Shino - Smart Bites for Baby

smart bites for baby

300 Easy-to-Make, Easy-to-Love Meals
that Boost Your Baby and Toddlers Brain

Mika Shino

Preface by Meirav Sakalowsky

Foreword by Lisa Stern, MD

Nutritional Consultation and Foreword by Bonnie Modugno, MS, RD, CLE

Photographs by Beatrice Peltre

A Member of the Perseus Books Group

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Copyright 2012 by Mika Shino

Photographs copyright 2012 Beatrice Peltre

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First Da Capo Press edition 2012

eISBN: 978-0-7382-1584-6

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Note: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. This book is intended only as an informative guide for those wishing to know more about health issues. In no way is this book intended to replace, countermand, or conflict with the advice given to you by your own physician. The ultimate decision concerning care should be made between you and your doctor. We strongly recommend you follow his or her advice. Information in this book is general and is offered with no guarantees on the part of the authors or Da Capo Press. The authors and publisher disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book. The names and identifying details of people associated with events described in this book have been changed. Any similarity to actual persons is coincidental.

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Meirav Sakalowsky, mother of a three-year-old

W hen the time came to introduce solid foods to my first child, I was feeling frustrated. My instincts told me that feeding my child prepared food from a jar just didnt seem rightI dont like to eat processed food, so why would I give my baby something like that? But I didnt know what else I could do that was realistic. Meanwhile, I was amazed at how other moms in my circle of friends were struggling to get their children to eat. They seemed to dread mealtime. So there I wasunsure of where to start when I began talking with Mika, whom I met in a parenting class. We bonded quickly, and I told her how I was apprehensive about the entire approach to feeding.

It was then that Mika shared with me that there indeed were alternatives to the baby food jar, starting with several ways that other cultures introduce foods to their infants. The concepts, she explained, were simple and made sense to me:

Feed babies and toddlers seasonal, fresh foods to maximize absorption of nutrients.

Provide a variety of different textures during every meal to stimulate the mind.

Offer different colors of food during meals to interest the child.

As a person who loves to eat healthy, fresh foods myself, I knew I wanted to try this at home with my baby, now that I knew this was a possibility.

Not only did Mika share this incredibly logical concept in theory, she also showed me how to actually live by it. Once we got started, I was so surprised at how easy these foods were to prepare. With Mikas help and recipes, we were eating foods that were full of vitamins, stimulating to the mind, and just fun to serve. My baby daughter ate foods that I grew up eating myself and lovedtahini, eggs, sesame seeds, soba noodles, lentils, sweet potato, beets, and spinach. In some cases, I had never before tried the foods I was serving, like kelp, tofu, and daikon radish, but, to my surprise, they were delicious.

I cannot stress enough how uncomplicated this philosophy was to live by. I remember one time we traveled to visit family in Philadelphia, and it was so easy to continue giving my daughter, 10 months old at the time, her varied meals. We stayed with my sister-in-law, who is French, comes from a family of professional chefs, and loves to cook. She was amazed by what I was feeding my daughter. As a mother herself, she had never even thought to feed her daughter fresh, homemade mini meals like what I was serving. Now with her second child, she has followed this approach and is so thrilled.

I am so grateful for having met Mika when I did. In my three years of parenting, I have been very fortunate that eating has not been a struggle I have had to face with my daughter, and I truly believe this has to do with her early introduction to different textures and flavors. Now, I cant lie. Today at three years old, my daughter doesnt eat everything, but she is very comfortable trying new foods. And since she was introduced to variety from the start, today I serve the same meal for the whole family and dont have to hide vegetables, proteins, or anything for that matter in her food. I encourage all moms interested in offering a better way to feed their young children to try Smart Bites for Baby.

Lisa Stern, MD, pediatrician

O rganic, calcium-fortified, high antioxidants, no nitrates... argh! It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the simple task of going to the supermarket. The act of eating literally consumes us: three meals a day plus snacks. Add in shopping, preparing, and cleaning up, and you have nearly a full-time job just to feed your family. And yet, hard as it is to imagine, this job has gotten increasingly easy. Yes, I did say easy. On one hand, we have never had so many food choices or such ease in obtaining high-quality, delicious foods. On the other, we have never had so many food dilemmasstarting from the earliest age.

I am a pediatrician who grew up in a family of foodies. When I began my pediatric training 20 years ago, I followed the guidelines fed to me: Start rice cereal at 4 to 6 months, wait four to five days before introducing a fruit or vegetable; begin proteins at 9 months