Is rice cereal the best first food for my baby?

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Is rice cereal the best first food for my baby?

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For a long time, it was thought that rice cereal was the best first food for babies because around the time when we introduce complementary foods babies´iron stores go down and rice cereal is fortified with iron. But now there are new AAP guidelines and we are starting to introduce different types of foods. So we can introduce more natural forms of iron rich foods like pureed chicken or we are doing beans and we are doing different types of foods because rice cereal is generally a white rice cereal and it is very processed so we are trying different types of complementary foods. We are using eggs. And we are using very natural types of foods and even avocado. And we are not doing just the typical white rice cereal. If you want to use a rice cereal, please use a brown rice cereal or use oatmeal, which is also a whole grain and also fortified with iron. But try some of these different types of foods. They are very nutritious and very delicious and different types of flavors for your baby.

See Nicole Meadow, MPN, RD's video on Is rice cereal the best first food for my baby?...

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Nicole Meadow, MPN, RD

Pediatric Dietitian

Nicole Meadow, MPN, RD is the founder of NutritionWise, a nutrition consulting practice based in Los Angeles.  She enjoys working with clients in all ages and stages of the lifespan and has specialized training in working with children and families. As a trusted partner who works closely with her clients and their physicians, she specializes in medical nutrition-related issues including food allergies, diabetes (type I, II and gestational), overweight/obesity, celiac disease, feeding disorders, failure to thrive, cardiac disease, eating disorders, and others.  Nicole’s approach and philosophy are based on a client-centered model.  She looks at each client on an individual basis and develops their plan according to their specific needs.  Nicole works with her clients to develop realistic and attainable goals. 

Prior to opening her private practice, she practiced as a clinical dietitian at the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (outpatient clinics, school-based clinics, community education), at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.  

In addition to her clinical work, Nicole publishes her own newsletter, NutritionWise Monthly. She has contributed to numerous publications and websites including Healthy Child Healthy World, Breezy Mama, Parenting, The Bump, ICAN (Infant, Child and Adolescent Nutrition- a professional publication) and is a frequent speaker to local schools, corporations and the community at large. Nicole has also provided consulting services to several national food and beverage companies.  She is the founder of the San Fernando Valley Family Food Allergy Support Group and is on the medical advisory board for the Celiac Disease Foundation. 

Nicole received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts Degree in Preventive Nutrition from the University of Southern California. She then completed the Dietetic Internship program at California State University Northridge.

 

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Transcription: 
For a long time, it was thought that rice cereal was the best first food for babies because around the time when we introduce complementary foods babies´iron stores go down and rice cereal is fortified with iron. But now there are new AAP guidelines and we are starting to introduce different types of foods. So we can introduce more natural forms of iron rich foods like pureed chicken or we are doing beans and we are doing different types of foods because rice cereal is generally a white rice cereal and it is very processed so we are trying different types of complementary foods. We are using eggs. And we are using very natural types of foods and even avocado. And we are not doing just the typical white rice cereal. If you want to use a rice cereal, please use a brown rice cereal or use oatmeal, which is also a whole grain and also fortified with iron. But try some of these different types of foods. They are very nutritious and very delicious and different types of flavors for your baby.