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July 31, 2007
If you’re like Kalpna Solanki, only the very best foods make it to your child’s plate. Nutrition is all-important at any age, but particularly in the first year. She saw many parents feeding their babies solid foods too early or feeding them only a few foods, making their nutrition limited and less than perfect. So Kalpna developed BOBOBABY – the first frozen, organic, age-appropriate baby food available in the country. Her own daughter was the inspiration for wanting to assist other parents with the ‘baby’s first foods’ mystery. Kalpna recreated her daughter’s menu plan to reflect a baby’s critical and changing needs from 6 – 9+ months. The recipes for each phase are backed by the latest research in infant nutrition, are all certified organic, kosher, and also offer baby foods that contain no added salt, preservatives, sugar, colour, peanuts, nuts, soy, wheat, sesame, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, poultry or meat. Research indicates that feeding a child a vegetarian diet for the first 10 to 12 months of life can decrease the risk of diabetes and obesity in childhood. For our featured recipe, and to learn more about BOBOBABY and your child’s important nutritional needs, read on! While in the mother’s womb, baby gets lots of iron from mom, which becomes stored in the body’s tissues and hemoglobin. During the first few months after birth, however, these iron reserves get depleted and must be replaced through diet – which then comes in the form of breast milk or formula. But once baby is weaned and solid foods are introduced, other sources of iron are essential (such as iron-fortified cereals and other iron-rich foods, like dark green, leafy vegetables and grains). Signs of inadequate levels of iron may include slow growth, reduced appetite, irritability, fatigue and paleness. Aside from overall good health, iron is vital to all of baby’s functioning organs and it’s especially important for hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that helps with the circulation of oxygen throughout the body. Yet what foods baby receives in combination with each other are just as important as how rich they are in iron. Some nutrients can significantly increase iron absorption, while others do the opposite. For example, the vitamin C found in orange juice, when consumed with a meal can double the amount of iron absorbed, while milk taken with a meal can actually decrease absorption. An excellent combination for babies is iron-fortified cereal or grains eaten together with fruit. This way, the vitamin C in the fruit ensures maximum absorption of the iron from the cereal. The following is a recipe that not only serves as a tasty dish for baby, but it also uses the above principle of iron absorption. Quinoa and Apple Quinoa is a grain that is an excellent source of protein, calcium and iron. The vitamin C from the apples helps with the iron absorption Ingredients: 2 apples Directions: 1. Peel, core and dice apples and cook with 1/2 cup water until easily mashed 2. Wash and rinse quinoa (this is important as quinoa has a bitter coating), and cook with 1 cup water for about 10 – 15 minutes 3. Combine cooked quinoa and cooked apple. Mash or puree to desired consistency (add boiled water if necessary), taste and serve Leftovers can easily be poured into ice cube trays, covered and frozen. Frozen cubes can then be emptied into an air tight container and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months Some other unique characteristics about BOBOBABY: * All packaging materials are sourced locally * Their manufacturing plant (the only one that is solely dedicated to the production of frozen baby foods) is designed for minimal environmental impact * All food wastes are composted * 95% of the ingredients are sourced locally * They advocate organic living, demonstrate sustainable practices, and strive to make a difference in their communities by donating to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and Success by 6 member organizations
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