A TASTY BITE OF NUTRITION ... X 9

- C&J Nutrition, Contributing Writers

As a whole, the TastyBaby lineup is packed with important vitamins, minerals, and even non nutrient compounds like phytochemicals, which protect against disease and optimize health early on.   As registered dietitians, we believe that there is no such thing as “kid food” – we should all choose wholesome, pure, natural foods, no matter what our ages.  Of course, when it comes to babies and toddlers, the form that food is in will be a bit different!

If you look at a Tastybaby nutrition label, you’ll see percentages for five important nutrients: Calcium, Iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and protein.  The percentages represent the amount that one serving provides, compared to what is needed for the entire day.   Perusing this label is a great way to get a snapshot of whether or not a food is rich in any of these five nutrients.  As a general rule, if a product has at least 10% of the daily value, it is considered a good source of that nutrient.  At 20% it’s an excellent source.  You’ll find that almost all of the Tastybaby foods are a good source of one or more of these important vitamins. 

Of course, just like the snapshots in your photo album never quite capture everything that was occurring in that moment, there are a whole bunch of nutrition benefits occurring in each delicious bite of Tastybaby that a package label just can’t capture.   There are so many other important vitamins and minerals like the B vitamins, magnesium, and vitamin k that can make a food a nutrition superstar as well!  Plus, properties of foods like flavor and scent have benefits too.  We get pretty excited about the power of food – after all, it is our job to share these benefits and get you excited about them too!  Below we’ve highlighted some reasons why each unique Tastybaby flavor is a nutrition knockout.  

Stage 1 foods

Life’s a Peach

Just one-third of a Life’s a Peach pack delivers 22% of your baby’s needs for vitamin A and 18% of their daily dose of vitamin C.  Plus, conventionally grown peaches make the Environmental Working Groups “dirty dozen” list!  This means conventionally grown (non-organic) peaches have more pesticides on them then you want your baby to have.  But the organic peaches used in Life’s a Peach are guaranteed to contain no trace of pesticides, which can be toxic to a child’s rapidly developing organs.   Remember, one of the regulations for organic food is that no pesticides are used in any part of the growing process.   So you can feed your baby this delicious fruit without worry.

Bonus: By making Life’s a Peach into a cobbler using iron-fortified cereal, you can turn something already peachy into an extra healthy and Tasty snack.  

Squash ‘Em

Orange…  a color typically abundant in fall and winter veggies,   denotes foods with some serious nutrition benefits.   That bright orange color is actually the result of phytochemicals called lutein, alpha carotene, and beta carotene (aka vitamin A).  So, even though Squash ‘Em might turn little mouths and hands orange, it also provides a whopping 350% of your baby’s daily vitamin A needs in each serving.  Lutein and alpha carotene are linked to healthy cell development and stable blood sugar levels.  The deeper, more vibrant the orange the more powerful the health benefits – and it’s hard to beat pumpkin and butternut squash in terms of the orange-iest orange.  With pumpkin and squash packing some serious fiber, not only does Squash ‘Em make cells happy, it keeps digestive systems happy too.

Hip 2B Pear

Besides being one of the least allergenic fruits, pears are one of the best sources of heart healthy soluble fiber, making them a key player in the introduction of solid foods. 

They are also a good source of vitamin C, copper, and vitamin K.  But a lesser known benefit of this melt in your mouth fruit comes from a compound called epicatechin, an antioxidant that helps sweep up harmful free radicals.

Stage 2 foods

Peas on Earth

Peas may be tiny but they certainly have big health benefits.   Peas are a great source of healthy carbohydrate and vitamin A and C, while the brown rice in Peas on Earth is packed with B vitamins, which are important for efficient metabolism.  This means lots of energy for growing bodies!  Brown rice is an excellent, low allergenic, whole grain to introduce a heftier texture to your child.  Plus, it contains iron and protein to round out a nice balance of nutrients. 

Bangos

This tropical combo is healthful and sweet!  In this creamy combo, mangos provide a mega dose of immune boosting and skin saving (think diaper rash abolishing) vitamin C.   Bananas may have gotten a bad rap amongst adults as being fattening – but don’t fall for this myth.  They’re actually a nutrition superstar for kids and adults.  They are a great source of potassium, which means that Bangos can be a good food to replenish this electrolyte during bouts of diarrhea.  They also contain prebiotics that feed the naturally protective bacteria in the tummy, helping to protect against bugs and improving the absorption of vitamins and minerals (including bone-building calcium!)  Plus, almost every single cell in your baby’s body depends on vitamin B6 in some way – and bananas are PACKED with this mega vitamin.

Bollywood Baby

Lentils have it all – protein, fiber, healthy carbohydrates, iron… they’re pretty much a power-food for growing bodies that use a lot of energy.  Little ones depend on iron to bring oxygen from their lungs to all parts of the body, and 1 serving of Bollywood Baby provides 10% of their daily needs of this mineral.  Cumin seeds also bring some iron to the table – along with lots of fantastic flavor and potential digestive benefits.  And as if that wasn’t enough for the over-worked little cumin seed, it (along with the other ingredients in Bollywood baby) introduce your baby to a more complex flavor palate, which could make him or her a more accepting eater later on.  This Indian inspired dish is also packed with fiber (5 grams per serving or about 25% of what is recommended per day), folate, and magnesium, which all help ‘healthy-up’ the heart… .it’s never too early to start taking care of your ticker! 

Sweetie Pie

Between the mega amounts of beta carotene (aka vitamin A) and the vitamin C, manganese, copper and fiber in sweet potatoes, they’re a nutritious superstar all on their own.  But then apples enter and it pretty much becomes a sweet sensation of nutrition goodness.   Apples lend a sweetness that comes primarily from fructose, and that means slow steady energy – no sugar spikes from this naturally sweet treat.   

Don’t forget to let your baby take in the wonderful smell – the scent of cinnamon has been shown to boost brain activity (after sleepless nights, you might want to smell it too.)  Apples contain special components called flavonoids that keep the peace in your entire body – they stop free radicals from pillaging healthy cells and they actually prevent cell damage by stopping communication between healthy cells and dangerous compounds!  Since apples make the dirty dozen list too, Sweetie Pie is a great way for your baby to enjoy apples, sans pesticides

Stage 3 foods

Kickin’ Chicken

Chicken is a great lean source of protein and good source of iron, which is really important for older babies that may be eating more solids and less breast milk or formula.   Since Kickin’ chicken is a combination of chicken, carrots, and quinoa pasta, it provides an ideal mix of whole grain carbohydrate, protein, and vegetables, which is a balance that you want your child to have at each meal to keep temperament stable (a very good thing) and ensure that he or she is getting a wide variety of nutrients for growth.   Quinoa is one of the most nutritionally rich of all grains and has the highest protein content of any grain! 

Mama Mia,

Butternut squash gives this nutrition-rich pasta meal an all-natural vibrant orange color that puts artificial orange color to shame! and a super line up of immune boosting vitamins like A, C, and E.  The combination of sweet, smooth squash with savory pasta offers a variety of flavors and textures in each bite.  This variety of textures and sweet and savory flavors is important for expanding a growing child’s palate, which is why Mama Mia is a great stage 3 food.