Yummy Beginnings
PO Box 245 St Ives NSW 2075
Em: yb@yummybeginnings.com
www.yummybeginnings.com
Fruit or Vegetables – what should I start with?
I initially started my baby on rice cereal, and then moved onto fruit. Firstly, I
started with cooked apple before moving onto cooked pear. This was a mistake!
Pear gave Olivia painful (and noisy) flatulence - so I gave that up pretty quickly
until a later date.
Many people will advise that starting on vegetables is better, as most fruits are
naturally sweet. Their concern is that babies will grow to prefer the sweet taste of
fruit rather then the savory taste of vegetable. The suggestion is to start with the
potato, and then to try pumpkin.
Boil the potato after peeling, until it is soft, then puree with breast milk or formula.
I actually used cooled, boiled water to mix with any of the vegetables. Another
method is to boil the potato unpeeled to keep more of the nutrients. After cooling
it, peel off the skin and puree with breast milk or formula. Potatoes are a very
versatile vegetable and are rich in vitamin C, minerals and fibre. Remember, do
not add salt! Our babies’ taste buds are much more intense than ours, which
means that food we think of as bland has much more flavour to them.
Pumpkin, with its smooth texture, especially the butternut variety, is naturally
sweet and easy to digest for babies. Cook, then mash or puree. Keep some in
the freezer for a later date – it is easy to freeze in ice-cube containers, to be used
later. This can then be mixed and matched with many different vegetable for a
delicious, nutritious taste.
From my experience, even though I started Oli with fruit for her first solid food,
she loves all vegetables and fruit equally. Even the disliked brussell sprout!
Kasha
Kasha Dubinska
Major in Chemistry (Honors) The University of Sydney.
A mother and the producer of Yummy Beginnings DVD for more information
see www.yummybeginnings.com
