Ounce for ounce, it contains more calcium than a glass of milk and more vitamin C than an orange. And be sure to give your baby a taste of avocado; it offers more than twenty-five essential nutrients, such as fiber, potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins, and folic acid, and also has healthy monounsaturated fat. The creamy texture makes it easy to add to your baby’s first meals.
- Blue. Yes, blue is supernutritious when it comes in the form of a blueberry. This little berry brims with fiber, phytochemicals, vitamin C, and antioxidants. Smush some up and mix with a bit of baby cereal to encourage the joy of eating.
Making Finger Foods Fun
As babies progress to finger foods, they’re at a great age to turn the high chair into a treasure map. For many kids the best way to do this is with a muffin or ice cube tray. Each slot can hold a few tasty, bite-sized treasures.
I like using one or two of the slots for a dipping sauce. Applesauce, yogurt, or pureed baby fruits or vegetables can all be good choices. Other slots might contain cubes of sweet potato (easy to steam); small half slices of banana; half medallions of soft-cooked carrots; shredded apple or carrot; small pieces of cheese; quartered grapes; diced bits of pear, kiwi, avocado, or soft-cooked green beans; bite-sized pieces of toast or oat cereal O’s. Imagine all the possible combinations!
Using Herbs and Spices
Learning to love the smell and taste of herbs and spices can help kids accept the tastes of unfamiliar vegetables and whole grains as they get older. Spices can serve as what I call taste threads to guide the development of a healthy set of food preferences. And as a bonus, herbs and spices are among the healthiest of foods.
Turmeric heads my list of healthy spices for babies. Curcumin, found in turmeric, is powerful at destroying cancer-causing molecules. Many studies are finding it effective in helping prevent or treat several forms of cancer (including breast cancer). Perhaps turmeric is one reason that leukemia is so much less common in cultures where curry is commonly used. In India, it affects less than one child in a million.1 A growing body of evidence also points to turmeric’s powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as providing natural environmental protection.2
Similar health benefits can be described for a number of spices, including cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, and oregano. Pick your favorite spices, start with tiny amounts, and let spices become a regular part of your baby’s diet.
Fruit Juices
Fruit juice seems like a good idea for babies because it is a natural source of fluids and vitamins, and kids like the taste. But I’m not a big fan, and neither is the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
In a policy statement released in 2001, the AAP urged pediatricians to steer parents of children under six months of age away from fruit juice. They reported that there is no nutritional value to be gained from drinking juice at that age, and in fact drinking juice may reduce the child’s intake of the protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals found in breast or bottle milk. They also warned that excessive juice consumption in childhood has been linked to both obesity and short stature in children.3
For children older than six months, I encourage parents to introduce organic fruits that are mashed or pureed. ....read more
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