Ragi For Babies, Its Benefits & Nutritional Value

There is no right way to go about parenting. There are so many people sharing their knowledge, so many books and websites telling us what is right and what is wrong- we often feel overwhelmed. With that overwhelm and stress comes a lot of confusion about what to do and what not to do. Hence, it becomes important to focus on what is important and remember that your baby needs a healthy lifestyle to stay physically fit and that you know your baby the best. A nutritional diet is crucial to maintain that lifestyle you want your baby to be raised with and Ragi is full of health benefits. Now, lets look at some of the nutritional value and benefits of ragi for babies.

What is Ragi (Nachni)?

Ragi or Nachni is majorly produced in India. It is also known as finger millets and contains important amino acids such as phenylalanine, methionine, isoleucine, and leucine. These are important for your child’s development, immune system, digestion, etc.

Let’s take a look at how the nutrients in Ragi helps a growing baby:

Ragi Nutritional Value

Looking for a food that helps your baby to gain weight and also helps to get nutrient? Ragi or Nachni is one such superfood, it not only promotes weight gain in babies but also contains essential nutrients for proper growth of the babies. Ragi can be given to babies in the form of porridge, idli, Malt, etc. Let us now look at the ragi nutritional value per 100 gm and some ragi benefits for babies:

A high content of calcium

The rich value of calcium in ragi will help your baby with bone density. It is crucial as the bones of the body are constantly growing at this time. A diet with rich calcium will help your child stay active.

Read: Dry Fruit Powder For Babies & Its Benefits

Rich source of iron

The crop gets the rich reddish-brown colour from the high percentage of natural iron it includes. Since your baby is growing, their body needs a lot of iron to stay healthy and build a strong immunity to different diseases. This age proves to be extremely vulnerable to infections and viruses. So a good amount of iron is crucial for the haemoglobin and is one of the numerous benefits of ragi baby food.

Fibre

The crop has high amounts of fibre. For healthy digestion, a lot of fibre is necessary. And it is never a good idea to feed babies food which is heavy or has a lot of carbohydrates - not only will it boost obesity but also harm their digestive system.

Antioxidant

Benefits of ragi for babies also include the number of antioxidants which act like relaxants for the babies. It proves to be essential for stress reliefs and issues such as anxiety, headaches, crying and insomnia.

For an efficient and healthy growth, these nutrients become crucial. Let us look at the few results you should expect by adding this helpful item to your baby’s diet.

Benefits of Ragi for Babies

A healthy and wholesome diet is the key to the growth and development of any child. Even from a very young age, it is important to feed your baby nutritional food that will lay a foundation for a fit and healthy life. One such benefits of ragi for babies are often overlooked by young parents as it is a classical method to improve the baby’s health. But many times, the traditional methods prove to be very useful and also avoid harsh chemicals and such. Let us look at what Ragi does and how the ragi baby food can impact their health positively.

For Teeth Development

The calcium helps the babies with the development of their teeth. And since their milk teeth are not as strong as adult teeth, babies need good amounts of calcium to grow them out. A sweet ragi porridge is beneficial for better teeth that will result in adorable smiles and less crying.

Lower the Risk of Diabetes in Babies

Since some genetic diseases like diabetes have a high risk, a baby needs essential materials like fibre and polyphenol in substantial amounts to help build immunity. The benefits of ragi for babies include lowering the risk of diabetes.

Promotes Hair Growth & Healthy Skin

With all the amazing benefits, good hair and skin also make the list. The great amounts of amino acids help your child with better skin and hair.

Helps To Get Rid of Extra Fat

The amino acids also help lower the amounts of fat so your child can have an obesity free lifestyle from the start. Lower the amounts of fats in their food, the better their activeness and energy become.

Prevent Anaemia 

The rich iron source helps prevent anaemia and build immunity to such diseases that prove to be harmful. The high amounts of fibre are great to make your baby feel full and prevent excessive eating which eventually helps their digestion.

Wholesome Food

At a young age, malnutrition is always a great deal of worry to the baby’s parents. And the only way to prevent malnutrition is vaccines and a healthy diet that includes all the important nutrients required in any child’s growth. By adding ragi to the diet, you lower the risk of such issues and protect your baby.