Spice up your (baby's) life! We interview Chief Spice Mama, Kanchan Koya

At FoodieKid we are firm believers in offering little ones flavorful meals right from the start.  Babies benefit from the inclusion of herbs and spices to their foods in a multitude of ways, from nutrition to the development of an adventurous palate at a young age.  That’s why all of our Simple Starters Organic Baby Meals include recommendations for spice and herb pairings!

Kanchan Koya, aka Chief Spice Mama is one fellow mom and foodie who we know agrees with this philosophy whole heartedly! Creator of the fabulous cookbook Spice Spice Baby, Kanchan combines her Doctorate in Molecular Biology from Harvard Medical School and her training from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to elevate the health of families with science and flavor. We were so excited to have the opportunity to sit down with her and chat all about how you can never be too young to start incorporating spices into your diet.

FK: The concept of adding spices or herbs to a baby’s food is new to many parents starting their little one’s out on solids. What would you tell them to put them at ease?

KK: For some reason, especially here in the West, there is a deep-seated belief that baby and even kid’s food needs to be bland but there is truly no scientific basis for that. In older cultures around the world, kids are offered flavorful food from day 1 and we know this helps shape their palates to be more accepting of a wide variety of foods and makes for more open, fluid, adventurous eating down the line. To put parents at ease I suggest they speak to their pediatrician who will definitely tell them adding herbs and aromatic spices to their baby’s food is not just permitted but a fantastic idea!

FK: What are some of the health benefits that babies can gain from having some spices added to their meals?  Will even small amounts of spice offer a health benefit to little ones?

KK: This is a great question. For many spices to have a therapeutic effect i.e. cure an ailment, larger amounts are often required, but for some spices, even culinary amounts can have an effect. For instance, adding ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon to the daily meal plan can help adults stabilize their blood sugar and this is likely to be true in children as well. When using cinnamon, try and find True Cinnamon or Ceylon Cinnamon because regular Cassia Cinnamon has coumarin which at high enough doses can be a liver toxin. But therapeutic effects aside, spices contain polyphenols, plant based compounds with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects even in small amounts. My favorite spices to give babies to boost their health are turmeric (anti-inflammatory, gut health boosting), cumin (digestion boosting), Ceylon cinnamon (blood sugar balancing), cardamom (digestion enhancing) and sweet paprika (anti-inflammatory).

FK: What are some of your kids’ favorite meals?

KK: I want to brag and say oysters and curry LOL but the truth is my kids are typical kids and love things like pizza, burgers and pasta with butter ;) BUT because I exposed them early on to loads of flavor and variety, some of their other favorites are chicken curry, Indian spiced spinach, cabbage with mustard seeds and turmeric, cinnamon and paprika laced beef tacos, Chinese five spice meatballs and cardamom oat banana pancakes. Getting kids to be adventurous and open is a journey and can take time so be patient, be kind to yourself and have fun. Sometimes pasta with butter is just fine!

FK: There has been a lot of talk about toxic heavy metals being present in some baby foods. Is this an issue with spices?  Do you have any advice about how to minimize exposure to toxins while still incorporating flavor to baby food?

KK: Spices like turmeric can be laced with lead to give it a vibrant hue so buy from reputable brands and ask for testing analyses If you’re concerned. I recommend buying organic when possible and working with brands that are transparent about heavy metal testing.

FK: Are there any spices or herbs you would avoid giving to kiddos? What about adding salt to boost flavor?

KK: The hot and spicy spices like chili peppers can wait but aside from that all spices are fair game in culinary amounts. Salt is a confusing one because for a while there was a recommendation to give no salt at all to babies but pediatricians now agree that a bit of salt like you would eat in your meals is fine. Just avoid processed foods with excess salt and you should be good to go.

 For more information about cooking with spices, visit spicespicebaby.com.

 To learn more or to shop for Simple Starters, visit foodiekid.com