WITH this being an early years themed issue, resident foodie JANE HUTTON offers some advice on baby foods.
OF ALL the stages that a child goes through before it leaves the care of its mother, weaning is one of the most crucial. We are used to the debate about whether breast is best, and the guilt tied up in whether we do, don’t, can or can’t breastfeed for those first months. After that, getting our babies onto solid food seems a bit of an inbetween, let’s- get-through-it kind of stage. Actually, it is one of the most defining for the future health, tastes, and diet choices of our children. On the surface it seems very simple – just puree up some cooked veg or fruit, or give them a jar chosen from the slew of well-marketed baby food brands, the ones that seem like a healthy option for a convenient meal, easily portable, and taking the pressure off us to make it from scratch. But that is where the two biggest problems lie. The first of those problems is nutrition itself. It’s inescapable that anything that is packaged, jarred, or sold in shops has been processed, pasteurised, and in all likelihood depleted of many of the nutrients and delicate enzymes that our burgeoning babies need. The second problem (and this is an a-ha moment for many) is sugar. We are currently addicted to sweetness, to sugar in many forms, and to a preference for carbs that has lead to a huge rise in obesity, diabetes, and a whole spectrum of issues that affect both physical and mental health. No one is born with a sweet tooth – they are made, developed, and seeded in the weaning stage. Whether home made or packaged, a lot of the foods we often use for weaning are heavily sugar or starch-based: apple puree, carrot, parsnip, and so on. It’s true that often sweet foods are what a baby gobbles up, and there is a theory that babies and toddlers have taste buds that reject anything sour or bitter as a protection against poisoning – an ancient risk when we got our food from what was growing around us. It’s also true that the brain accepts a new taste once it has experienced it a number of times. So the secret is perseverance – give your baby lots of foods, especially greens and pureed protein veg like peas and beans. The sweet stuff as part of an overall diet is fine, but vary it from the start, make it from scratch and don’t give up. Try this issue’s version of crisps for a healthy snack once they are older, or for us adults…..
Sweet potato and carrot crisps
To make carrot crisps:
4 carrots
rapeseed or coconut oil (melted)
sea salt
Preheat oven to 120 degrees. Line a
baking sheet with parchment. Using
a mandolin or veg peeler cut the
carrots into very thin slices. Lightly
toss the slices in oil and coarse sea
salt – you might have to pat them
dry fi rst with kitchen paper. Don’t
over-do the oil. Bake for 45 minutes.
Set aside and cool on wire rack.
To make sweet potato crisps:
1 large sweet potato
1 tbsp rapeseed or coconut oil (melted)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 190. Line a baking
sheet with parchment. Peel the
sweet potatoes, then create lots of
thin strips using a mandolin or veg
peeler. Toss the strips with the oil,
sea salt, and cinnamon and place
on the prepared baking sheet. Bake
20 to 25 minutes or until edges are
slightly golden and crispy. Remove
from oven and cool.
Take both and toss together with
additional sea salt, cinnamon or
other seasonings as desired.
Enjoy!