How to introduce new food to children

The first solid food given to a baby will determine what that infant will desire later on. If you primarily give your baby sweets, oil, or salt, he or she will always crave that.

Below are some general guidelines to help you and your family make a transition to an energizing whole foods diet. Make these changes gradually. In Ayurveda, there is a saying that when letting go of a food that is no longer supporting you, “decrease it by one quarter, by one quarter, by one quarter.” For example, if you wish to reduce or omit salt, begin reducing your daily salt intake by one quarter.

 Food may taste a little bland for a few days. Then as your taste buds awaken to the natural flavours of the food, reduce the salt by one quarter again, and so on. This approach instills more solid and lasting changes, rather than a cold turkey approach.

Each week, make an effort to include new choices of fresh, wholesome foods and reduce one or more foods that are no longer serving you. Use a highlighter to mark the foods you have introduced and omitted from your diet and see your progress grow. Children love to see progress, so when introducing something new to the children, chart the progress and make a game of it.

Depending on your child's constitution, it is recommended that the child consumes:

·      25–40% whole, sprouted, or stone-ground grains

·      30–60% vegetables

·      10% legumes (beans, peas, lentils, sprouts, tofu, miso),

·      5-15% fresh fruits, a small amount of nuts and seeds

·      0–10% animal foods (fish, poultry, dairy, eggs)