Colds Meats for 1yo

Hello Ladies,

DD is almost 14 months and is a pretty good eater and will for the majority of things just eat whatever she is given. She loves fruit and most vegies, hot meats, spag bolg etc etc.. I probably give her about 2 or 3 sandwiches a week at the moment but I'm looking for some more variety. At the moment they either have tuna, cheese/ricotta, tomato or something of that idea on them or even the odd vegemite/cheese melt.

I'd like to maybe give her a cold meat option in her sandwiches but I'm torn on if this is good or not, been reading mixed messages.

Is cold processed meat like ham ok for a toddler?? The lady at the shops when I enquired about what ham would be a good one for toddlers referred me to a "mild ham" but I haven't actually bought her anything yet as I'm not sure what to get as I know that alot of processed cold meats have sulphites, preservatives etc etc in them.

Any suggestions or feedback???

DS eats ham occasionally hes very fussy with sandwiches and tends to chuck on floor!!!

But I tend to buy ham and use day bought and next day and thats all to avoid risks of listeria.

ive already given DD ham sandwiches.. didnt know it was a no-no :doh:

I would and have steered clear of the ham. Ham is heavy in nitrites and they aren't good for any of us especially little ones.

If you have left over roast lamb or chicken that would be fine if you want him to have meat - but ham isn't usually recommended due to the heavy processing and the nitrites. HTH

I was giving Jazz ham at about 10 months, after the seagulled my ham and cheese sandwich and loved it LOL! She's also been eating devon this part month. I didn't realise it was a no-no either...

Leasha any sort of manufactured meat like devon is heavy in nitrites too. It's just got so much additive that it's suggested little ones don't eat it. It's hard sometimes to know hey.

ops im also guilty of already giving cold meats to DD! she loves them!

double post - sorry

Uh oh!! I'm also guilty of giving ham and stras!!! :doh: Sould I be worried....I didn't know and now I feel terrible, I was looking for variety for lunch time ideas. Am finding it hard to give 'variety' especially at lunch time. She doesn't eat meat in chunks yet so still make sort of part puree for dinners but thought I was on a winner for lunch with ham and stras :( It's so hard to constantly think of 'new' things for them to eat

The first rule is that thou shalt not feel guilt - especially about that which thou dost not know!!!! :lol:

I am sure there are folk who think it's fine and you'll hear the old: "you had it as a kid and it did you know harm..."

It's just something that is advised due to a) the high salt content of ham and manufactured meat b) the high nitrite content which is pretty icky c) meats like devon are highly processed and highly processed foods (manufactured ham like soccerball etc also fall into this category) are best avoided by all of us but especially developing babies.

I find that I offer a platter to my kids and my baby - carrot sticks and hommus are a big hit - I make my own hommus & it's easy and yummy, yoghurt, capsicum sticks, celery sticks, a range of chopped fruits, I offer gluten free bread and they dip that into the hommus, sometimes they have home made fish sticks (I make a big batch and crumb them with stale gluten free bread and freeze them - are really quick to bake in the oven), I bake fruit muffins and freeze then individually (you know the mini muffin pans I use them) my kids are gluten free so I just use gluten free bread and I use apple puree instead of sugar or rapadura it's yummy! Sometimes they just have avocado on toast & that is yummy too with some fruit after...

There are lots of choices beside the really manufactured ones -- though sometimes it seems hard to think of them I know... :hug:

Can i ask what nitrites are? :redface:

Of course - sorry I didn't realise people didn't know what they are.

Sodium Nitrate is a preservative that is used in ham, bacon, hot dogs, processed meats among other things. It is recommended that the intake is kept to a minimum due to the strong link with early ingestion or frequent ingestion and cancer - mostly colorectal cancer, pancreatic and stomach cancer. I think in some studies frequent eating of these products increased the cancer risk by up to 50 percent for colorectal cancer.

As with all things there is a duality. Some say it's not a problem but more and more nutritionalists and dieticians are suggesting that we steer clear of these products due to these links. Also the high salt level in these products affects arterial development.

:yeahthat: i have no idea either...

Thanks Flowerchild :)

Hmmmm.... DS doesn't really have ham or bacon, but he has had hotdogs a couple of times. No more hotdogs for DS!

Thanks so much Flowerchild, I had no idea, i thought the only issue with ham and cold meats was the lsiteria risk like in pregnancy :redface:

Will keep this as a sometimes food now I think! Homemade hommus! YUM! I'm gonna give that a go (got a recipe tip?? ;)).

Madissun - maybe try chevapi's instead of hotdogs? Yum, yum.

Flowerchild - I did know about the nitrates/salt etc so don't give to DD (But I still eat ham and salad sandwiches - I figure I'm pretty big and just tiny slices of shaved ham naughty, naughty). Anyhoo, quick question you will probably know - what about leg of ham/ham on the bone - does that have the nitrates/as much??

Well I am glad I could help! Sorry Sarah but yes all ham has nitrites. Anything that is smoked or cured. HOWEVER!!!!!!!!! If you choose organic non nitrite ham and smoked products you canhappily munch... So Leasha get ye to the organic butcher at Forest Glen and he smokes in his own smoke house and does not use nitrites!

Of course a sometimes food it's all good for us big people. I myself indulge at times. I have a thing for smoked salmon and cream cheese and capers...

2 x 425g can of organic chick peas drained
lemon juice and rind of one lemon
2 tablespoons of tahini
olive oil 2 tablespoons
4 cloves of garlic

heat oil in a small pan, when hot add crushed garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
remove and cool
combine chickpeas, garlic and lemon into a food processor and blend (I use a bamix)
process until smooth
add tahini and process
serve as you desire
keeps for a week!
yummy!!!!

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Madissun - maybe try chevapi's instead of hotdogs? Yum, yum.

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I've never heard of them Sas- where can i get them from?

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Well I am glad I could help! Sorry Sarah but yes all ham has nitrites. Anything that is smoked or cured. HOWEVER!!!!!!!!! If you choose organic non nitrite ham and smoked products you canhappily munch... So Leasha get ye to the organic butcher at Forest Glen and he smokes in his own smoke house and does not use nitrites!

Of course a sometimes food it's all good for us big people. I myself indulge at times. I have a thing for smoked salmon and cream cheese and capers...

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IS that the butcher you can see from the highway in a small row of shops?

That's them - awesome place. :hug:

Thank you.. might have to have a look next time I am going up there (next week or the week after).

Just told DH who has been really strict about preservatives and stuff, and he is keen to check it out :D

Madissun - They're just the 'skinless' sausages from Coles/Woolies meat displays but they're 'kid' sized, (Look like long skinny rissoles) it's the only bought sausage type things we can eat dieting as they aren't loaded with fat and carb expanders. They have far less saturated fat in them, but they do have garlic and salt in them. Ie - they're much better for you than frankfurts/normal sausages etc but they still have drawbacks.

Flowerchild - Bummer ay. I seem to be more and more vegie these days anyway so I wouldn't be consuming much of it. Oooh, wish we had an organic butcher.

OMG....I feel really naive now :redface: I swear as this parenting jouney chugs along I feel like I had a sheltered little life!! I had a pretty 'Aussie' upbringing ie, meat + 3 veg, and am now realising how many things I'd never eaten as I do now give them to DD (I'm still not sure what all the abbrev. mean-hope that's dear daughter?? :) ) . Like I'd never had sweet potato!!! Can you believe it...sweet potato!! :redface:

Anyway thanks for the recipe Flowerchild will give it a go....I have had it before but never made it!! At least I'm finding out I'm a better cook than I thought! I just needed to have DD for the inspiration!! :lol: Think I'll have to go back to the thread for toddler food/recipe ideas and check it out again, I did add a few recipes a while ago...hopefully more have been added (I cheated and copy and pasted ones I thought DD would like into a word doc so I could print and have them on hand!!) Thanks for the ideas and support :)