Dragon fruit for babies is a good choice, provided you feed it to them at the right age and in age-appropriate ways. Grown and consumed worldwide, dragon fruit usually has a thick, red-colored outer skin with green scales and a soft pulp with several tiny, edible seeds (1). Also, its pulp can be white, pink, yellow, or deep red, depending on the variety. The fruit has a sweet-sour taste and soft, juicy texture, making it a good choice for babies. In addition, it contains several nutrients and bioactive compounds that can promote a baby’s overall health. Scroll down to read more about dragon fruit’s possible health benefits, nutritional value, and age-appropriate ways to feed it to your baby.
When Can Babies Begin Eating Dragon Fruit?
Ripe dragon fruit has a soft, easy-to-swallow pulp that most babies can begin eating from six months of age. You can introduce dragon fruit pulp as smooth, lump-free puree or mash. Once the baby is comfortably digesting the fruit, you may add it to other foods, such as porridge. You can feed peeled, thick dragon fruit pulp quarters as healthy finger food around nine to ten months of age. Then, at around 12 months, you can gradually begin serving bite-sized, thin dragon fruit wedges or pieces as the baby’s pincer grasp improves. Since dragon fruit without peel can be slightly slippery, it can be a choking hazard. So, stay alert and monitor your baby when they are self-feeding dragon fruit.
Nutritional Value Of Dragon Fruit
Dragon fruit is a cacti fruit rich in nutrients, such as vitamin C and phosphorus. Besides, it contains several bioactive compounds that could contribute to overall health. The fruit’s nutrient composition is somewhat variable, from variety to variety. 100 grams of dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) with red peel and white pulp can offer the following nutrients to the baby (2) (3): Source: University of Florida and USDA AI = Adequate intake – nutrient level assumed to ensure nutritional adequacy
Possible Health Benefits Of Dragon Fruit For Babies
Below are some of the possible health benefits that your baby could reap by consuming dragon fruit as a part of a well-balanced diet. Besides these, dragon fruit intake, especially red dragon fruit, may boost an infant’s iron levels as it contains more iron than other varieties (5).
Precautions To Take While Feeding Dragon Fruit To Babies
Feeding dragon fruit in age-appropriate ways with basic precautions can ensure your baby enjoys its benefits with minimal concerns. Here are some precautions to adhere to when feeding dragon fruit to babies. Most people eat dragon fruit fresh. However, you may use its frozen pulp to make sorbet and ice cream at home. Dried dragon fruit chips and chunks are also an option.
Tasty And Healthy Dragon Fruit Recipes For Babies And Toddlers
Here are some easy dragon fruit recipes you can try for babies and toddlers.
1. Dragon fruit puree (6+ months)
You will need:
½ pink dragon fruit 1tsp breast milk or formula (optional)
How to prepare:
2. Dragon fruit and pineapple sorbet (8+ months)
You will need:
1 ripe pink-fleshed dragon fruit (peeled and chopped) ½ tbsp fresh lemon juice 1tsp brown sugar
How to prepare:
3. Dragon fruit parfait (10+ months)
You will need:
1 cup white or pink-fleshed dragon fruit (deskinned and diced into graspable pieces) 1 cup unsweetened Greek yogurt ½ cup frozen strawberries (diced into graspable pieces) ½ frozen banana (diced into graspable pieces) 1tsp chia seeds
How to prepare:
4. Dragon fruit smoothie (12+ months)
You will need:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk ½ cup white-fleshed dragon fruit 1tsp organic honey 1tsp dried fruit powder
How to prepare:
