10 gms thyme

500ml water

20gm butter

Salt – to taste

Method:

  1. Take a pan and add butter and mushrooms in it. sauté it until the colour of the mushrooms turns golden brown.
  2. Add water to it and bring the ingredients to boil. Keep it on low flame once the water boils. Leave it for around 45-60 minutes. Once you see the soup has thickened, switch off the gas.
  3. Add crushed garlic, spring onions and sea salt to taste.
  4. Switch on the gas and keep it on low flame for about 5 minutes
  5. For garnishing add spring onions (chopped).
  6. For adding richness to it, you could add 2 tsp of fresh cream to it.

Saute Mushrooms - Best Weaning Food For Toddlers

Ingredients:

Button mushrooms

1tbsp Olive oil or butter

Salt

Thyme, or spring onions

Method:

  1. Take a frying pan and add butter, chopped garlic and mushrooms. Sauté them on low flame until the mushrooms are golden brown.
  • When the mushrooms turn golden brown, garnish it with thyme, pepper and oregano.
  • Serve it when hot. No need to add more spices, as it might not be well received by your child.

Mushroom Potato Puree - Best Purees For Babies

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms (200 gms) finely chopped

Potato (100 gms)

Onion (2 nos.) finely chopped

Butter 1tbsp

Organic cheese (50 gms)

Pepper

Water 3/4th cup

Procedure:

  1. Heat the butter in the pan and add butter and button mushrooms and sauté it on medium flame for about 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add the water and potatoes to this and cook further for 10 minutes.
  3. When all the ingredients get cooked, you switch off the gas and blend the ingredients in the mixer.
  4. Garnish it with pinch of pepper, oregano and cheese.

Mash it well with a hand blender or manually.

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Ekta

A doting mom to an angel, Social Media Specialist & Professional Blogger. She loves to share her thoughts with other parents in the same turbulent boat. She absolutely loves & adores her family & is learning to strike a good work-life balance. When she is not writing, cooking or busy taking care of her toddler, she probably is dancing to some good desi music!

Ramya Ravindra Barithaya 2020-10-10 17:25:50

Love the tips

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Ramya Ravindra Barithaya 2020-04-13 09:44:19

Such a nice n informative post.... nice recipes too

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Ramya Ravindra Barithaya 2020-04-13 09:44:19

Thank you Ramya. Glad you found it useful :)

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Shivani Thakar 2019-12-05 19:35:35

Lovely tips on how to get started with mushrooms for babies in this post. I loved the mushroom soup recipe and going to try soon.

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Shivani Thakar 2019-12-05 19:35:35

Thank you Shivani :)

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Shub 2019-12-05 19:34:14

Important topic because some people do have mushroom allergies. Great tips in this post because babies are little people and we have to be so careful with their food.

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Siddhi Palande 2019-12-05 14:40:28

Mushrooms are my fav but they can be poisonous too i have been through a food poisoning bout a very bad one bcz of mushroons. This post is quite educative

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Prerna Sinha 2019-12-05 10:49:14

This is really so insightful and informative post about mushrooms. And thanks for sharing the recipes with us. I'm definitely going to try some of these recipes.

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Prakhar Kasera 2019-11-24 18:58:49

I am not really a mushroom lover, unless in fritters but learning about the nutritional benefits, I just might include it in my diet. Will share this with my sister too, as the only kid in our family is my niece.

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Prakhar Kasera 2019-11-24 18:58:49

As I said, I did shared the post with my sister and she was amazed...kudos...she tried the recipe and my niece actually liked it...now she got 1 less thing to worry about

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Amrit Kaur 2019-11-23 15:08:30

This is a very informative article that talks about mushrooms for babies. Very less parents know how to select mushroom for babies.

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Noor Anand Chawla 2019-11-22 16:46:57

Though mushrooms undoubtedly have many benefits, I have personally always disliked the taste. So I have never given them to my son either!

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Jhilmil D Saha 2019-11-22 13:52:10

Personally I am a big fan of Mushroom but even I had this doubt whether to introduce it to my daughter or not. But i started including mushroom in rice ir noodles and she thoroughly enjoys now.

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Thank you for the comment!