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What are you teaching your baby about food?
From Babylicious Ltd, makers of delicious, healthy, frozen baby and toddler meals
Childhood obesity in the UK is growing. Much is being done at a school level to encourage healthier eating to counter this alarming trend,
but at Babylicious, we think that healthy eating in children needs to start much earlier - with healthy eating in babies.
Research* shows that the flavours a baby is first exposed to, help to shape its food preferences for life. A baby's tastebuds are extremely
receptive to new tastes. Weaning onto solids is the perfect time to help teach your baby to enjoy a variety of natural, healthy foods.
The problem for many busy parents is a lack of time to make their own baby food. As a result they rely on jars as a way of introducing their
babies to solids. While nutritionally acceptable, jars don't teach babies the natural taste of food. Here's why:
- Jars of baby food have to be cooked at temperatures exceeding 121°C to kill any bacteria to give them a long shelf life at room temperature. Cooking at this temperature wipes out many of the nutrients contained in the food, with some manufacturers having to add vitamins back in artificially.
- Jars of baby food don't look, taste or smell like real food. That's because the extreme cooking temperatures cause the natural sugars in
the fruit and vegetables to caramelise, making the food turn orange and giving all foods the same unnatural flavour and smell.
- Many jars of food have added sugars, water and starchy fillers. While these aren't nutritionally bad for you, they dilute the nutrient
content of the actual food.
- Transitioning your baby off jars of food and onto food that the rest of the family eats can be difficult, as they're not used to the
natural flavour, colour and texture of real food.
- Research shows that babies who eat jarred food regularly or exclusively are more likely to become fussy eaters and may lean towards
processed foods in later life because the taste bud receptors have become desensitized.
Many parents are also afraid to give their babies anything that might seem too exotic, opting for blander options. Some also give up too
quickly if their baby rejects a certain food. Instead of trying again, they simply assume the child doesn't like it and rule it out. Experts
suggest you need to try up to 20 times before excluding a food as it takes a while for some babies to get used to new things. But it will benefit them in the long term.
Babylicious suggests that parents follow the 'Teach the Tastebuds' programme: make your own baby food or if you don't have time to do it
yourself, use high quality frozen foods like Babylicious that look, taste and smell like real food. Keep introducing new flavours and stick with it!
Babylicious provides a fresh tasting alternative to jars but with the same convenience. We make 18 different baby purees using top
quality ingredients that most mums would have in their own fridges or kitchen cupboards. They are gently cooked, pureed and snap-frozen™
into little cubes, locking in all the natural vitamins, minerals, flavour and freshness. These nutritionally balanced products look, taste and smell like real food. So give your baby the best introduction to food and teach their tastebuds right from the start.
Babylicious and Kiddylicious can be found in the freezer sections at Tesco, Sainsburys and Budgens, the baby aisle at ASDA and online at
www.ocado.com and www.babylicious.co.uk. Sign up for the monthly Babylicious newsletter - Food 4 Thought - for great tips on feeding your kids. Just go to www.babylicious.co.uk and click on the newsletter link.
* The research was carried out by the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia and was published in the US Journal of Pediatrics.
Chicken Curry
Try this great chicken curry recipe to teach your baby about exciting new flavours:
Makes 4 portions
Suitable for home freezing
Ingredients:
1 cup of cooked rice
1 pint of whole milk
½ a small onion, finely chopped
1 small skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 tablespoon of sultanas
½ a tablespoon of vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon crushed garlic
Sprinkle of Coriander Leaf
Generous Pinch of Cumin, Ground Coriander, Garam Masala, & Tumeric
Method:
Gently heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until slightly softened. Add the garlic and
spices and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the chicken and lightly brown it for about 5 minutes. Add the sultanas and milk, cover
and gently simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the rice and mix together. Then blend into a puree of the desired consistency.
If you don't have time to make this yummy meal, you can buy it as part of the Babylicious range.
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Competition - win £30 of baby food
We're offering Baby Matters' readers the chance to win free baby food from Babylicious to the value of £30. Now you can
get your little one eating great tasting, healthy food right from their first bite. Simply
click here and fill in the form.
send us your recipes:
If you've got a favourite recipe please let us know, and we'll share your
suggestions with other Baby Matters readers. Simply email your recipe to feedback@bloomingmarvellous.co.uk and you could be featured in our next ezine!
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