The Cereal Debate

When I became a mum to my first son Ben, I was so eager for him to get to the next stage of everything.  When was he going to smile, walk, talk or eat real food? I was lucky enough to be able to breastfeed and I did that exclusively for the first 7 months until I went back to work. It was around the same time that I began introducing solid food into his diet.

6 months of age is the time to start thinking about introducing solid food but there is no harm to exclusively breastfeed for the first year. Your baby will get all the nutrients he/she needs through your breast milk.  Even if you do introduce solid food, the formula or breast milk intake is still their main source of nutrition and should be until 12 months of age.

When thinking about what foods to introduce into your baby’s diet first, many people will suggest cereal in the form of oats, rice or barley. The concern I have with giving any type of grains as a first food is that they contain starch. To break down starch in our bodies, we require digestive enzymes and babies only start producing the enzyme needed in the proper quantity around 12 months of age.

​Boxed infant cereals should also be avoided. These are highly processed so most of the nutrients have been removed and other sketchy ingredients may have been added that your baby should not be exposed to. Rice cereal, for example is often made with white rice and this is a refined carbohydrate that I highly recommend my big and small clients avoid. By feeding your baby a processed cereal you could be programming their appetite to want more cookies, candy & white bread later in life.

When it comes time to introduce solid foods, I recommend starting your baby on fruits & vegetables and preferably home-made purees. It’s really easy, just cook the food in batches ahead of time and freeze it in ice cube size portions.

An important point to make is that when introducing new foods to your baby, watch out for any signs of allergies and constipation. It’s a good idea to keep a food journal and note down any reactions both in behaviour and physical symptoms that may occur. Also, remember to follow your baby’s cues. If they are not ready for food, don’t force it, let them lead the way.

Thank you to our guest blogger Melanie Grime RHN!

As a Holistic Nutritionist and mother, Melanie wants the best health for her family, her clients and the earth.
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After health issues affected members of her family, Melanie was lead to learn more about nutrition and its importance in the prevention of disease and overall health. She graduated from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in 2011 as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist.

Melanie is a Mum to 2 boys (Ben – 8 and Sam - 4) and this took her interest in nutrition and healthy eating to new heights. Melanie has always been passionate about food, and has experienced tremendous personal transformation using nutrition and lifestyle changes. Her continually evolving journey takes her to new places every day, and her desire is to share her experience and knowledge to guide you to make the best choices for yourself, your children, and your family on the road to optimal health.

Be sure to check out her website:  www.adamsapplenutrition.com