By now you have probably heard of the various health benefits that people get from consuming moringa. Maybe you even already started taking moringa or that you have already included it in your regular diet. But one question remains unanswered, is moringa safe for toddlers too?
Many moms out there would probably agree with me that one of our top priorities, perhaps even number one on our priority list, is to keep our family healthy especially our little ones. In this day and age, getting sick in the last thing you want for your family particularly your children. That is why we always look for ways to help us achieve this goal.
Apart from providing our family with healthy and nutritious food. We also rely on food supplements to ensure our families especially our young kids get all the essential vitamins and minerals that their bodies need to help fight off or prevent sickness, or just to stay fit and healthy.
While there are so many food supplements out there to choose from, there is one product that really caught my attention – that is moringa powder. Although I am quite familiar with moringa as one of those green leafy vegetables that is often served by our mom when I was growing up, I have never really tried moringa powder.
Well, I must admit that even the raw moringa itself, I wasn’t really aware of its nutritional value until I researched it recently.
I found out so many good things about moringa – like how beneficial it is to human health. In particular, I found out that it significantly helps keep us stay healthy, at the same time, it also is packed with essential nutrients that help prevent and/or cure certain diseases.
I also checked if — is moringa safe for toddlers. I have a toddler, who unfortunately has been so sickly lately. While there are so many vitamins available in the market, I thought of going as natural as possible first.
But before I share with you what I found out, let me first share with you about what moringa is all about, and how I find this plant tree really unique.
Overview on Moringa Oleifera
If you are looking for a vegetable or natural health supplement that is packed with vitamins and minerals that are essential to the body, moringa oleifera or moringa is a great option to consider.
Moringa is a plant tree that is native to tropical countries like those in Asia, Africa, South America, as well as Oceania. It has been around for centuries. In fact, it has become a staple food especially for people living in Southeast Asian countries like India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Needless to say, it has also been used to help prevent ad/or cure certain health issues.
Moringa is found to be very nutritious that in some countries, particularly in impoverished communities, moringa is used to help fight malnutrition. It is rich in vitamins and minerals that are responsible for keeping our bodies strong and capable of fighting off sickness.
Many people believe that moringa is not just like any other ordinary plant tree, which is very evident as it is also known as the “tree of life” or the “miracle tree” apart from being nicknamed as the “drumstick tree” or the “horseradish tree”.
To be honest, at first, I was quite surprised why it’s called the “tree of life” or the “miracle tree”. But, when I found out its nutritional properties, I must say, it was pretty impressive.
By the way, moringa is quite unique as almost all of its parts are said to be edible. From the leaves to the flowers, seeds, fruits, as well as its bark, and even the plant’s roots are very useful. But, of it all, the most nutritious are the leaves. Based on research, the leaves contain more nutrients compared to the other parts. Needless to say, moringa leaves have the capacity to be more nutritious when dried correctly. Drying the leaves makes it even more nutritious as it increases its nutritional value by 300% up to 500%.
Moringa has bountiful health benefits to adults like us, but, is moringa safe for toddlers?
Moringa Oleifera Nutritional Profile
Moringa oleifera is considered a superfood because it was found to be very rich in essential nutrients. Some of these nutrients are the following:
- Calcium
- Copper
- Folate
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
- Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin K (Phylloquinone)
- Zinc
Moringa leaves were found to be very nutritious. In fact, according to research, it was found to contain a higher amount of vitamins and minerals (on a per gram basis) compared to other fruits and vegetables. See below data for your reference, and be amazed at how nutritious moringa is.
- 17x of the calcium of milk
- 25x of the iron found in spinach
- 15x of the potassium of bananas
- 9x of the protein of yogurt
- 10x of the vitamin C of carrots
Health Benefits of Moringa Oleifera on Adults
Prior to discussing the different health benefits that it gives among toddlers, let me share with you first how beneficial moringa is among adults like us.
Here are some of what we get from consuming moringa (be it in raw, powder, extract or tea form):
- It helps lower high cholesterol levels.
- It also is known to have a natural way of reducing high blood sugar levels.
- It helps reduce high blood pressure or hypertension. Thus, lowering the risk of developing heart ailments.
- It contains certain compounds that help prevent or treat some types of cancer.
- It is rich in anti-inflammatory properties, which obviously helps reduce inflammation.
- It is believed to help boost breast milk production among nursing mothers.
- It helps protect and quicken the repair process of the liver.
- It is found to be helpful in addressing stomach problems such as gastritis, ulcerative colitis, and constipation.
- It is rich in antioxidants that help fight against free radicals.
- It contains calcium and phosphate, which helps make bones healthy and strong
- It also has been found to help nourish the skin and hair.
- It also aids in protecting the body from arsenic toxicity.
- It is found to help maintain brain health.
- It helps keep a healthy and strong heart.
- It is found to help lower the severity of certain asthma attacks.
Health Benefits of Moringa Oleifera on Toddlers
First thing first, is moringa safe for toddlers? The answer to this question is a resounding yes! In the same way that it is safe and beneficial to adults like us, moringa is also safe and beneficial for our little ones.
By adding moringa into their regular diet, your toddler gets to enjoy the following benefits:
- Improves the Immune System, Fights Off Colds and Infections
Moringa is not called a miracle tree if not for its amazing benefits and nutritional content. In fact, one of the very reasons why moringa has gained popularity around the world is because of its powerful anti-inflammatory and immunity building properties.
A growing child needs to be shielded from harmful bacteria and viruses. One of the most common health condition that usually affects growing children is colds. Good thing is that moringa is found to have the ability to defend and fight off colds, as well as the capability to destroy common immune-related sickness.
Moringa is rich in vitamin C, which is roughly 7 times the amount of vitamin C present in oranges. It also contains high vitamin E, which is known to be a great aid in healing infections and common colds.
- Increases your child’s energy level.
Based on studies, a growing child, in this case, a toddler, burns a lot of energy on a day to day basis. But energy is essential to help in a child’s growth.
Good thing, moringa is packed with about 92 vitamins and minerals, and about 46 antioxidants, all of these play a vital role in boosting your child’s energy level, which is essential to his or her growth.
With such amount of nutrients that moringa has to give, it is not surprising why moringa powder, in particular, is becoming increasingly popular among athletes as it is effective in building up their endurance and strength.
Having said that, if athletes get to benefit from moringa particularly in keeping up their energy level, you are assured that it also does the same thing, giving optimal energy levels and growth for your little love.
- Faster Healing of Cuts and Wounds
A toddler is very prone to accidents especially since it is during this stage when children get to be very curious. It is, in fact, common among children to get cuts, bruises, as well as scrapes from time to time.
Interestingly, moringa has skin healing properties, which include vitamins A, C and E. Thus, including moringa to your child’s daily diet will help his or her wounds or bruises to heal faster. In some countries, people would usually put moringa powder directly into the affected skin. However, the efficacy of this method has yet to be proven.
- Contains High Level of Protein
Here’s a very interesting fact, according to research, moringa is found to be the only vegetable source on earth that has all 8 essential amino acids or proteins.
During the early stage of your child’s development, protein is very important especially since it is the time when your child is developing vital cell structure and information, which are very crucial to a growing body.
Amazingly, moringa is found to contain 2 times the protein present in both meat and milk. No wonder why moringa is becoming a popular alternative of powerful protein among athletes and bodybuilders.
With that said, the powerful protein-building component of moringa makes it a very ideal food source to ensure your child gets to have a strong cell structure, which is beneficial not just in the development of your child, but also the development of his or her internal organs.
- Develops Brain Power and Health
Having a poor nutritional diet can be linked to various cognitive and behavioral problems like brain fog, poor memory, slow thinking, as well as ADHD and ADD.
Studies have found that moringa is rich in iron. In fact, it contains 25 times of iron present in spinach. It also contains high levels of zinc, which is very important to keep your child’s brain healthy. In addition, moringa also contains vitamins C and E, plus it is loaded with various Omega 3.
Having said that, if your child consumes moringa regularly, he or she gets to enjoy such benefit – having a healthy and powerful brain. Needless to say, it will help your child a lot in the aspect of learning as he or she grows from a toddler, to teenage years, and of course, up to adulthood.
- Improves Overall Kidney and Liver Health
Unfortunately, some parents and adults surrounding can be quite unmindful of the food they feed to their children, which is why more and more young people are becoming obese, while others even develop diabetes and other metabolic disorder at such a very young age.
Eating the wrong food is taking in high content of refined sugar, as well as unsaturated fat, which are the main causes of the above-mentioned health cases.
Fortunately, moringa is known to be a great detoxifier. In fact, studies have found out that moringa contains 46 antioxidants, which makes it effective in keeping your child’s kidney and liver healthy.
- Maintain or Improves Eyesight
The lack of nutritious food intakes such as fruits and vegetables may lead to vitamin A deficiency, which can result in your child having poor eyesight. Having poor eyesight means your baby might need to wear eyeglasses.
Apart from being tagged as the tree of life, moringa is also tagged as “God’s gift to man” having such an impressive nutritional value. One of the nutrients that is evidently high on moringa is vitamin A, which is said to be roughly 4 times higher than that of carrots. With such high vitamin A content, it will help in healing and repairing, as well as in giving nutrients to your child’s eyes for maximum functionality.
- Keeps the Skin Healthy
Just like in adults, moringa also helps keep your child’s skin glowing and healthy. Moringa is found to have high level of vitamin A, C, and E as earlier mentioned. In addition, it also contains food sulfur. All of these properties are very essential in your child’s overall skin health.
Consuming Moringa is believed to be helpful in getting rid of skin irritations, as well as rashes. Moreover, moringa is said to be of very great use among babies as it will help ensure their sensitive skin to stay smooth, lubricated, and healthy.
- Balances Mood Swings
We know how moody children can get, right? While it may be irritating to some parents at times, mood swings among children are very common. I think it is safe to say that every child goes through that phase.
Anyway, as the child is growing, he or she goes through several chemical reactions on a day to day basis. Being in this phase can be quite stressful not just to us, parents, but also to the children themselves.
Here’s the thing, feeding your child moringa is said to be helpful in balancing your child’s mood swings. Moringa is found to be very rich in vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B7, as well as B12. Having these vitamins will help ensure that your baby will suffer less from mood swings, which also reduces the chance of developing depression because of peer pressure, family, school, or the society as they grow older particularly when they reach teenage years.
Precautions When Taking Moringa Oleifera
Again, is moringa safe for toddlers? The answer is still yes! In fact, it is very safe that there have been no reported side effects from those who are taking moringa.
Generally, moringa is widely considered safe, and in fact, has been used by growing infants and kids around the world for thousands of years now – particularly in India, Africa, and other parts of Asia. In addition, moringa has also been used already in South America and the United States in recent years.
Needless to say, moringa is also believed to be a contributing solution to health disparity and nutritional deficiency issues in the US.
Final Thoughts
Moringa oleifera is no doubt a superfood. No wonder why it is being nicknamed as the miracle tree or the tree of life because really, it has so much to offer. With such a very outstanding nutritional value, how can someone even falsify its health benefits, right?
And it’s a great thing knowing that apart from being very beneficial to adults like us, it also has so many benefits to offer among our young children – toddlers to be exact.
Now, is moringa safe for toddlers? Well, the experts have spoken and they say it is very safe for toddlers to consume moringa. But of course, it is highly suggested that before you start a moringa diet to your child, make sure to consult your healthcare provider first to be sure. After all, our children have different bodies – what works for my child may or may not work for your child.
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