We've officially reached our next milestone in our house of solid food introduction for our newest little one. As a former chef and registered dietitian, you can imagine this is a big one for me for a lot of reasons. The chef and foodie in me is super excited to introduce foods and hopefully help nurture a foodie in the making and the dietician in me is excited to really think about the most nutrient-dense foods to offer. Just like a lot of things in my life, this is one I'm super passionate about. We are living among a generation of picky eaters and I am bound and determined to not let that be a trend in our house. I truly believe that the foods initially introduced to a child play a big role in their food acceptance. So, as we embark on this next milestone I will be sharing a lot more on the topic.

With that, I want to preface this with a few things. First, a lot of things can affect a child's food acceptance other than food introduction. Everything from lip/tongue ties to sensory processing disorder can affect a child's overall intake so exposure (which is what I will be primarily focusing on) is just one piece of your child's feeding journey. Second, while making your own baby can be a big undertaking I believe that it truly gives your child a wide variety of tastes and textures. ( Don't believe me? Buy a jar of spinach baby food and one of peas and tell me if you can taste the difference). Lastly, while it has nothing to do with the actual food, I think including your baby at the table for family meals is a pivotal part of raising a healthy eater. ( A whole other topic for another day) With that said, here is where we started:

Avocado. Avocado is a great first food because it has got a pretty neutral taste and a smooth texture. It's easy to "puree" without needing really any kitchen gadgets. Avocados are a great source of healthy fats, potassium, folate and fiber. Also, if there is no allergic reaction it gives you the option to cook more food in the future with avocado oil.
Spinach. Spinach is one of the stronger-tasting veggies that isn’t sweet like peas or sweet potatoes. It’s packed full of Vitamin C, potassium, iron and fiber. Spinach is a big one for me because typically babies are born with enough iron stores for the first few months of life but then its recommended to supplement iron. Personally, I’d rather let my kiddo eat iron-rich sources than use a supplement so early introduction is key.
Eggs. Eggs, like avocado, are a good neutral-tasting food. They are packed full of vitamins, zinc and selenium in addition to protein. They are also one of the top 8 allergens, which are now recommended to introduce early. They are also easy to provide in multiple textures very easily as your child’s food introduction progresses.
Lentils & Broccoli. I know you are supposed to introduce foods separately but since these aren’t high on the allergen list I wasn’t too worried. The lentils are another food that is rich in iron as well as offering a great plant-based protein source and a more earthy, neutral taste. Broccoli is super nutrient dense with high levels of vitamin C, iron, and calcium.
White potato. While the humble potato doesn’t pack as much of a nutritional punch as some of the other foods it is still high in Vitamin C and fiber and as a neutral-tasting food is great to introduce early as it’s really easy to mix with other foods later as more foods are introduced.
Salmon. This one will probably come as a surprise to a lot of people but hear me out. Fish is a super strong-tasting food right? Which on its own is a lot but imagine eating a banana first and then trying fish…would you like the fish? Most likely not. Introducing stronger, non-sweet flavors allows for that wider palette of acceptance. But it’s also not shy in the nutrient department either. It’s one of the best sources of B12 and omega 3 fatty acids.

After these initial foods were introduced we followed up with some chicken, mushrooms and pumpkin and are now starting to head into more mixed foods since we haven’t had any issues with allergies.

Stay tuned for how I go about introducing mixed foods in our house.