Lets talk about fat baby!

butter

You most likely will notice as you read through my recipes and meal ideas butter and olive oil are ALWAYS involved! Well, that’s because butter is simply a super food for babies! and here is why!

Fat is very important for your baby’s physical development. His or her growth and brain development are supported by a high fat diet, since the fat helps building a myelin sheath around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin sheath is an insulating layer, or sheath, that forms around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord. It is made up of protein and fatty substances. The purpose of the myelin sheath is to allow electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells.Breast milk has a high fat content; some as much as 4% and comprises of Omega 3 fats such as DHA and AA – very healthy. However, if you could take out all the water in breast milk, the remaining substance would be around 50% fat. Quite a lot!

If you make your own baby food without adding fat, the fat content will often be a lot less than 4%. So, as you can see, fat is an extremely important part of a baby’s diet. If you start with solid foods early, or you do not add oil or butter to baby food that you cook, your baby may not get enough fat for optimal development.

Oil, such as olive oil or coconut oil, is excellent to add to your baby’s food.

Olive oil is well-known to healthy, especially if using extra-virgin oil. Olive oil contains a high degree of monounsaturated fats, as well as fatty acids that are present in breast milk and helps promote your baby’s growth. It also contain several important vitamins, such as A, B C, D, E and K.

Coconut oil (again virgin) is growing in popularity, due to its composition. Coconut oil has a large content of medium chain fatty acids, just like breast milk. Both breast milk and coconut oil are rich in lauric acid, which promotes immune defense.

There are other healthy oils too, but olive oil and coconut oils are good, well-documents oils to start with for your baby. Just make sure they are extra Virgin oils, they are a must if you want the oil to be healthy for your baby.

Adding unsalted butter to baby food is a great option too. Butter is very nutritious, provides necessary fat and cholesterol, along with Vitamin A, CLA and essential fatty acids.

Dont worry about the milk protein content of butter. Butter does not normally contain large amounts of milk proteins, so should be minimally allergenic. If the baby tolerates milk-based formula (or if the mother breastfeeds and includes dairy in her diet), the baby is not likely to have an allergy or sensitivity to milk protein.