Autumn is an ideal time to enjoy freshly harvested nuts and dried fruits, available all year round, but especially nutritious and tasty in autumn, but why is it so fashionable to use nuts and dried fruits in our daily diet, can our children consume them? Follow us and we will explain 😀
Main characteristics
The main characteristic of nuts and dried fruits is that according to the Spanish Food Code (CAE), nuts and dried fruits are those whose edible part has less than 50% water in its composition.
There is a wide variety of nuts, but as a general rule, they have a low carbohydrate content (except chestnuts) and are rich in protein (10-30%) and healthy fats (30-60%), especially mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, precursors of DHA and EPA.
Benefits of incorporating them into the diet
They help cardiovascular health: they contain minerals such as potassium and very low sodium content, ideal for maintaining blood pressure levels. Nuts also contain Omega-3, which helps regulate blood cholesterol.
Bone health: As they are rich in minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium, they help to fortify and mineralise bones, thus preventing possible diseases such as osteoporosis.
Antioxidant function: Nuts contain antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium.
Source of energy and healthy fats: This is because they are foods with a large amount of healthy fats, especially monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
👉 Moreover, they are ideal for snacking between meals!
Can our children eat them?
Knowing how and when to give nuts and dried fruit is essential for the safety of our children. The best thing for babies is to incorporate them into their diet from the start of complementary feeding, from six months onwards.
A good way to start is to include them along with other foods that we already know the baby assimilates well. It is also advisable to do this individually and progressively, allowing three to four days to check for any allergic reactions.
There are many fears about the ingestion of these foods at an early age, but the solution is not to eliminate nuts but to change the way of offering them to the baby; initially crushed, ground and in small quantities or in cream (as we offer them in Delafruit products) and thus avoid risks.
Anything new at Delafruit?
Yes, of course! At Delafruit we currently have a new line of products with dried fruits and nuts accompanied by fruits and also with cereals in porridge format, ideal for any age range, from 6 months onwards.