Healthy Foods Nigerian Mothers Can Make For Babies

The Nigerian baby food sector is seeing significant growth as new businesses try to cater for time-poor parents who are looking for convenient but nutritious baby food.

We have come across a number of companies in Nigeria selling pureed baby foods made in pouches. This innovation simply compliments the huge number of imported baby food that can be found in local markets and supermarkets.

While convenience food definately makes sense for busy parents, there is hard evidence to back up the argument that homemade baby food is better than shop-bought.



A recent study by Glasgow University’s department of human nutrition found that babies had to eat twice as much processed food as homemade food in order to get the same nutrients.

At around six months, when starting on solids, many parents lead their children down another wrong path – that of powdered cereals, premade baby foods, and junk foods disguised as baby-friendly snacks.

One recommendation: make your own baby food. I’m sure some readers will comment that cooking for baby is too much work. But it’s worth it.

When weaning, parents should to introduce a wide range of foods to a baby’s diet to reduce the risk of food intolerances.

The following are ingredients that can easily be sourced, that Nigerian parents can use to make baby foods;

Vegetables and tubers: Well-mashed vegetables are a great start. You can use the normal vegetables and tubers you cook for the family, like yam, sweet potato, irish potato, carrots, cauliflower etc.

Fruit: Mashed banana is usually a favourite but avoid fruit with seeds.

Pulses: Pulses include beans, lentils etc. Make sure they are well mashed or puréed and use little flavouring or salt.

Grains: Rice is one of the most popular weaning foods. Just make sure it is soft. You can leave other grains like oats or corn until a few months later.

Swallows: Amala with ewedu is a popular weaning food for babies. Most parents would advice you to add ground crayfish to make a nutritious meal for a growing infant. You can gradually introduce other swallows like eba, semovita, pounded yam as your baby grows older. But ensure that the food is soft enough for your child to consume.

Poultry, meat, fish: Introduce a little of these from about seven or eight months, once your baby is used to the vegetable mixes.

Source by: http://www.mamalette.com/featured/healthy-foods-nigerian-mothers-can-make-babies/

How to Make Homemade Baby Food

If your little one is big enough for the high chair and solid foods, you have numerous nutritious options at the supermarket to feed your baby. And, if you prepare homemade baby food, you have even more variety: Not only can you pick from all the fruits and vegetables in the produce section, but also frozen veggies and fruit canned in its own juice. Making your own food can expose babies to more flavors, which can help them become more adventurous eaters, says Bridget Swinney, MS, RDN, LD. Furthermore, by avoiding added sugars and salt, you're in greater control of your baby's nutrition.

Getting Started

If you are interested in preparing your own baby food, but find the idea daunting, start with just a few homemade items to supplement store-bought baby food. Mashing a very ripe avocado or banana is a good place to begin and exceptionally simple, says Swinney. After that, she recommends preparing nutrient-rich foods that aren't common in the baby food aisle, such as beets, broccoli, turnips, asparagus, spinach, blueberries, kale, mango and papaya.

"Use whatever is in season and tastes amazing," adds Sarah Krieger, MPH, RDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, who says preparing baby food for each of her three children was a win-win decision. Everyone in the family ate the same nutritious foods, which saved her time and effort, she explains. Good choices for protein-rich foods include cooked eggs, salmon, lentils, chicken and lean beef. However, a word of caution, wait until your baby is at least 6 months old before serving home-prepared spinach, beets, turnips, carrots or collard greens due to the nitrate content that may make younger babies sick.

Preparing Food

Be vigilant about sanitation. Use only well-scrubbed and washed produce, and clean hands, utensils and countertops, says Swinney.

Cook food until it's very tender. Steaming and microwaving in just a little water are good methods to retain vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables. When cooking meats and fish, remove all fat, gristle, skin and bones before cooking. Be certain that all meats and fish are cooked to proper temperatures.
If you're cooking the same food for the rest of the family, remove the baby's portion before adding salt and seasonings. As the baby grows and becomes more used to table food, feel free to add seasonings other than salt.
Puree or mash the food with a little water, if necessary. It's easiest to puree cooked meats in small pieces and while still warm. A food processor, immersion blender or stand blender all do the trick.

Keeping Baby Safe

After you've prepared the food, either serve it or refrigerate it right away. To avoid illness, throw out leftovers that are more than two days old. If you prepare a large batch of food, freeze it in a clean ice cube tray so you have infant-sized portions when you need them. Homemade baby food keeps for three to four months in the freezer. Small portions are ideal because any food that was served, but not eaten, must be thrown out. Bacteria thrive in the mouth, explains Krieger, so if a spoon goes into the baby's mouth and then touches the food, that food cannot be saved.

Source by: http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/planning-and-prep/snack-and-meal-ideas/homemade-baby-food