Introducing Your Baby To Indian Food

One thing I've learned about parenting is there are so many ways to do it. While we all think our way is best, it's not always the case. If you were to visit moms from around the world, you would see just how differently they raise their little ones. If you look a little closer to home, you'll still see big differences in parenting styles.What about food?A lot of moms think the only way to feed your kids is to start with the bottle, then rice cereal proceeded by vegetables, and ending up with table food. What if I told you that you could change it up a bit and make it more interesting and healthier for your kids?I introduced my children to Indian spices right away. When they were in the adorable squishy stage (you know the stage I'm talking about), I started them off with rice and butter. I added about 2 extra cups of water to the rice, so it soaked it all in and turned into more of a paste. Adding butter is a great way to sneak in dozens of vitamins and anti-oxidants into your child's diet.As they get a little older, we start adding in steamed vegetables and spices. Getting them used to different spices at a young age helps to get their palate used to it. Not to mention all of the health benefits them.

Turmeric

Turmeric is used in every single Indian dish. It's added to the base to add a rich color and people are becoming obsessed about it. A lot of health gurus are even recommending turmeric pills. Which of course my in-laws always laugh over and say people should all just start eating Indian food!Why is it so good for you? It's full of antioxidants, it's an anti-inflammatory, it helps reduce cholesterol, it's full of vitamin B, and has been said to help prevent cancer cells from growing.

Chili Powder

Before you skip over this section thinking I'm crazy, hear me out. Chili powder is full of antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin A, helps to detoxify the body, enhances your metabolism, rich in potassium, and adds delicious flavor!We started adding chili powder at a young age. We started extremely small and increased as they got older. Now, they eat dinner with the rest of us. While we may still make our meals a little milder, they love it and have a great pallet for spicy food. You could even add a little yogurt as well and counteract the heat, but keep all of the health benefits.

Yogurt

Yogurt is the number one item I recommend to all parents. Especially homemade yogurt because it's full of healthy bacteria your body needs to build up its defenses against infections. Often times, our kids end up on antibiotics frequently which kills off a lot of good bacteria. This helps them get it all back. It's also full of vitamin D, vitamin B, helps prevent high blood pressure, and helps build strong bones.

Here are a few recipes you can try out and see what your kids think!

Carrot and Pea Curry

1/2 cup of peas1/2 cup of carrots1/4 tsp curry powderpinch of cinnamonCook your peas and carrots in about an inch of water until they are tender. When they are done spoon your vegetables into a blender. Add in your spices and pour a small amount of the water in from the saucepan until it almost covers the vegetables. Blend until everything is well combined and no chunks are remaining. If you would like to to be thinner, add 1/4 cup of water at a time.

Chicken Biryani

Pinch of cinnamonPinch garam masalaPinch of chili powder1/4 cup cooked chicken1/4 cup cooked rice1/2 cup chicken brothAdd the chicken, chicken broth, and spices together in a blender. Blend until the chicken is there are no chunks of chicken left. Add in your rice. Give the blender a few quick pulses, just enough to break the rice down a bit. You still want rice chunks in the baby food.What was the first solid food you gave your kids?