12 Healthy Food That Makes Baby Fat in Nigeria
Weight loss is a challenge faced by most parents when it comes to the development and growth of their babies. This is of course not limited to the low class but as well as the middle class and even the so-called classed. It cuts across all three levels of parents in Nigeria or the world at large.
Weight loss is often regarded as one of the number one symptoms that a child will exhibit if he or she is about to fall sick.
This, however, hammers deeply on the importance of the weight of a child as a determination for the health condition.
It has been widely accepted and proven that when a baby is physically, mentally, and socially fit, then it will surely tell on the weight of the baby. Hence the weight is not something to be handled with levity.
10 Healthy Food That Makes Baby Fat in Nigeria
The food list below isn’t just nutritious, they are relatively cheap, consumable, easy to make, and affordable for all classes of parents in Nigeria. Check out the top ten super healthy local Nigerian baby food you should try out today.
1. BREAST MILK
This is of no doubt going to be number one on the list. Although we are talking about Locally made Nigerian Food, it is important to know that Breast Milk is also both natural, locally, and internationally made. Therefore, it remains the best food to give to your infants if you want them to increase in weight.
Breast milk contains all the required nutrients that a baby needs for proper development and growth. It is extremely free and easily affordable. All the parents need to do is to keep consuming good and nutritious food that will pass on good nutrients to the baby through breast milk.
2. GUINEA-CORN PAP
Corn pap is of no doubt the best food for babies in Nigeria blessed with several entities of nutrients. It is made from processed maize and can also be obtained from guinea corn as well as millet.
Even though all the above three listed pap sources are good. It is highly recommended to give the one obtained from Guinea Corn. This is much more nutritious and delicious both for adults and children.
Although you might decide to mix the millet with some little measure of White or Yellow Corn to reduce the red color of the Guinea corn. This will make it even more attractive, tasty, and enriching.
3. RICE
When rice is made to a good taste. It can also be a very good option that should be included in your children’s menu to increase their body weight. Rice is best for children when is cooked too soft. This will make it easy to chew for them.
To make the rice even more heavenly and sweet for the baby, you may as well decide to cook it in diverse forms. (Fried, Jollof, boiled e.t.c).
It is important for us not to add too many ingredients or spices to the rice while making it. Babies do not need too many spices like pepper in their food. But it is good when we add the essential ones that will nourish their body like; Crayfish, Green pepper, Liver, Hotdog, vegetables, etc). Do not add all of them at once. You might just add two of these at go. then, change it for the next meal.
4. BEANS
Beans are one of the best sources of protein as far as most Nigerian food is concerned. This meal also improves the weight of a baby. One of the good sides to this is that Beans can be cooked in diverse ways. You might decide to make it in form of porridge, mixed with Rice, Ordinarily, or With stew.
Bean is best consumed by babies when it is cooked to soft and mashed together. While cooking the porridge beans you can add some other additional spices like Onions, Cray Fish, Potatoes, and of course, Palm Oil. etc. These will make it even extra weighty in nutrient value.
5. SWEET POTATOES
Potato is another good food you should add to your baby food menu if you want an increase in weight. Apart from the fact that the food is naturally delicious, even without eating it with any other thing, It is very easy to prepare even for a mediocre when it to comes to cooking food.
All one needs to ensure is that it must be adequately boiledled until it is very soft that even a baby without teeth can bite and eat it comfortably.
Potatoes can be made in diverse delicacies as well as other meals we have mentioned earlier. You can decide to make it in the form of Porridge, Or you can mash it with your beans, and you made decide to serve them ordinarily with egg, stew, or Sardin.
6. YAM
Yam is another good option for your baby’s weight-adding food menu. It provides a good source of carbohydrates and gives energy to the system.
Yam can be eaten in more than two to three forms. You can make it in form of porridge for the baby. You might all decide to prepare it ordinarily without adding anything apart or a little pinch of salt while cooking.
It is better served with a fried egg while you might as well serve them with just stew. All you have to do is, ensure that the pepper in the stew will not be too much for them as children or babies generally do not like food that is peppers, this is what we have said times without number in this article
Want to make your baby’s potatoes in Porridge form? Then consider adding some other nutrition adding ingredients like; Crayfish, Titus Fish, etc.
7. BOILED PLANTAIN
Boiled plantain is a good source of iron as well as good local food for both babies as well as for adults to gain weight.
It nourishes the body with calories as well as other food like Potatoes will do. But the leading advantage of boiled plantain over them is that it contains certain additional minerals and vitamin-like, Fiber, Vitamin A, C, and B-6 as well as Magnesium and Potassium.
It is very easy to prepare and can be served or cooked in many ways depending on whichever method you want to implore. You might want to make it in form of Porridge, You may be able to decide to mash it with your beans.
All you need to ensure is that you allow it to get soft while preparing and allow it to get ripe if you want to cook it with beans or mash it alone as porridge.
8. FRUITS
Fruit can of course not be left behind on the list. They are natural nutrient-adding food.
Even though all fruits contain their nutrients, not all fruits help babies to gain weight Hence, it is good for them to consume dry-like fruits as they contain more calories than other types of fruits.
Examples of such fruits are; Prunes, Apricots, Figs, Sultanas, Raisins, Dates, Currants, etc. These fruits in their dry form are a good source of calories and would be just fine for the babyAll you just need to do is to either make them in Parfait if your baby is over 24 months since they would have grown some teeth to bite and chew. And for babies below that age, It is better to prepare it in form of Smoody.
9. DIARY PRODUCTS (Fura Da Nunu)
Milk consumption is a great means of adding weight for babies. This time around, we aren’t talking only about breast milk since breastfeeding ends in babies at a maximum of 6 months in case of exclusive breastfeeding (WHO).
Hence, once they are above that age, there is a need to introduce them to another great form of milk closely related to breast milk which is obtained from a local source. Fura da Nunu is a very good source of milk mostly produced in the northern part of Nigeria. It is a natural fat-adding food directly gotten from cows.
Other options of milk you can consider in this category are Cheese, Pasteurized whole Milk as well as Fat Yoghurt.
10. SWALLOWS
Swallows such as Amala, Semo, Fufu, Eba, and Iyan (Pounded Yam) are a great source to help babies gain weight too if only they are well consumed alongside good with a soup.
However, if this category of food cannot be consumed with nutritious and good soup, it is better not consumed especially for babies. I forgot to add that you can as well make out your swallow from Rice too, known as Tuwo shinkafa.
11. EGUSI
Egusi is a vegetable seed that is high in protein. It can be used in many dishes and is beneficial to health, including the healthy development of pregnancy and the fetus. Can eating egusi make your baby add weight?
According to the research on pregnant women’s nutrition, pregnant women should eat some high-protein foods during pregnancy, so that they can promote the growth of fetal brain cells and bone marrow hematopoietic cells, and help fetal development.
Egusi is rich in protein, but there are also many impurities in the shell. It will affect the absorption of nutrients if you eat too much at one time. So it’s better to eat less each time, about 3-4 spoons for a meal.
But for pregnant women with a normal diet and nutrition, eating egusi does not necessarily mean that their baby will add weight. The weight gain of babies mainly depends on whether their mother’s physical condition is good or not during pregnancy, whether they have good nutrition habits and nutritional supplements during pregnancy, whether they do postnatal exercise, etc.
12. OATMEAL
Oatmeal is a good source of carbohydrates, which gives babies energy and helps them put on weight. Even better, it has a very mild taste, which makes it easier for your baby to accept than other grains.
Carbohydrates provide energy for growth, so eating oatmeal can help your baby gain weight. It’s also high in fiber, which will help prevent constipation as your baby starts eating solid foods.
Oatmeal also has a very mild taste, so it’s easier for babies to accept than other grains. And since you’re probably making oatmeal to serve the whole family, it’s convenient to make an extra small portion for the baby.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to frequently asked questions on Super Healthy Local Nigeria Baby Food To Add Weight.
Can Local Food Make My Baby Get Overweight?
Yes, local food can make your babies gain weight and become extremely Chubby. However, when you feed them the same type of food all the time, it might result in being overweight which you might not want.
How Frequently Should I Give Local Food To My Baby?
You should give your baby local food like 2-3 times a day, So far you are giving them the same type of food. So you are free to give them as much time they can eat.
Can I Give Local Nigerian Food To My Baby Every Day?
Yes, of course, You can serve your baby local a delicacy every day. Babies or children in general love good things, so if you make the local food in a way that they will like, then they will always want to have you serve them almost every day.
