Organic Baby: First Bites, Part II

Cross a plumcot with a plum and you get a pluot. Three-fifths plum, two-thirds apricot = one hundred percent delicious! Local horticulturalist Luther Burbank was the first to cross breed a plum with an apricot to create the plumcot.  Floyd Zaiger took it a step further by crossing Luther’s plumcot with a plum and the pluot was born.

So when I saw these seasonal organic delights available, I decided to broaden my little guy’s puree exposure.  Pluots are loaded with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and potassium and contain other nutrients that help maintain eye health, such as carotenoids, and flavenoids, which help protect against cancer and heart disease.

I mixed the pluots with another nutritional powerhouse- wild organic blueberries. Loaded with antioxidants, this fruit is ‘visually capable’ demonstrating in numerous studies that it can improve nighttime visual acuity.  This small but powerful fruit also helps brain development and gastrointestinal health.  Yes, sounds like a match made in heaven to me too!

Quite beautiful together, no?  I think so.  Be forewarned; this can be a messy puree to feed your baby. The deep dark purple color mainly from the ‘blubs’ can probably double as ink for a fine quill- so be sure to ‘bib-up’ or risk that onesie (and anything else w/in a 2 foot radius) from becoming another ‘Pollock’ masterpiece.

It’s worth the effort. My little ‘taste tester’ couldn’t get enough!

Notice the dark bib?  Neurotic fashion-concisous mom at it again…

Another seasonal fruit I gravitated to were apricots. They looked and smelled wonderful. I mixed this with a little agave nectar to mellow it’s slight tartness and added a little multi-grain cereal from Earth’s Best to give that added heartiness. This brand is GE-free (genetically engineered) and is a blend of Oats, Spelt and Barley (great for gluten sensitive babies).

Take a look at the puree action

Ooooo so pretty.  Love the color!  Nutrient breakdown isn’t so bad either.  Apricots can help protect the heart and eyes, as well as provide the disease-fighting effects of fiber. The high beta-carotene content of apricots makes them important heart health foods. Beta-carotene helps protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation, which may help prevent heart disease. Furthermore, they are loaded with Vitamin C.

This post has been a bit ‘fruit intensive’ so how about some vegetable action? Savory is good. ‘Savory’ is a taste you can begin to accustom your baby to.  Since babies have a predisposition to sweet, the subtle sweet of the acorn squash is a perfect transitional flavor. Just enough sweetness for my little man as he gobbled it up.  I even added some extra virgin olive oil which has cognitive, bone, digestive and cardiovascular benefits.  Again, this proved to be another nutritious and delicious combination.

Last but not least, one more puree favorite. Note to all… I am only blogging about the successful ones, leaving the ‘duds’ to myself. I figure, why share the misery?  Taylor gold pears, nectarine and cream of buckwheat. Wow! Dare I say, trifecta?

Although not well documented within scientific medical journals, pears are often recommended by healthcare practitioners as a hypoallergenic fruit that is less likely to produce an adverse response than other fruits. Particularly in the introduction of first fruits to infants. Hence; pears are often recommended as a ‘safe’ place to start. Pears are loaded with Vitamin C, Vitamin K and fiber.  Nectarines are a good source of lycopene and lutein and is also low on the glycemic index.

The nutritional profile for buckwheat is pretty impressive. High in fiber, protein, niacin, amino acids and Vitamin D. It is also rich in potassium, phosphorus, iron and calcium.  Buckwheat is one of the best sources of plant proteins available and it contains all your essential amino acids.