What are the main categories of Indian Foods that can be used for weaning?
Cereals Cereals contain 7 to 12 % proteins and about 75% carbohydrate. They form an important source of energy, iron and protein in the Indian diet and also supply a certain amount of fat, which is referred to as invisible fat. A thick creamy porridge made from cereals in water/ milk/ milk-water mixture is a good weaning food for babies. Cereals are cheaper than most other foods and are usually consumed by the family. When given alone, especially after being cooked in water, most cereals are too low in energy. The porridge should be thick (too thick to be given in a bottle) and concentrated but soft. Some oil or fat (or sugar) should be added to the porridge to make it richer in calories and easier to swallow and digest. Care should be taken to ensure that the porridge is not watered down or made unduly thin which will further compromise the energy content. Pulses The Indian diet consists of several kinds of legumes – lentils, Bengal gram, red gram, black gram, horse gram, rajma etc. R
