Ask The Expert is a weekly column on Littlestomaks.com. The idea is to have a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Feel free to submit your question in the comments section below.
This week, Registered Dietitian Rebecca Subbiah offers advice on how to get your little one to develop a taste for multinational ethnic foods at an early age.
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| Rebecca Subbiah, RD, LDN, cPT Rebecca Subbiah RD, LDN cPT is a Freelance writer, Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer, with over 8 years of experience in a variety of clinical areas. She has worked both in the United Kingdom and America. Her forte is weight management and motivational interviewing.
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Question: How can I introduce my child to ethnic foods?
Answer:
First let me introduce myself, I am Rebecca of Chow and Chatter. I am a Brit married to an Indian living in America. We have a one-year-old daughter, and as a family we love to travel and try new foods. In fact every time we visit a big city like New York we look up new cuisines to try. I am a dietitian and love picking up healthy cooking tips and recipes from around the globe. So it would only be natural to introduce our daughter to all the amazing food from different countries and broaden her horizons.
When she was 7 months old we went on a trip to Europe, the first week we were in the UK visiting my family where she got to try Great Grandmas chocolate cake and ground Sunday roast. Then we went to France for a week where she chewed on fresh French bread, petit flors yogurts and tried small amounts of food off our plates.
Then during our last week of vacation we visited Italy where she ate pasta, I was truly amazed at how at such a young age she managed spaghetti eagerly sucking it up. She also had fresh fruits and gelato. We purchased the local baby foods from each country and I even found pastini pasta for babies in Italy. She adores pasta now maybe this early introduction and being spoilt in Italy with good food set the scene.
But you don’t have to travel to offer multinational cuisines, simply adapt the dish you are cooking to have less salt and spice and to be the correct texture depending on the age of the baby.
Here are some examples:
- If you are making Indian dal, add the lentils, tomato, onion and garlic and a vegetable – I often use spinach – pressure cook then set aside for baby. With the remainder add the desired spices for Mom and Dad.
- For homemade soups make your own broth or use low sodium version from the market.
- For Chinese or Vietnamese stir-fries add onion, garlic, and a splash of soy sauce with veggies for baby then add spices for Mom and Dad.
- If your making meat curry have a separate pan for baby with the meat, onion, garlic, and tomato. The two dishes can easily be cooked at the same time.
- Pasta’s and polenta dishes can be the same for baby and parents.
- Poached fish with mashed potato and vegetables are a great family meal
Don’t be afraid to offer cuisines from different countries and ask people from those places for suggestions. The more varied and adventurous your little ones diet is at a young age the better it is for life. On a final note have fun and lead by example.
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Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.
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