Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Tuesday's tip: Boiled egg yolk is a perfect baby food

I've loved introducing new foods to L and seeing her different reactions. Most of the time she happily eats what she's given, although sometimes she'll screw up her face and spit the food back out.

One of the easiest and most nutritious foods I've found to feed her is boiled free range egg yolk. She and I have eggs for breakfast almost every day. They're so easy to make and absolutely packed full of the nutrients she needs.

Egg yolks supply cholesterol, which is essential for mental development. Cholesterol insulates the nerves in the brain and entire nervous system. Since the brain is so dependent on cholesterol, it is especially important that babies get enough of it since their brain development is in hyper-speed.

You're better to pay the extra for free range eggs because, unlike cage/barn-raised eggs, free range eggs contain omega-3 fatty acids that stimulate brain development. That is because the chickens have been able to forage naturally, exposing them to a wider variety of insects and plant-life than they get indoors. Although free range eggs cost more, they're still not actually that expensive when you consider what a nutrient dense food you're getting for your investment.

Egg yolk is easy to digest, so it can be introduced to baby right from 5-6 months. However, avoid feeding them egg white until they are at least one-year-old, as it's difficult to digest and can lead to allergic reactions if introduced too young.

Preparing boiled egg yolk for babies
I boil L's eggs for six minutes, so most of the yolk is cooked but there is still a little bit of runny yolk to mix through and soften the whole yolk. If it's too dry and crumbly she doesn't like it.

I simply scoop the yolk out from the white and mix it up with a little bit of butter to further aid mental development. This is because the saturated fats in butter support babies' use of other fatty acids, including omega-3, so they will get more benefits from the omega-3 in egg yolk by having it with butter.

Then I sprinkle a few tiny grains of natural, solar-dried salt on top, eg. Celtic sea salt or Himalayan rock salt. Normal table salt has been stripped of all its goodness, whereas these salts are in their natural state and contain literally dozens of trace minerals. A little bit of natural salt is critical for babies' brain development and digestion. Just be careful not to go overboard as too much can put a strain on their kidneys.

I simply spoon this mixture into L's mouth like I would feed her any pureed foods.

What a great food to start her day with!

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