New Zealand Lamb as a first food
Starting complementary feeding can be an exciting time for parents - watching your little ones eyes widen, hands clap and facial expressions change as they are introduced to the complete unknown. But where do you start? And what foods are important to include in their diet?
The history books tell us that baby food was different all around the world. Ingredients like oats, barley, butter, soup, eggs and even diluted wine were considered essentials for a baby’s health. Up until the 19th century baby food was predominantly made at home, then came the boom of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing of convenient packet foods. These days we are a bit more nutrition savvy about baby food (diluted wine is certainly off the list) and although there is a place for convenient packet baby food in today’s busy society, you can’t beat a homemade meal of meat and three veges.
For the around the first six months of their life, babies can get all the nutrition they need from milk feeds and their own body stores of nutrients. However, when they get to around the six month mark, their little bodies and brains are growing so rapidly that their nutrient stores significantly drop and milk feeds alone can’t provide them enough nutrition. It is around this age that babies need to start having complementary food, alongside their milk feeds to help with healthy growth and development.
Because babies have little tummies, every single mouthful counts when starting complementary first foods. Variety is key and foods should be nutritious and high quality to ensure their small bodies can absorb all the goodness. One food that fits the bill is New Zealand lamb. It goes without saying that New Zealand lamb is a household Kiwi classic, but what many don’t know is that it’s a nutritional powerhouse. Packed full of essential nutrients such a protein, good quality iron, zinc, phosphorus and B vitamins which can help with your baby’s:
Growth
Development
Brain development
Immunity
Ability to carry oxygen around the body
Energy
Sensory function
Iron in particular is extremely important for little ones, because at seven months old their requirements sky rocket and they need more iron than their Dad. The iron in New Zealand lamb is high quality and very absorbable, meaning your little one can reap the benefits when having moderate amounts.
To add another string to the bow, New Zealand lamb is extremely versatile. Although baby’s need their meals either puréed, mashed or chopped (depending on age and stage) there are so many ways to cook New Zealand lamb, such as in a casserole, roasting, grilling or slow cooking. The great thing about complementary feeding with New Zealand lamb is families can enjoy the same meal (like a Sunday roast), just in different textures. Here are two of our many favourite family friendly recipes that tick the boxes of being delicious, packed full of nutrition and easily adapted to be smooth, chopped, mashed or finger food:
At the end of the day, all parents want their babies to grow up strong and healthy. By incorporating lean red meat, such as New Zealand lamb, into your little ones diet you can help optimise their growth and development from the start.
To learn more about the stages of complementary feeding, as well as the nutritional needs of growing healthy babies and toddlers, click here.
For more information on the importance of iron and fuelling your baby or toddler, check out our Fuelled by Iron resource.