10 nutrition boosting foods you can add to Bub’s meals

Traditional baby foods are often heavy on the veggies and fruit and light on nutritious ingredients that babies needs!

It doesn't need to be that way though! The dietitians at Starting Solids Australia have put together a list of 10 nutrient dense foods to quickly transform any meal.   

1.Canned salmon...leave the bones in! 

We LOVE canned salmon- it is something you can keep in the pantry and don't have to worry about it going bad, is affordable, good texture for babies and packed with nutrition. The soft bones in there are also perfectly safe for bub and boost the calcium of the meal too. 

2.Canned Tuna

Have you heard that you shouldn't serve tuna to babies? Well not only is this not true (Australian canned tuna uses a small fish called a Skipjack and is low in mercury) but it is also another affordable and nutritious addition to any veggie puree!

3. Nut butters!

Any nut butter is a super easy addition to a puree or meal. Nuts contain protein, healthy fats, fibre and other important nutrients. Adding almond butter is a tasty way to add iron, protein, fat, fibre to any meal.

4.  Canned Lentils or Chickpeas

Simply rinse and drain before stirring through a meal! No need to cook them! Chickpeas will need to be mashed for younger bubs as the shape and size can make them a choking hazard.

5. Greek Yoghurt

We have several resources dedicated to yoghurt choices for babies! But we can't go past a simple greek yoghurt (full fat and no added sugar). Greek yoghurt is a great stir through for purees to add protein, fat and calcium to a meal. It also makes a great dipping sauce for finger foods or spread for toast. 

6. Cottage Cheese or Ricotta 

Two cheese options that are great for babies as they are lower in sodium than other cheeses. Ricotta and mashed pear is an excellent topping for thin rice cakes or to add to oats. Both of these cheeses will instantly boost the nutrition of any fruit or veggie puree.

7.  Tahini

We LOVE tahini here and feel it is a very underrated pantry staple. It adds protein, fats, fibre, calcium and iron! Tahini has 6-8 x more iron per gram than almond or peanut butter. Add it as a spread to pancakes and rice cakes or stir it into porridge, bolognese or into veggie puree.

8.  Avocado

It doesn't get easier than this....simply add a teaspoon of avocado to your fruit or veggie purees, as a topping to finger foods or mash it up and serve it as a dipping sauce like guacamole.  Avocado is one of the easiest way to add fats to meals! Fats are often forgotten about, but are so important to boost the energy content of bub's meals but also for avoiding constipation. 

9. Hemp or Chia Seeds

Seeds like hemp and chia can be easily sprinkled onto any meal and instantly boost the nutrition without any effort. A little goes a long way- so these are two ingredients we recommend parents have as pantry staples! Add into porridge, stir through scrambled eggs, sprinkle onto toast toppings, add into any baking! 

10. Oats or Weetbix

We will finish with oats and weetbix- two things most people already have in the cupboard but might not think to add to Bub's meals. Sprinkle a little bit of crushed weetbix into any puree and you are adding energy, iron, protein and fibre! Oats also boost the nutrition- and are another easy addition!