Starting Solids? Put BEEF on the menu!

To help babies get enough iron, new guidelines from Health Canada now recommends introducing iron-rich foods at 6 months of age. This differs from the past practice of introducing infant cereal, vegetables and fruit first.

WHY THE CHANGE? Beef and other meats are some of nature’s best sources of high quality protein and contain a form of iron that is most easily absorbed by your baby – better than fortified cereals or other plant protein sources.

What this means to you as a parent

Iron is most easily available from animal sources, such as meat, fish and poultry as compared to infant cereals. It is recommended that babies are offered a daily source of iron, such as beef. Here are some guidelines as to how to get started:

• Breastfeeding is the recommended method of feeding babies and should provide the main source of nutrition as solids are introduced.
• Feed iron-rich foods 2 or more times each day! This means offering meat, such as beef, poultry, fish or meat alternatives to your baby daily.
• To increase absorption of iron from plant foods, including infant cereals, tofu or beans, serve them with meats and/or foods rich in vitamin C, such as broccoli or citrus fruits.

If your baby is not taking any iron-rich foods daily by close to 7 months, talk to your doctor. Always follow the feeding advice given by your health care provider.

Reference: Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants – Recommendations from Birth to Six Months – A joint statement of Health Canada, Canadian Paediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada, and Breastfeeding Committee for Canada, October 2012.

If you’re a new parent, you’ve come to the right place!

It’s easy and economical to make your own food for baby – it just makes good sense. Your baby’s ready for solids and needs iron. Beef is one of nature’s best sources of iron AND it fits in perfectly with the rest of the family’s meals – no special baby meals required! It’s easy to see why beef and other meats belong on your baby’s menu. We’ve put together the How-to’s to make beef for baby plus some simple recipes to get you started.

It’s as easy as taking Baby Steps!

Introduce new foods one at a time

Starting solids is such an exciting time for new parents – there are so many foods and flavours your child has yet to experience!

In order to ensure your baby is tolerating each food well, it is recommended that once a new food is introduced, you wait about three days before moving on to the next new food. As you do this, you will build up your repertoire of foods to freely include in baby’s diet, while ensuring not to miss a food allergy or intolerance if there is one.

Once you have introduced a range of items, you can begin to offer mixed foods using multiple ingredients. Below, we share some of our favourites that are sure to please the whole family, made with iron-rich beef. Just what the doctor ordered!

Baby at the Family Table

Here’s how a few simple wholesome meals can work for the whole family (including the youngest new member).

Harvest Meat Loaf

As a dietitian and mom, I was definitely keen to get James off to a good start – nutritionally speaking of course! I made his ‘meals’ from our regular family meals. With meat as a regular part of his diet from the get-go, there was no need for me to buy fortified cereals or supplements to meet his iron needs.

Karine Barlow
@CDNbeefRD

Whole wheat couscous, extra lean ground beef and tons of healthy veggies makes this meatloaf a complete and satisfying meal! If making it with baby in mind, brush the Glaze topping on just part of the meat loaf and skip the Worcestershire sauce – serve with a splash of Worcestershire and some chutney or red pepper jelly on the side to season for adults.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. To make glaze, whisk ketchup, apple cider vinegar and smoked paprika together; set aside.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients. Spread mixture in ungreased 9 x 5-inch (2L) loaf pan; pour glaze over top.
4. Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until thermometer reads 160°F

Makes: 6 servings

Per Serving: 230 calories, 27 g protein, 6 g fat, 20 g carbohydrate (3 g fiber). Good source of iron (15%DV), excellent source of vitamin C (80% DV), 7% DV sodium.

Oven Roast Beef with Simple Sauce

I always just made my own baby food for Robyn-Ashley from the meals we were eating. The idea of buying jarred baby food just seemed crazy to me – what could be better for our baby than the good food we have from our farm? I made good use of that blender we got as a wedding gift!

Christine Lee-McNaughton, Beef farming mummy blogger
@chancesmommy

For busy mums, roast beef has to be the easiest meal to make. Just rub it all over with salt and pepper, pop it in the oven and the job is done! Use a meat thermometer to know when the roast is cooked and let it rest while you make a simple pan-sauce for the adults. To make the meal for baby, just trim off the seasoned outside edges of the cooked roast beef slices before you purée the meat. TIP: To make baked potatoes at the same time, place scrubbed whole potatoes on the oven rack when starting to cook the roast.

1. Rub roast all over with salt and pepper. Place on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert oven-safe meat thermometer into centre of roast, avoiding bone. Cook uncovered in 450°F (230°C) oven for 10 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to 275°F (140°C); cook until thermometer reads 160°F (71°C) for medium. Remove roast from oven and rest, covered loosely with foil on a carving board and make the Simple Sauce.
3. Skim off all but 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of fat from roasting pan and place over medium high heat. Add garlic and shallots and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add thyme and red wine to pan, stirring to scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan; simmer until wine is almost cooked dry.
4. Meanwhile, mix the corn starch and water together in a bowl, stirring until smooth; set aside. Stir beef stock into the roasting pan and simmer until reduced by half. Gradually stir in the corn starch mixture, cooking until sauce is slightly thickened.
5. Carve roast across the grain into thin slices and serve with sauce.

Classic Slow-Simmer Swiss Steak

As a person who cooks for a living, nothing made me happier than seeing my Gracie enjoy good home cooked food as much as we do! The slow-cooker and simmering steak really saved me when I went back to work – it meant we had dinners that were easy to make and just the right size for our small family.

Joyce Parslow, Recipe Developer
@CDNbeefrecipes

A Simmering Steak done in the slow cooker makes such a simple meal for busy moms – it’s like having a homemade stew ready for you after racing home from work. For baby, blend the slow-cooked steak, peppers and potatoes together, without the sauce.

1. Season steak all over with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
2. Place in slow cooker with onion, peppers, juice, tomatoes and potatoes
3. Slow-cook, for 8 hours on LOW until beef and potatoes are tender. For the adults, season sauce with some steak sauce to taste (if you like).

Makes: 4-6 servings