My dear friend S is already worried that I’m going to turn Babyjaan into one of those “crunchy granola people”. S practices the anything-goes, I’d rather avoid brown rice school of parenting. Too much technology is good for your kids; if the chocolate drawer is accessible to them they are unlikely to overdose on the gooey stuff; and if it’s going to be ice-cream after dinner for a full month, so be it. Everything’s just a phase. She’s even won a round or two against the healthy snack Nazis at her childrens’ school. In the end it all works out, is her theory. Proof? Her younger one loves broccoli.
My other dear friend S2 is certified crunchy granola. Her baby daughter eats spinach, quinoa, gobi, fish and all the right quantities of protein and fibre every day. She’s already pointed me in the direction of all the healthiest foods and brands so my larder is stocked with whole wheat cous cous, multigrain cereal, organic buckwheat noodles, wild rice (a mix of brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds whatever those might be) and an all natural brand of yoghurt that’s “certified humane”. In fact, MY only killer fridge find since I got here is for myself–Dogfish Head Chicory Stout.
America’s so much more healthier than I remember. And Berkeley is crunchy granola central. In fact everyone makes such a big deal out of being vegetarian and vegan in California that I’m beginning to wish I ate meat. Hell we don’t even have proper vegetarian-only Chinese restaurants in India. And when did you ever hear of a Thai restaurant that offers you a brown rice option? Multigrain spinach tacos anyone?
Every parent has their own food theories I guess (do share yours with me and let’s have some fun). I’m somewhat middle path with a definite crunchy granola leaning. So Babyjaan’s been devouring the processed meats, but also the sea Salmon (as opposed to farmed Salmon). I’m fine with her eating dark chocolate and cupcakes though I wouldn’t hand over an oversized cookie for a snack (the Britannia ragi biscuits I lugged from India are still going strong). She didn’t need any encouragement to love quinoa, bulgar wheat and brown rice, I swear. And she’s happily gobbling the multigrain bread made with organic oats and sea salt. But as they say, everything’s a phase. For the first year after she came home, she ate enriched ragi with yellow of egg every single day for breakfast. Then on the first anniversary of eating that brown pasty goop, she took one look at it and yelled: Nononononononono.
Let’s see how long she embraces the crunchy granola life. What’s your parenting food story?
priya.r@livemint.com
Read the previous Babyjaan entry: Do Indian babies sleep less?
