Did you know that there’s an ingredient you can add to virtually any of your homemade baby food recipes that will make them even MORE nutritious?
It may sound too good to be true, but by mixing wheat germ into your baby’s meals, you’re giving him extra vitamins, minerals, iron, folic acid, protein and calcium.
What’s more, wheat germ goes well with both savoury AND sweet dishes and is barely noticeable in the flavour – so it’s really easy to include it in your baby’s diet.
What is wheat germ?
Put simply, wheat germ is the smallest but most nutritious part of a grain of wheat.
When wheat grains are processed to make refined flour, wheat germ is one of the elements that are removed – what’s left is a starchy simple carbohydrate (something that we discussed in our post about refined carbohydrates last week).
But the wheat germ is one of the principal components that makes the whole wheat grain so nutritious – and it’s incredibly good for your baby!
NOTE: Wheat germ contains gluten, so you should not give it to babies under 6 months of age. This is because the early introduction of gluten is associated with an increased risk of the development of Celiac (or Coeliac) disease. Nor is it a good idea to use gluten-containing foods in baby’s first meals if there is a family history of Celiac disease or food allergy.
Please see this page for more information and – of course – check with your doctor before introducing wheat germ to your baby.
Where can I buy wheat germ?
You can often find wheat germ in the cereal or baking aisle at your local grocery store. Failing that, it can usually be found in good health food stores (we buy ours from Whole Foods in the US). You can also buy wheat germ online.
How can I include wheat germ in my baby food recipes?
Once you start using wheat germ at home, you’ll see just how easy it is to incorporate it into almost anything and everything that you and your baby eat.
But to get you started, we have lots of suggestions for you on the ‘wheat germ’ section of our site – plus you’ll also find a breakdown of the many nutrients it contains, as well as tips for buying and storing the incredible ingredient!