Veggies First: Help Shape a Love of Healthy Foods Right from the Start

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As a parent, we hope to raise adventurous eaters ready to take on the world. But life with a little one is filled with questions, especially around the best way help shape a love of healthy foods. The secret? Start early. Earth's Best® Nutritionist (and mom) Kate Geagan shares these top tips for setting your baby up for success:

• Get a jump start on developing baby's love of veggies: Research continues to shine a light on how babies develop early taste awareness beginning in the womb (through amniotic fluid), while nursing (flavors are transmitted in breastmilk), and in those early bites of solid foods¹. Although genetics also may play a role in taste preferences², as you transition from breastmilk or formula to solid foods, practicing "veggies first, veggies often and a variety of colorful veggies" can help set a foundation for little ones. That's because this stage is a natural window of opportunity when your baby is more accepting of different tastes, flavors and textures. Choosing veggie-filled jars and pouches like Earth's Best Organic® First Peas, made with USDA certified organic ingredients and available in regular stores for reasonable prices, will help expose those young palates to a variety of veggies.
• Offer lots of dark green veggies (and go organic!): Did you know dark green vegetables are the least commonly consumed option among both infants and toddlers? That's the finding of a 2017 study from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Yet research has found that only 20 percent of babies are given vegetables as their first solid food³. You can help reduce potential "yuck" reactions later by regularly offering a variety of nutrient-rich dark green organic veggies, like the spinach in Earth's Best Organic® Pumpkin and Spinach Veggie Puree, at the early stages of their real food journey. Plus, organic veggies are grown without potentially harmful pesticides.
• Continue the journey beyond baby food: "As toddlers grow older, often their fruit and veggie consumption goes down," says Geagan. Continuing to offer a variety of veggies and fruits as part of meals and snacks helps them eat nutritiously as they age (it can take between 15-30 exposures to a new food, so the key is to keep offering). Opt for easy, on-the-go options, like a fresh banana or Earth's Best Organic® Pea Crisps, which are made with only five ingredients and provide a good source of fiber for toddlers two and up.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/83884241-earths-best-nutritionist-tips-veggies-first/

Choosing the right baby food can be daunting for parents who have to make so many decisions for their children every day. Earth's Best Organic® Stage 1 and Stage 2 jars and pouches make it easier by offering a large variety of organic vegetable and fruit combinations.

As one of the very first organic baby food brands and a pioneer in organic baby food, Earth's Best® brand strives to make organic food accessible for more families than ever before by keeping its products affordable and making them convenient to find.

To learn more about Earth's Best® brand and its veggie-filled baby food options, visit www.earthsbest.com.

¹ Amniotic Fluid+ Breastmilk Exposure: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/107/6/e88
² Genetic Component to taste. Fildes A, van Jaarsveld C H, Llewellyn C H & Wardle J, Nature and nurture in children's food preferences, 2014, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 4: p. 99
³ Ella's Study on First Foods: YouGov Results / 'Veg for Victory', Commissioned by Ella's Kitchen, April 28 2016

SOURCE Earth's Best Organic