Can Babies Eat Beans?

Beans are the seeds of several types of the flowering plant family called Fabaceae, used as vegetables for humans and for animals.

Beans are one of the longest cultivated plants in the world. Broad beans were being gathered in Afghanistan and in the Himalayan foothills, but they were grown in Thailand starting in the early seventh millennium BCE. They were also put beside the dead in ancient Egypt. The cultivated, large-seeded broad beans appeared in Europe only starting from the second millennium BCE. They were always an important source of protein.

A few types of raw beans contain a tasteless toxin called lectin phytophaemagglutinin, which can and should be removed by cooking. One of the most toxic beans are red kidney beans, which if are undercooked, can represent even more danger than raw beans. Beans also contain antinutrients, that hinder some enzyme processes in our organism, and interfere with bone growth and stop the metabolism of vitamin D.

Homemade baby food idea: Peas, green beans, applesauce, butternut squash and oatmeal

Beans are high in protein, complex carbohydrates, folate, iron, calcium, magnesium, fibers and soluble fibers, which can help lower the levels of blood cholesterol.

The most recommended beans for babies are: pinto beans, chickpeas, kidney beans and black beans. Beans should be introduced into a baby’s diet between the age of 8-10 months old, because by then they can properly digest them.

You can give your baby canned beans, but you should rinse them first, before heating them up, so that you prevent your baby from getting too much salt.

Cooked lima beans can serve as finger food to toddlers.

Refried beans represent a perfect puree for babies and toddlers.

Can Babies Eat Beans at 6 Months?

Green beans are very healthy for babies, but they are not easily pureed. They can be introduced into your baby’s diet earlier, starting at the age of 6 months, because they rarely provoke allergic reactions.

Can Babies Eat Bean Sprouts?

Children under the age of 5 years should not eat bean sprouts, because raw bean sprouts carry harmful bacteria like Salmonella or E. coli. The only way of giving children bean sprouts is in their well cooked form.

Chickpea and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients: ¾ cup cooked chickpeas, 2 cups of peeled and diced sweet potato, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 small chopped onion, 1 clove of crushed garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 3 cups low sodium or homemade chicken or vegetable stock.

Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan and cook the onion and the garlic for a couple of minutes. Stir in the cumin and coriander and keep cooking it for 2 minutes. Then add the diced sweet potato, and keep cooking for 2 more minutes, and then pour in the stock. Bring it to the boil, and cook covered for 15 minutes at a reduced heat. Add the chickpeas and cook for another 10 minutes. Let it cool and blend it in a food processor until you get the right, smooth texture. Warm it before serving.