Sorghum
- First taste
- 6 months
- Choking risk
- low
- Common allergen
- no
- Iron
- low
Gluten-free grain · watch popped kernels
When can babies eat sorghum?
Sorghum can be offered from about 6 months. It is not a common allergen and has no gluten.
Where it comes from
Sorghum is a grass seed native to central and southern Africa. Other names for it are jowar, milo, and great millet. Flour from it is used for injera, a fermented flatbread, and for porridges like uji and tô. In India, cracked sorghum is cooked with vegetables in the jowar upma breakfast. Popped sorghum is a popular snack.
Nutrition
Sorghum provides carbohydrate for quick energy. Its fiber helps gut flora and blood sugar balance. Along with some iron, it provides zinc, magnesium, selenium, and vitamin B6. It is rich in antioxidants and polyphenols.
How do you prepare sorghum for babies?
First cook the sorghum until soft. Make porridge, or shape it into balls or fritters. A fork can mash cooked grains so they are easier for baby to hold.
Pancakes, waffles, and pasta made from sorghum flour are served as strips or bite-size pieces. Popped sorghum can be sprinkled over a soft meal from 6 months.
Popped sorghum
Tiny, dry, light kernels can be breathed into the airway by accident. Before 12 months, do not serve them alone or mixed into crunchy foods like crackers and granola.
Gluten
Sorghum is gluten free. It is fine for anyone avoiding wheat or gluten, including celiac disease. If gluten worries you, ask your pediatrician. Check the product label for any note on cross-contact with other grains.
Anti-nutrients
Compounds in sorghum such as lectins, oxalates, and phytates drop with soaking and cooking. Healthy people are generally not harmed by them in a balanced diet.
Preparation by age
The same food is served differently at each age. What matters is how your baby sits, grasps and chews, more than the calendar.
6 months
6 months · How to prepare as porridgemash
Cook sorghum into a porridge. Use a nourishing liquid such as buttermilk or vegetable stock in place of water. Flavor it with fruit, vegetables, or spices you like. To make finger food, combine the cooked grains with minced meat or mashed vegetables and form balls or fritters.
9 months
9 months · How to prepare as a grain saladcube
Cut: Fork mashed
Press cooked sorghum lightly with a fork, and the grains will stick together. Baby can pick up these clumps. You can also stir a sorghum salad into a spoonable food like vegetable mash or yogurt. Strips or bite-size pieces of sorghum-flour pancakes or waffles work too.
12 months
12 months · How to prepare as finger foodcube
Cut: Fork mashed
Serve cooked sorghum as finger food, in a salad, or mixed with soft foods. If the grains are hard to pick up, mash them with a fork back so they stick. You can offer bread, pancakes, and pasta made with sorghum flour. Popped sorghum can be served alone from this age.
Is sorghum a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: low
The choking risk is low. Loose whole grains and popped sorghum can slip into the airway, so do not serve them alone.
Sorghum is not a choking hazard. But loose whole grains and popped or puffed sorghum can carry an aspiration risk. Aspiration is when something goes into the airway without blocking it.
Prepare it for your baby's age. Set up a safe eating space and stay close while they eat.
Is sorghum a common allergen?
Sorghum is not a common allergen and the World Health Organization does not list it among the global priority allergens. Allergy to the pollen of a sorghum grass has been reported. But there is little information on allergy to the sorghum we eat.
As with any new food, give a small amount in the first meals. If all is well, raise it slowly.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about sorghum
Is sorghum gluten free?
Yes. It is fine for anyone avoiding wheat or gluten, including celiac disease.
At what age can babies eat popped sorghum?
Mixed into or sprinkled over a soft food, from about 6 months. Do not serve it alone before 12 months.
Are anti-nutrients in sorghum harmful to babies?
No. Soaking and cooking reduce them. In a balanced diet they are generally harmless.
Sources for this page
- Dünya Sağlık Örgütü. (2023). Guideline for complementary feeding of infants and young children 6-23 months of age.
- NHS. (n.d.). Preparing food safely for babies.
- CDC, Infant and Toddler Nutrition. (n.d.). Choking Hazards.
- Zemmer F, Cenk E, Dahl A, Galan C, Ozkaragoz F. (2021). A multidisciplinary approach of outdoor aeroallergen selection for skin prick testing in the geographical area of Greater Istanbul. European Annals of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. doi:10.23822/EurAnnACI.1764-1489.188
- Petroski W, Minich DM. (2020). Is There Such a Thing as “Anti-Nutrients”? A Narrative Review of Perceived Problematic Plant Compounds. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu12102929
- Singh B, Singh JP, Shevkani K, Singh N, Kaur A. (2017). Bioactive constituents in pulses and their health benefits. Journal of Food Science and Technology. doi:10.1007/s13197-016-2391-9
Guides on iron, allergen introduction, gagging and drinks. Read the starting solids guides
Medical note
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Talk to your pediatrician before any feeding decision, especially about allergen introduction and reactions.
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Astro Tasarım Simay Yenice · Türkiye · merhaba@lokmini.com