Healthy Grains, Happy Baby

A new day, a new food. And just as the introduction of egg yolk opened Isla’s world up to food much different from her diet of fruit and vegetables, her latest food took her yet another step in a new direction: grains.

Grains that are low in or free from gluten are recommended for nine- to 12-month-old babies. Quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, millet and oats – Isla’s latest food – are all good options. Oats are an excellent source of fibre and are rich in Vitamin E, B vitamins, and minerals, including iron, zinc and calcium. According to my naturopath, substantial growth and maturation of tissues occur at nine months. Foods containing iron and zinc are suggested at this age, including those that are high in fibre, which encourages good intestinal health.

Further, Nutritionist Kim Corrigan-Oliver of Your Green Baby recommends holding off introducing gluten-containing grains (such as wheat, barley, rye, spelt and kamut) until after your baby is 18 months. Her reasons include:

(1) The enzymes to properly digest gluten are not present in full amounts often until between 12 and 18 months;

(2) Introducing gluten-containing grains earlier risks increasing the chances of digestive distress; and

(3) Energy potentially spent on trying to digest difficult-to-digest gluten could be better spent on growth, development, immune system function, and general health and well being. Letting the digestive process be as easy and smooth as possible allows for maximum absorption of nutrients with little energy expended.

With this in mind, Isla recently got her first taste of organic oats, which are also considered a low-allergen food. To replace the coconut oil I usually mix in with Isla’s food, I used organic coconut milk instead, pureeing the cooked oats with the coconut milk to create a creamy, beautifully rich food.

To sweeten the deal, I mixed in some pureed, stewed, organic prunes to much fanfare – Isla loved the new taste and texture and had no negative reaction to the oats. Healthy grains, happy baby!

Egg-travaganza

A couple of weeks ago, Isla turned nine months old and with that milestone, reached a whole new level of food introduction. In addition to her diet of fruit and vegetables, it was time for Isla to be introduced to something entirely different: egg yolks.

Nutritional experts vary on when the best time is to introduce babies to egg yolks. Some say as early as four months while others advise to wait until nine months. Regardless of when they’re introduced, egg yolks are rich in choline, cholesterol and other brain-nourishing substances, offering optimal nutrition to growing babies. According to the Weston A. Price Foundation:

“Cholesterol is vital for the insulation of the nerves in the brain and the entire central nervous system. It helps with fat digestion by increasing the formation of bile acids and is necessary for the production of many hormones. Since the brain is so dependent on cholesterol, it is especially vital during this time when brain growth is in hyper-speed. Choline is another critical nutrient for brain development.

The traditional practice of feeding egg yolks early is confirmed by current research. A study published in the June 2002 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the nutritional effects of feeding weaning infants 6-12 months of age regular egg yolks, enriched egg yolks, and an otherwise normal diet. The researchers found that both breastfed and formula-fed infants who consumed the egg yolks had improved iron levels when compared with the infants who did not. In addition, those infants who got the egg yolks enriched with extra fatty acids had 30% to 40% greater DHA levels than those fed regular egg yolks. No significant effect on blood cholesterol levels was seen.

The best choice for baby is yolks from pasture-fed hens raised on flax meal, fish meal, or insects since they will contain higher levels of DHA. Why just the yolk? The white is the portion that most often causes allergic reactions, so wait to give egg whites until after your child turns one.”

I opted to hard boil the organic, free-range egg (produced by chickens fed an all-vegetarian diet), carefully removing the yolk from the white. I even went as far as to rinse the egg yolk to ensure no traces of white remained. Then I mashed the yolk and mixed it with one of Isla’s favourite foods – pureed butternut squash. Once the egg yolk was camouflaged, not only in colour but also in texture and taste, it was no problem ensuring Isla ingested her share of nutrient-rich goodness.

Your Green Baby

One of my favourite baby food introduction resources is Your Green Baby, a website and blog by Ontario mom and Nutritional Practitioner Kim Corrigan-Oliver. Now Kim also has a new book called Raising Happy Healthy Babies. I wanted to buy it not only for the information it contained, but also to support Kim. And boy am I ever glad I did.

Lately, I've felt like all I’ve been doing is battling it out with Isla at every mealtime. Some days, Isla eats so robustly, it’s all I can do to keep up with the spoonfuls. But more often than not, Isla doesn’t even want to even open her mouth, let alone swallow. This is nothing if not frustrating. Why won’t she eat?! Then, in the midst of all my hand wringing, Kim’s book arrived in the mail. In it, I read something that took all the stress out of Isla’s mealtimes for me:

“Food introduction is about getting your baby accustomed to food: it is not about providing nutrients. So breastfeed or bottle feed your baby as normal, and within 30 to 60 minutes of finishing, introduce some solids.”

She goes onto write: “How much your baby eats will vary from one baby to another. It may just be a taste off of your finger or it may be a tablespoon or two. Remember it is about learning to eat, tasting food and creating an experience – it is not about nourishment.”

These passages served as an excellent reminder for me to relax when it comes to feeding Isla. It’s about creating an experience, not getting as much food as possible down her gullet. Up until I read Kim’s new book, the fact Isla wasn’t ingesting what I was offering was proving more and more stressful. How on earth could I be consistent in her introduction to food if Isla refused to eat?

However, thanks to Raising Happy Healthy Babies, I’ve decided to worry less and enjoy feeding time more - whether Isla eats or not. Something I’m sure Isla will appreciate as much as I will.

The Baby Food Mash-Up

Most babies like routine and structure, so it comes as no surprise that Isla lost all enthusiasm for solid food after a week without - I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly and completely. In an effort to travel light, I opted to breastfeed exclusively while we were away from home, but upon our return I paid the price for my culinary laziness. Isla wouldn't have anything to do with solid food, throwing a (very dramatic) fit at the very sight of her bib, let alone the food.

In a bid to have her resume her consumption of solids, I pulled out all the stops, abandoning my new-food-introduction agenda and offering her favourites. I served up banana. I sweetened the deal with sweet potato. I even mixed the two. Nothing but more cries for the boob. Then I figured, just for the hell of it, I’d throw a spanner in the works and try something altogether new and different – broccoli. I alternated broccoli with banana and sweet potato in the same sitting. Her interest was not piqued. Not to be outdone, I introduced fresh, steamed, pureed organic blueberries. Who could resist? Not Isla! After several days of disgruntled and occasionally tear-filled mealtimes, Isla once again took to the spoon, and enthusiastically. The winning combination? Blueberries and sweet potato.

Throughout this mini drama, I debated the merits of my persistence. Should I just let sleeping dogs lie and let Isla continue to breastfeed to her content? How then would I know when to reintroduce solids? In the end, I figured that if I consistently offered her food she could decide whether or not she wanted it, but at least the message would be sent that exclusive breastfeeding wasn’t (necessarily), the name of the game.

Saved by the Smock

When Isla does decide to eat solids, she does so messily. She likes to pull up her bib and lick whatever goodness has fallen onto it. Often, she’ll excitedly “clap” her hands, expertly knocking the spoon and its contents out of my hand and onto her/the floor/the counter. If she’s quick and lucky enough, she’ll even manage to get her little fingers into the food itself. So blueberries are a risky endeavour, to say the least. As such, I was thanking my lucky stars I had recently bought a smock bib to cover her in. It wasn’t an easy search. Most smock bibs are made of plastic, polyester or some other synthetic material that can be easily wiped off or thrown in the wash. However, I’m not interested in draping my child in such fabric, so I searched for a material I could live with and found Mimi the Sardine, a Californian company that produces organic cotton bibs with a non-toxic, water-based acrylic coating that is water and stain resistant, but not so stiff that Isla can’t move her arms when she eats. Aside from the blueberries that ended up on her legs, it works a charm – especially when she’s actually eating...

The (Second) Demise of the Carrot

Like most rational people, Isla likes fruit a whole lot more than veggies. But the mother in me was stubbornly determined to have her eat more veggies. So it was time to try carrots again. This time, I was going to get it right – the perfect carrot-to-water ratio, followed by the creation of a silky smooth consistency, rounded out with an infusion of organic coconut oil. I whipped up a batch and while still warm from the steaming, offered them to Isla. Resolute rejection. Well, I don’t like warm carrots either. The next day, I pulled out the carrots from the fridge, only to discover they resembled something close to frozen (orange) cottage cheese. No baby could eat those, nor would one want to.

Of course, Isla doesn’t have to eat solids, but following a few days without, I wanted to reintroduce them to her. After Isla experienced her first-ever runny nose (well, nostril), I decided to abandon the solids for a few days and just breastfeed her to ensure she was getting all the nutrients she needs. Her nose dried up in a day, but I continued breastfeeding for a few more. Now, as I mournfully stabbed the solid carrots, something in the corner of the kitchen caught my eye. The fruit bowl – with a soft, browning banana in it. So it was that Isla was joyfully reunited with her old friend, which she lovingly and enthusiastically embraced.

Today, we tried the carrots again, this time at room temperature. And as Isla pushed my hand away, I finally conceded defeat. Now I just have to figure out what’s next on the menu...

Apricots - SO2 + Fat = Pure Goodness

At first glance, you’d never know they were apricots, void of the bright orange colour we’ve come to associate with the soft little fruit. So when I stood scanning the shelves of my local health food store for organic, dried unsulphured apricots – Isla’s next culinary offering – I could be forgiven for missing them entirely.

Sulphured apricots

In my bid to give Isla the healthiest food possible, I opted to forgo colour for purity. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is used in dried apricots and other fruit to preserve their colour and increase their shelf life. According to Healthy Child Healthy World’s Chemical Encyclopedia, sulphur dioxide and five of its sulfite relatives are approved for use as preservatives in foods such as canned fruit and vegetables, dried fruits (except prunes and black raisins) and applesauce.

The amount of sulphur dioxide found in any food isn’t enough to affect most of us, however in sensitive individuals (particularly asthmatics), ingestion can cause asthma attacks, skin rashes and upset stomach. So why on Earth would I give it to my perfectly pure baby?

Unsulphured apricots

As it turns out, Isla cares little what colour she eats. In fact, she gobbled up her brown apricots. And in a (slightly delayed) stroke of genius, it occurred to me that I could add (odourless, flavourless) organic coconut oil to Isla’s fruit dishes, as well as her veggie ones, ensuring she gets much-needed fat in all her solids. As my naturopath wrote in one of her emails:

“The MOST important nutrient for babies is fat!! Fat!! Fat!! Your breast milk is over 50% saturated fat, so as we introduce solids keep this in mind, especially if you are planning to raise her without meat. In fact, most beta carotene found in squash, etc. requires fat to convert to Vitamin A.”

So it is, for the next six days, Isla will eat fat-laced, suphur-free, brown-coloured apricot-y pure goodness – and apparently enjoy every bite.

Solid Gold

I had my doubts. How, pray tell, would I steer Isla away from the addictive sweetness of fruit and back onto the veggie path? My only hope was butternut squash. So I peeled, cubed and steamed half an organic butternut squash and pureed it with organic coconut oil into a silky smooth consistency. Isla devoured it. Welcome to the new golden food.

I couldn’t be happier. In fact, very few things please me more than my daughter opening her mouth wide and eating to her heart’s content nutritious food. Butternut squash fits the bill perfectly. It helps to boost a baby’s immune system and lowers the risk of cancer and heart disease. Plus, the amount of Vitamin A it contains is almost off the charts – one cup of cooked butternut squash has 457% of the recommended daily allowance. Isla’s eyes will be the picture of health.

As important as flavour, I believe, is a food’s texture. Unlike peas, or other less puree-able foods, well pureed butternut squash just feels good to eat. Add to that the pleasing mouthfeel of fat (in the form of coconut oil) and you have a tasty, brightly coloured, healthy food that makes the mouth sing. Hallelujah!

Spoon Me

Just like Green Toys says on its website, I care about what goes into Isla’s mouth – and not just in the form of food.

As such, I searched for a perfect-sized spoon that not only felt right, but that was also environmentally friendly and safe for Isla to eat off of. I found the Green Eats Feeding Spoons, in an 8-pack nevertheless.

Made from 100% recycled plastic milk containers, the cute little spoons (they’re 4¼ inches long) contain no melamine, BPA, phthalates, PVC or external coatings. Even the packaging is made from recycled and recyclable materials and printed with soy inks. Love it.

Don’t Knock It ‘Til You Try It

The phrase “stewed prunes” doesn’t exactly evoke a mouth-watering response. Black-brown in colour, paste-like in texture and a smoky, almost cloying sweetness isn’t what might be considered a palatable offering. But as far as babies go, prunes are the perfect food, especially if their bowel could use a little extra help.

Full of Vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), dietary fibre, potassium and antioxidants, prunes (a.k.a. dried plums) are considered a low-allergen food that is sweet enough to appeal to Isla’s banana-loving palette. So, in a desperate attempt to find another fruit that Isla would willingly eat (her desire for apples never did match bananas), I bought sulphur-free organic prunes, covered them with purified water and simmered them down until they were a soft, bubbling mass. Then I pureed them, only to discover the end result was a thick, glue-like substance that even I found unappealing. Adding a little water to the mix helped, at the very least, to reduce their choking/gagging hazard, and into the food cubes the prunes went.

In a surprise twist, Isla likes prunes! However, whether it’s bananas or prunes, I’ve discovered that timing is everything when it comes to if – or how much – Isla will eat. Some mealtimes she’ll refuse solid food, while later that day or at the same time the next day, she’ll eagerly eat. I’m not convinced it’s entirely a result of how hungry she is, as she’ll happily breastfeed after refusing solid food. Whatever the case may be, Isla obviously has her reasons, and as we continue to explore the different flavours and textures of various foods, Isla will continue to decide whether she wants to take part. Even in prunes...

The Apple Of My Eye

It was a sad day for Isla when we said goodbye to her much-loved fruit. After six days of banana, it was time to introduce a new food, but how does one top something that is the baby equivalent of chocolate? There are very few foods on the 6-9-month introduction list that are as appealing as bananas (cauliflower, broccoli, mung bean sprouts), but Isla can't eat bananas forever. So, goodbye banana, hello apple.

Out came the baby food maker in which I lovingly steamed and pureed the peeled, cored and chopped organic Gala apple, only to have Isla turn her nose up at it. However, I persevered. Come on! It’s a nice sweet apple! It’s not going to get any better than this!

Isla would open her mouth for more, but then appeared a little surprised and dis-appointed with each bite. Breakfast and lunch were an exercise in patience, occurring in fits and starts, complete with grimaces and a few complaints, open mouth and closed until she got used to the different texture and taste of the apple. In the end, Isla ate a cube’s worth, or half a large apple, pureed. Now, along with her apple (sauce) a day, she’s getting her fill of vitamins A, C and K, fibre, potassium, calcium, folate and lots of good carbohydrates.


Wean Cubes
To add a little bit of interest to Isla’s food – at least in appearance and storage – I bought Wean Cubes, great little glass jars that are made by Wean Green, a Canadian company founded by a mother of two. Each cube comes with a brightly coloured silicone lid that is free of BPA, PVC and phthalates, and can be heated or frozen. And we all know that 
everything tastes better when it’s beautifully packaged...

Little Monkey

My child is bananas for bananas. She simply can’t get enough. ­­She will happily eat an entire (relatively) large banana and then some. There is a very real possibility that she will float away on a banana boat.

But, in an exquisite interplay between practice and her newly-discovered favourite food, Isla has learned to eat. She opens her mouth wide to receive the spoon, closes it, swallows and then repeats. No more awkward tongue thrusts or trying to suck the food off the spoon or closing her mouth too early. She has mastered the mechanics of eating. Thank you, banana.

If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again...

A friend of mine told me that her daughter just could not get enough of peas when she was Isla’s age, so I was hopeful my fancily-pureed peas would be a hit. My optimism was short-lived. The peas were a spectacular failure. First Isla grimaced, then shuddered, then spit them out and gagged in an impressive show of distaste. And who can blame her? I don’t find pureed peas appealing in the least. But I persisted. After several tries, at different times of day and at varying temperatures (cold, tepid, room temperature...), we moved onto something more palatable: organic carrots. Alas, another failed experiment. Isla rejected the carrots almost as fully as the peas.

There’s a (minor) debate about whether fruit or veggies should be introduced as a baby’s first food. Some say babies should experience veggies before creating a taste for sweeter food (fruit), while others counter that breastmilk itself is sweet, so why not start with something along the same lines?

I was interested in trying veggies first to see how they would go down, and out of the four we’ve tried, she’s enjoyed two: sweet potato and avocado (coincidentally, two of my favourite, although avocado is technically a fruit). But it's time to mix it up a bit. Because the peas and carrots were barely ingested, I thought it was safe to forgo the one-food/six-day food sensitivity rule and explore a new culinary experience for Isla.

So banana it is! As it turns out, Isla was as keen on banana as she was with sweet potato, eating an entire banana (about 70 ml pureed) in one sitting. And thank God for that. I was beginning to think she had given up on solids entirely....

The Baby Food Maker

Behold my latest toy – the Beaba Babycook baby food maker. It steams, blends, purees, defrosts and reheats baby food. Of course, I can easily do all these tasks with a stovetop veggie steamer, blender and microwave, but I love having everything in one easy-to-clean, compact package purpose-built for baby-sized portions.

Today was my first test run with the Babycook as I prepared Isla’s next food – organic green peas. Because it’s March and there are no fresh peas at my disposal, I used frozen ones, which meant I had to employ two of the Babycook’s functions: defrost and puree. I’m happy to report the Babycook does what it claims, and beautifully smooth, bright green goop will be Isla’s breakfast/lunch for the next several days. To ensure a good consistency, I pureed the peas using the left-over steaming water, adding valuable nutrients back into her food. And, just as I did with her sweet potato, I also added a bit of organic coconut oil to the mix.

I do, however, have one complaint: the puree function is only set to “pulse”. This means you have to hold the knob to puree; you can’t simply just walk away and let it do its thing. This is a significant oversight for a product marketed to moms (and dads), for whom multitasking is a means of survival. A locked position in the puree function would be welcomed.

As for the peas, in addition to being on the list of good foods to introduce early on, they’re chalk-full of vitamins A, C and K, as well as niacin, folate, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc. Tomorrow we'll know if perfectly pureed peas go down as well as the sweet potato did.

Sweet Potato – The New Frontier

Well, after six days of avocado and no adverse reactions (in Isla, not me...), it was time for something new: sweet potato.

Sweet potato is considered a nutritional superstar, rich in complex carbohydrates, protein, iron, calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C. In fact, the Center for Science in the Public Interest­­­­­ ranked sweet potato Number One in nutrition of all vegetables. With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the next highest vegetable (a plain white potato) by more than 100 points.

And just to make a good thing better, I pureed the (baked, peeled, organic) sweet potato with some organic coconut oil. Like sweet potato, coconut oil is also a wonder food with similar properties to breastmilk.

Breastmilk – considered nature’s perfect food – contains medium chain fatty acids (MCFA), principally lauric acid. MCFAs are also an integral component of coconut oil, about 50 per cent of which is lauric acid, which supports a baby’s immune system through its antimicrobial properties. MCFAs are also easily digested and are an excellent source of fuel for babies. Further, the MCFAs in coconut oil have been proven to help the body’s absorption of calcium and magnesium.

Thankfully, Isla went crazy for sweet potato with something akin to religious fervour. She practically launched herself onto the spoon, eating almost 40 ml, or more than 3 tablespoons, in one sitting. Not bad for someone who, before last week, didn’t know food existed in non-liquid form.

Success!

After two resounding failures (Attempts #2 and #3), finally success – true eating! No clamped lips, no spitting out. Isla simply welcomed the spoon with an open mouth and swallowed her lovely mix of light green goop, again and again. And I think I know why. It wasn’t because I used freshly-cut avocado or freshly-pumped breastmilk (I didn’t in either case), but rather because she was – wait for it – hungry!

I had read that I should breastfeed Isla a bit before feeding her solids so she isn't starving and/or grouchy. But this time I went straight to the "real" food and voila! A successful Attempt #4. Live and learn...

Avocado – Baaaaad

Well, what was a hit one day failed miserably the next. Isla’s appetite for avocado and breastmilk just wasn’t what it once was. In fact, yesterday’s lunch was an all-out failure, with Isla clamping her mouth shut one moment and delighting  in spitting out the little food that made it in the next.

I hear this is the natural progression of feeding an infant, but I can’t help thinking that she refused my delectable offering because (1) the avocado wasn’t freshly cut and (2) the breastmilk not freshly pumped. As such, I will attempt to step up my culinary game for today’s lunch and see if my daughter will once again ingest something other than breastmilk.

There is hope. My naturopath, in a well-timed email, sent these words of encouragement last night:

As long as you are breastfeeding, she is getting liquid gold, so you REALLY have nothing to worry about. You can enjoy food introduction, knowing if some days Isla is not interested in eating, she has lots of great nutrient value in your milk (another reason to nurse as long as you desire).

Preparations for Attempt #3 begin...

Avocado – Goooood

Isa’s lunch was delivered via spoon yesterday – her first-ever “solid” food. It should have come as no surprise that our big (at just shy of seven months she weighs 18-plus pounds), healthy baby devoured her first meal: avocado mixed with breastmilk, pureed and strained to a silky consistency.

Her meal started and ended with being breastfed, but for the main course she took to the spoon and ate until she didn’t want any more. Just as we hoped, she leaned back and closed her mouth when she had had enough.

Conventional wisdom suggests a baby’s first food should be rice cereal fortified with iron. However, I like the idea that Isla’s first bite was of whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense food, naturally rich in vitamins, minerals and good fats. My naturopath agrees, as do other health care professionals.

This post, from Your Green Baby, called Rice Cereal vs. Real Food, has great information about some of the drawbacks to introducing rice cereal as a baby’s first food.

And in a story published by msnbc.com, Dr. David Ludwig, a specialist in pediatric nutrition from the Children's Hospital Boston, says some studies suggest rice and other highly processed grain cereals could actually be among the worst foods for infants.

“These foods are in a certain sense no different from adding sugar to formula. They digest very rapidly in the body into sugar, raising blood sugar and insulin levels” and could contribute to later health problems, including obesity, he says.

So, avocado it is for the next five or six days (to minimize sensitization that may occur when the same food is eaten for seven days straight) until Isla is introduced to a new, equally healthy food.

Solid Food Introduction (or when to say “Open wide....!”)

As with many things in the world of babies, confusion abounds when it comes to
when to introduce “solid” food. Contention surrounds the six-month mark and
whether food should be introduced at or before that time. A friend of mine
highlighted this confusion in an email describing her experience:

(With my first daughter), all I heard was “no sooner than six months!” and
simultaneously “no later than six months!” But this time I've had doctors telling me
that the public health nurses didn't know what they were talking about and babies can start at four months if they're ready.

The debate seems to center largely on the issues of developing food allergies
and/or anemia. To complicate matters, a recent review has casted further doubt
on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life.

As it turns out, the very people promoting the idea that babies should be
introduced to solids prior to six months may have a vested interest in such a
recommendation. Three of the four authors of the review have “performed con-
sultancy work and/or received research funding from companies manufacturing
infant formulas and baby foods within the past three years.” An excellent break-
down of the review can be found here.

Conspiracy theories aside...there are plenty of sound, well-documented reasons
for exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life, not least of all
because the Canadian Paediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada, Health Canada
and the World Health Organization recommend it.

In the end, however, parents themselves have to decide what works best for them and their baby. I feel strongly that Isla wasn’t ready for solid foods until now (at
almost seven months old) and truth be told, I wasn’t ready to take that step either.
The complete list of what I consider good reasons to delay solid food introduction until at least six months is too lengthy to outline here, but here are some of the
reasons that make sense to me:

Delaying solids helps to protect babies from iron-deficiency anemia.     Iron absorption from breastmilk is depressed when the milk comes in   contact with other foods in the proximal small bowel;
Solid foods interrupt the full immune protection babies receive through exclusive breastfeeding, reducing their immunity;
Delaying solids decreases the risks of food allergies;
Delaying solids gives a baby's digestive system time to mature;
Solids should be delayed until your baby can sit up without support      (which Isla did for the first time two days ago), allowing her to lean        forward when she wants another spoonful and backward to refuse;       and (similarly)
Solids should be delayed until your baby can turn her head and/or       push food away to indicate she’s full.

Ultimately, after all the debate and doubt, conjecture and conspiracies, it really
comes down to whether or not Isla actually wants to eat solid foods. Because the
simple truth is that all the research in the world can't make your baby open wide if she doesn't want to...

Veggie Mommy, Veggie Baby

I am a lifelong vegetarian, married to a meat-eating man, raising a vegetarian child – though technically my daughter Isla’s vegetarian status has yet to be secured. At six-and-a-half months old, Isla is still exclusively breastfed. However, in a couple of weeks, that will all change...

I love food. Wholesome, organic, real food. I love thinking about it, making it and eating it. The prospect of introducing my two passions – my daughter and food – to each other is both an exciting and daunting one. My goal, as I’m sure is the case for most moms, is to ensure optimal health, nourishment and nutrition for Isla, through the foods she eats. An added bonus would be for her to develop an appreciation of the wonderful goodness of food, although my guess is that at this stage just getting the stuff into her will trump refining her palette.

This blog will document our exploration of food in all its many shapes and forms, starting with my daughter’s very first bite. I look forward to sharing with you!