One of the reasons I started this blog is to share recipes and easy ways to enjoy healthy foods. When I first started feeding my now 15 month old son solids at 6 months, I was unsure of what would be the best first food to give him. I also wanted to ensure that everything I feed his tiny stomach will be as nutritious as possible. This got me into reading about baby led weaning and childhood nutrition and I have been striving ever since to foster a love of nutritious foods.
In the beginning it is easy. Babies will eat almost everything you give them, and if they don't repeated exposure usually works. Issues with picky eating (see post) and refusing foods starts when kids realize they have options, or they remember being fed something else that they liked better. At 15 months, my son definitely has opinions on foods and is not afraid to make that known. It is extremely frustrating to serve my son something for dinner and have him look at it before looking back at me and starting to throw it on the floor. In the worst case scenario he will get personally offended and throw a borderline tantrum if I serve him something he was not expecting or if I cut the banana into pieces different than he is used to.
This is not a post on tips on how to get your child to stop throwing food. If anyone has those I would love it if you could let me know if the comments, because I am in the same boat.
The point I want to make is that for first foods I believe we should make every effort to ensure it is as nutritious as possible; especially before they have been exposed to something else. This is not to say I don't believe in the occasional treat but I do believe in creating healthy habits early on so that they stick and they become a way of life.
One of the first foods I gave my son is plain yogurt. I started slow when my son was 6 months with just a lick, and then a teaspoon and slowly moving up to a whole 1/2 cup toddler serving in 1 sitting as a snack. Yogurt is probably one of the most highly regarded health foods and so many people will say they like yogurt and believe it is healthy. The health benefits of snacking on yogurt include benefits to the immune system, the digestive system and bones.
The problem is that though there are hundreds of varieties of yogurt on the market (in the U.S) and so many of them especially the ones loved by the masses are actually more like dessert disguised as a health food. Just as an example one brands' chocolate flavored yogurt that I checked has 18 grams of sugar in 1 cup. That's 4 teaspoons of sugar!! Even those that are marketed specifically to children in Israel and the U.S. are loaded with sugar and other artificial flavors. The "good" ingredients such as calcium, protein and probiotics might still be there but they are masked by all the sugar.
Many of the yogurts in the dairy aisle, and I am referring mostly to those in the U.S. belong on the ice cream shelf. In Israel the highly processed dessert like yogurt trend hasn't fully caught on (yet).
When referring to yogurt as a first food for babies I should emphasize that I believe only plain yogurt should be consumed. It really troubles me to think that babies less than one year would be exposed to so much sugar so early on (or ever). Sugar provides no nutritional benefit and therefore there is no reason to give it to such little tummies. They should be filled only with foods that will provide them nutrients to grow. More importantly, there is absolutely no reason to eat flavored yogurts when there are so many options to enjoy plain yogurt that are both much nutritious and delicious for both kids and adults.
Here are some of the best options I have found work for us to make yogurt a vehicle for adding nutrition rather than sugar. By the way, plain yogurt is also a great addition to many baked recipes especially cupcakes and cakes as a substitute for oil.
Frozen Fruit
Frozen fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries work really well since they are small and they thaw really quickly and can be mashed up for babies to enjoy. Also, they increase the nutrition of the yogurt. Berries are high in antioxidants and vitamin C. This is especially true of frozen ones since they are frozen at the peak of their freshness, they retain their nutrition.
Fresh Fruit
Some fresh fruit that works well for this include bananas, any berries, avocado, or mango. Also try dried coconut flakes.
Fruit Purees
You could either use those ready-made pouches to swirl in some nutrition to your yogurt or use your own home made purees of any variety including vegetables such as sweet potato.
Nut butters
This one took some courage on my side to try it for the first time but I promise it really does taste good. I like almond butter the best, but peanut butter and cashew butter are some other good options. You could also do a fruit and a nut butter for the perfect combination.
Homemade Granola
Granola is another one of those foods that you buy thinking it will be healthy but most store-bought granolas are loaded with sugar. See my granola recipe post.
Seeds
Chia seeds, Hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, ground flax seeds. Chia and ground flax seeds are a great source of fiber and omega-3 fat. These are all delicious ways to really boost the nutrition in your yogurt.
Honey
If you really feel like a sweetener is needed for your yogurt, honey is the best option (for kids over 1). This way you are also in control of how much you are adding.
Cocoa Powder and Maple Syrup
This one is basically flipping this whole post on its head. If you are looking for a healthier treat you could add some sweetener and cocoa powder for a delicious dessert like snack and you get to decide how sweet it is.
I'm sure there are lots of other options I didn't mention, I would love to hear from you what are your favorite ways to make plain yogurt anything but that!
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