With virtually zero prep time and a bowl provided by Mother Nature herself, the avocado is the Ultimate Baby Fast Food. Its smooth, creamy consistency makes it one of the first fresh fruits a baby can enjoy. Avocados are a surprisingly complete food, with abundant minerals to stimulate growth, including iron and copper for your blood. And, due to their mono and polyunsaturated fat content, they are a great substitution for spreads and food rich in saturated fat. These unsaturated fats are known to be important for normal growth and development of your baby's central nervous system and brain.
One-fifth of a medium avocado has about 50 calories and contains nearly 20 vitamins and minerals making it an excellent nutrient choice. Vitamins in avocado include A, several B-complex, C, and E, as well as phosphorus and magnesium. They’re also a great source of antioxidants like vitamins E and C.
No recipe required: simply halve a ripe avocado and remove the stone. Serving the avocado right in its own skin, use the back of your sterilised spoon to mash the ripe fruit into a soft puree consistency and offer small spoonfuls at a time.
When your baby is older and enjoying finger food, spread ripe avocado on toast fingers alongside fruit slices for a healthy mid-morning or afternoon snack.
Can avocado be frozen too?
ReplyDeleteYes, you can freeze avocado, as long as it is pureed. It is not advised to freeze whole avocado or slices. So, freezing is perfect for avocado baby food!
ReplyDeleteTo prevent the avocado puree from darkening, you can add about 1 tsp of lemon water (that is 1 tsp of freshly queezed lemon juice lemon juice diluted in 1 cup of cooled boiled water - older babies can have tap water)
If baby is over 1yr and hasn't shown any signs of citrus intolerance, you can add the lemon juice directly to the avocado puree without diluting.