Seeds are a super healthy part of your baby’s Super Food Diet
Seeds may be the very last food on a parent’s list when considering first solid foods for their baby and then later, their toddler. They might want take another look at seeds and add them to the very top of their list! Seeds are jammed packed with precious nutrients that can provide an easy healthy boost to any meal.
The history of the seed
It makes sense that seeds are chock full of goodies. Think about it. If a seed is placed in the ground, it grows! If a seed is placed in water, it sprouts! Nature must have put a concentrated store of nutrients in the seed, which can grow a new plant with no soil and nothing more than plain water. The seed is the nucleus of a plant, the part that maintains survival of the species, and the part that is most important to nature. If there is a variation and lack of nutrients in the soil, the other plant parts suffer at the expense of the seed. In infertile soil, the roots forage for every trace nutrient they can find in order to first form the seed. The seed is life itself! Fascinating, is it not?
How to add seeds to your baby’s prepared food
There are many seeds that you could add to your child’s diet. I would like to share three in this post: chia seeds, seasame seeds (in the form of tahini), and flax seeds. Most pediatricians agree that you can add these three seeds (one of a time, of course) to your baby’s diet at eight months of age. Check with your pediatrican before feeding as always. I suggest grinding chia seeds and flax seeds immediately before serving to your baby, as the unground seed could be a choking hazard and the most nutitinonal value will be delivered when the seeds are ground. As well, seeds become rancid quickly so best to grind and serve!
Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds, and Tahini (seasame seeds in paste form)
Chia Seed Nutritional Value
Chia seeds have become very popular and it is no wonder. Just some of the nutritional benefits of chia seeds include: Omega 3 Fatty Acid, anti-oxidants, fiber, and protein. Grind chia seeds to a fine powder and sprinkle on your baby’s yogurt, oatmeal super porridge, and atop soft or pureed fruit.
Flax seeds contain omega 3 fats, manganese, Vitamin B1 and antioxidant properties, just to name a few of its goodies. I recommend grinding flax seeds in a blender immediately before feeding and then add to scrambled eggs, yogurt, pancakes, etc.
Tahini (Seasame Seeds in paste form)
Tahini touts iron, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, B1, and dietary fiber as a few of it’s beneficial nutrients. Since tahini is sesame seeds ground into a butter it is super convenient to easily add to your baby’s yogurt, super porridge, practically anything that you can add a spread to!
If you have experience feeding seeds to YOUR baby, share what you have found works best. What other foods can you stir ground seeds into?