The Nigerian baby food sector is seeing significant growth as new businesses try to cater for parents who are looking for convenient but nutritious baby food.
A recent study by Glasgow University's department of human nutrition found that babies had to eat twice as much processed food as home made food in order to get the same nutrients .
At around six months, when starting on solids, many parents lead their children to a wrong path of nutrition. They feed their children on powdered cereals, premade baby food and junk food disguised as one -friendly baby snacks.
ONE RECOMMENDATION
Make your baby food. Some readers will comment that cooking for their baby is stressful and entails hard work. But it's worth it.
When weaning parents should introduce a wide range nutritious food to a baby's diet to reduce the risk of food intolerances.
The following ingredients that can easily be sourced that Nigerian parents can use to make baby foods:
(1) Vegetables and Tubers: Well mashed vegetables are a great start .You can use the normal vegetables and tubers you cook for the family like yam , sweet potato, Irish potato, carrots, cauliflower ETC
(2)Pulses: Pulses include beans, lentils etc. Make sure they are well mashed or pureed and use little flavoring or salt.
(3)Grains: Rice is one of the most popular weaning foods. Just make sure it is soft. You can leave other grains like oats or corn until a few months later.
(4) Amala and ewedu is a popular weaning food for babies. Most parents would advice you to add ground crayfish to make a nutritious meal for growing infant. You can gradually introduce other swallows like semovita, pounded yam as your baby grows older. But ensure that the food is soft enough for your child.
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