Time to read: 2 minutes
As your baby is growing at a rapid pace, we need to support it with something which is easy to digest, energy-rich, a good source of vitamins and minerals and most important of all, gentle on the baby’s tummy.
Infancy is a period of rapid growth. Did you know? your baby’s weight triples within the first year and its length increases by one and half times than at birth. At this stage, all the organs are developing at a rapid pace. By the end of the second year, the baby’s brain becomes 75% of the adult brain.
Hence, the nutritional needs of the baby are very high. We have to make sure that the baby is getting enough energy and protein to sustain growth. There is also a higher demand for iron, zinc and fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A and D. Iron is an important mineral for brain growth. It is important to provide iron through complementary feeds as breastmilk does not contain a good amount of iron and by the end of 6 months, baby’s iron stores are almost exhausted.
But at the same time, we have to keep in mind that the baby’s tummy size is small and the digestive system is still not fully matured. Thus, we need a feed that is nutritionally dense and easy to digest and absorb.
At “Tummy friendly”, we employ traditional processes such as sprouting and roasting which makes the food easy to digest and nutrients more bio-available. Sprouting the grains with careful time temperature-controlled dehydration brings biochemical changes in the grain which offer many wonderful benefits to the baby.
Destroys antinutritional factors
Though cereals, millets, and pulses are a great source of nutrition, they also contain certain antinutritional factors that make nutrients unavailable to the body. Antinutrients work in various ways.
- Some antinutrients make digestive enzymes inactive so they cannot break down carbohydrates or proteins. For example, phytates, trypsin inhibitors, lectins, etc.
- Some antinutrients bind to the nutrients and prevent their absorption. For example, polyphenols, oxalates, and phytic acid.
- Certain antinutrients such as oligosaccharides found in pulses are responsible for flatulence.
During the process of sprouting, these antinutritional factors get destroyed, making food more digestible and gentler on the stomach. It may also reduce the risk of stomach pain and flatulence.
Improves the digestibility
Biochemical changes occurring in the grain during sprouting increase the amount of the digestive enzymes. These enzymes break down complex carbohydrate molecules into simpler ones thus making it easy to digest. Thus, complex starch molecules get broken down into short-chain carbohydrates and sugars.
Increases the availability of vitamins and minerals
During germination, many biochemical changes occur which increase the availability of certain bioactive compounds such as riboflavin, thiamine, biotin, pantothenic acid, niacin, vitamin C and tocopherols. Studies have also shown that after germination of cereals and pulses, iron and zinc bioavailability was increased. These vitamins and minerals are very important for the healthy growth and development of the baby, especially for the brain.
Reduces bulk
High energy demands and the small tummy size is the main challenge of feeding infants. Hence, we need feeds that are calorically dense. Gruels made from germinated flours are less viscous than their regular counterparts. They increase the energy density of the meal at the same time reduce the bulk of the cereal diet.
Improves flavor
Last but not least sprouted flour porridges have better taste and flavor! Germination softens the texture and increases the flavor of the many cereals. The food is yummy and healthy at the same time!
Let’s give the baby a happy and healthy start!
