It is important to include salmon in child nutrition.
Susan Brewer, a dietitian and professor at the University of Illinois, affirms that babies need a large amount of omega-3 fatty acids for proper brain formation, hearing development, nerves, etc. Salmon is rich in omega. 3, an important nutritional factor to consider when babies stop drinking breast milk (very rich in omega-3), and as such causing a deficit in the intake of omega-3. Fish with high rates of omega-3, such as salmon, are very beneficial for the health, helping to prevent cardiovascular diseases among other benefits. Despite this, the majority of the population, both children and adults, do not eat fish twice a week.
Susan Brewer is working with the American Society of Pediatrics and the American Heart Society to use salmon in baby food. Children’s fish-based foods are common in Asian areas and also in Italy, and the United Kingdom. They have experimented with both pink salmon and red salmon, and have found red salmon to be more suitable for the production process. The brain of the newborn baby is 50% DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid that is the primary structural component of the brain, cerebral cortex, skin, and retina). However infants and young children still have an immature liver and cannot synthesize enough DHA to guarantee the adequate amount of Omega 3 necessary for the development of their tissues, so they must obtain it through food. Salmon is a soft fish and when made as porridge is creamy and children usually like it. It should not necessarily be an industrially prepared baby food. You can prepare salmon yourself to enrich the baby’s diet (when the pediatrician tells you that the infant is ready to eat fish). If your pediatrician has told you so, you can introduce the fish into the baby’s food, and ask if you can give him salmon (crushed or in tiny pieces). Try introducing salmon, steamed and crushed with vegetables. If your child already eats solids, pieces of salmon, with semolina or with rice or boiled potatoes is a good way to add omega-3 acids to their diet.