This is from a friend of mine (Lisa) in the USA, as she posts on her blog littlefoods.com
Probably most shocking: I learned that by about six months, babies in Nigeria are eating almost everything adults eat. As long as it is cooked appropriately so as not to be a choking hazard – they eat it. If they seem to have a rash or reaction to it, they keep eating it until they get over it. They usually do.
Here are some interesting facts from Nigeria, thanks to Ola (Ola is the woman from Nigeria that Lisa interviewed), and a basic recipe for a common first solid food. Ola says that this is for babies three months and older. Believe it or not, it’s beans!
Gbegiri (modified to use as a first food.) Click here for the full recipe.
1. Use white beans or black eyed peas, soak them for 5 minutes or so until the seed coat (skin) comes off.
2. Cook the beans til tender in water, and when they are close to done add a few drops of palm oil (the most commonly used oil in Nigerian cooking.)
3. Mash the beans until they become soft and stewy
4. Add some dried fish (such as leftover fish that you have dried in the oven, and flaked apart.)
5. Stir well, and feed to baby – in Nigeria, they scoop this up with their hands and put into the babies mouth.
Note: Ola says the African diet is very high in protein, which is definitely true about this baby food recipe.
Other Facts about Baby Food in Nigeria:
-yam flour is very commonly used
-fresh squeezed orange juice is given to toddlers
-Cerelac is often used as an infant formula when breastmilk isn’t available
-Protein is a focus – with lots of beans, fish, and chicken/beef eaten (along with vegetables each time)
-Sugar is uncommon, though chocolate milk is sometimes given to toddlers as a treat. Ola has never had a cavity, and also recommends rinsing your mouth each time you eat something chocolaty or sweet.
-There are no universal allergy restrictions or cautions that Ola could tell me – even eggs and nut butters are given to babies less than a year old.
1 comments:
I like that! Here in Tanzania we are told by the Ministry of Health not give babies under six months anything. We are encouraged to breastfeed until they reach the age of six months. There is a reason though some us do not pay much attention to this.
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