Opinion – Terra Vegana: My baby and I have been eating (basically) the same food for two months

Well cooked broccoli. Potato. Nah, potato. And tofu! If my 9 month old baby could talk, I bet these would be the answers to anyone who asked him: “What is your favorite food?”.

Little hands grab the florets and mash the ripe avocado, but the fruit slips before reaching the mouth, which remains open and bites the air. He looks down and watches his big brother appreciating everything that escapes him or that he throws against the ground, either for the fun of seeing gravity doing its job, or to communicate that he is satisfied.

It’s been an adventure—and a big mess—offering solid foods and encouraging my son to eat with his hands. No harvesting, for now, much less a little plane. The BLW method —acronym for “baby led weaning”, or “baby-oriented weaning”— is based precisely on putting the focus on the baby (not the parents) throughout the food introduction process.

A 100% plant-based diet can be eaten at any stage of life, and BLW applies to any type of healthy diet. It is fundamental to offer the baby natural food, without salt or sugar, as close to the earth as possible, since the premise of this method is to leave the baby in control of what he eats and how much he eats.

At first glance, it may seem that it takes a lot more work to cook “adult food” for the baby, but in our experience it has been just the opposite: we optimize time in the kitchen by preparing the same meal for the whole family. For the baby, it is always necessary to offer food in a format that he can grab with his hands.

The rice turns into a dumpling, the beans into a hamburger and the banana, instead of being mashed and offered in a spoon, is offered with a small piece of the peel, so that the baby can grasp it more easily and put the fruit in his mouth, for example. . Vegetables should also be cut into easy-to-grip shapes: sticks, slices, half moons and, in the case of broccoli and cauliflower, florets.

Although I have studied BLW, I confess that at first I was panicked when I saw my six-month-old baby, when we started introducing food, with that toothless mouth full of solid foods. I had to take a deep breath so I wouldn’t rescue pieces of carrot and be able to feel, even if timidly, the blessed confidence in the baby.

Choking is a real risk and should be taken seriously, but it is important to say that there is no greater risk of choking in babies and children who undergo BLW when compared to children who introduce food through the traditional approach.

And to avoid choking situations, it is essential to comply with safety measures, such as cooking food very well and ensuring that they are offered in formats that the baby can hold with their hands (this way, food will never be small enough to offer risk of choking). Have a meal with the baby and never let him eat alone, seat him correctly, do not give in to the temptation to “shove” the food in the baby’s mouth and eliminate distractions (television on, no way) and know how to apply the choking maneuver in case necessary are other security measures that must be complied with.

Today’s recipe is suitable for all ages: spinach and banana pancakes! Trust me, the baby approved, you will like it too! I’ve been eating (basically) the same food as my baby for two months now, and every week we have a new “favourite”. Broccoli, potatoes and tofu were finally overcome by this fluffy green pancake, naturally sweetened with very ripe bananas.

If you have any leftovers —I doubt that will happen—, store them in the fridge to consume within three days or in the freezer to consume within a month.

SPINACH PANCAKE WITH BANANA

Ingredients

2 cups spinach leaves

2 very ripe bananas

1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk*

½ cup rolled oats

½ cup wheat flour

½ teaspoon bicarbonate

¼ teaspoon of lemon juice.

Olive oil, as much as you need

Preparation

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

2. Cook the pancakes in a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat, shell by shell. When placing a shell of the dough in the skillet, cover it to muffle and cook more evenly. When the pancake makes “holes” it is a sign that it is already cooked on one side. Turn and cook on the other side, covering with the lid. And it’s ready! Repeat the same process with the rest of the dough.

* due to the presence of arsenic in the bran used in the manufacture of rice milk, this is not recommended for babies and children, choose another vegetable milk, such as oat or cashew nut