Can Babies Have Soy Sauce?

Many parents get curious about the food they should give their baby when it’s time to incorporate regular meals into the baby’s diet. There are various foods with numerous ingredients that can either benefit or harm babies. Though this article will answer the question “Can babies have Soy Sauce?”. The answer to the question is yes, babies can have soy sauce if they are above one year old and in very little quantity. You will find out the reasons in this article.

Soy sauce is added to stir-fry foods, and if the food is perfect for the baby’s consumption, you might doubt the credibility of soy sauce in your baby’s food. Well, it’s quite normal to ask questions about regular meals, as it’s better to prevent than to cure.

Soy sauce is a condiment that is mostly used in several dishes. You can find it in foods served in restaurants & Kitchens, and you can also use it when serving related food in your household. An example of baby food that might require soy sauce is porridge, and you’ll be torn between adding soy sauce for your baby or neglecting it. However, to answer the query “Can Babies Have Soy Sauce?”, it’s better to sit through this article as it’ll show you whether soy sauce is the perfect food for your baby or not.

Studies show that Soy sauce contains a huge amount of sodium, meaning that the condiment has lots of salt. The huge amount of salt present in Soy sauce can hurt your baby’s kidney, especially if your baby is less than one year old. Although you can still give your over one-year-old baby soy sauce, it must be in a limited amount; soy sauce is made from Soy and has a role in supplementing iron. However, there are several reasons why you shouldn’t give less than one-year-old baby Soy sauce, and the reasons include;

1)           Most soy sauce contains gluten, and it can be a problem for babies with gluten intolerance and celiac disease.

2)           Most Soy sauce has a huge amount of salt, and babies are much more sensitive to sodium, leading to kidney problems.

3)           Soy sauce is made from Soy, which is a rampant allergen amongst babies. Thus, giving your baby Soy sauce, can bring about allergic reactions like rashes, itches, swelling, stomach constipation, etc.

4)           Studies have shown feeding your baby salty food can make her reject milk Consumption meaning Soy sauce, can lead to picky eating habits in babies.

5)           Some Soy Sauce contains alcohol, and it’s not appropriate to expose your babies to the effect of alcohol at a tender age.

6)           Soy sauce contains different flavors and colorings with additives that aren’t safe for babies’ consumption.

Those are the reasons why you should think twice before adding Soy sauce to your baby’s meal; hence, Can babies have Soy sauce? However, there are several alternatives to Soy sauce if you can feed your baby without it. The alternatives include;

Alternatives to Soy Sauce

1)           Coconut Secret Coconut Amino Sauce

Here is an alternative to soy sauce, and it doesn’t contain soy. Coconut Secret Coconut Amino Sauce is free of gluten, and it’s a vegan soy sauce; it has several amino acids that’ll increase the growth and development of your babies. It’s quite suitable for babies to add to their meal.

2)           Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

The Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce soy sauce’s sodium content is quite low and doesn’t contain Soy- meaning babies allergic to Soy can use it. The sauce is also gluten-free; thus, there’s no risk of gluten intolerance.

The above are manufactured alternatives that you can use in place of regular Soy sauce. And you can also make your soy sauce yourself; with this, you’ll be assured you aren’t exposing your baby to any of the harmful effects of normal Soy sauce. See some of the recipes which you can use to make homemade soy sauce below.

1)   Make use of date sugar, vinegar, dark molasses(Organic), bone broth, and some related ingredients.

2)   Another homemade recipe for soy sauce is garlic, ginger, green onions, dried shrimp, and other ingredients.

3)   Red wine vinegar, regular molasses, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, and others.

4)   You can use blackstrap molasses plus cider vinegar plus beef broth and add other related ingredients to get homemade soy sauce.

5)   You want a replacement for Soy sauce, right? Try sesame oil.

6)   Lastly, some specially made soy sauce for babies; hence, you can get those as they won’t contain a lot of sodium and alcohol, making them fit for babies’ consumption.

Furthermore, there are some hacks that you can use to get around the regular Soy sauce. In case you can’t afford to get your baby another special soy sauce or an alternative to regular Soy sauce, you can use the below hacks to feed her the condiment without any adverse effects.

Hacks to feed your baby Soy sauce without the risk of harmful effects of the condiment

1)   You can give your baby a little amount of soy sauce and make sure she stays away from salt the entire day. As known that Soy sauce has a huge amount of salt, the limited amount given to your baby will serve as her salt intake for that day, and to reduce the risk of kidney problems, don’t feed her any salt-added food for the entire day or some time.

2)   You can indulge in soy sauce that is low in salt content. There are various Soy sauce, and their salt content varies from one to another, so if you know you want to feed your baby some drops of Soy sauce, purchase the ones low in salt content.

3)    You can also separate your baby’s food before the addition of soy sauce.

Can babies have soy source?

There are different foods with several nutritional values and components. It’s important to know the effect foods have on your baby before incorporating them into her diet. Soy sauce as a condiment is mostly added to stir-fry foods and other related foods but is it okay for babies to eat Soy Sauce?. Babies can only eat it if they are above one year old. Therefore, you can either wait till they reach that age or look for alternatives suggested above.