I told my sister-in-law about the whole Thalapath fish predicament and she told me to try a small piece of Thora Maalu or Spanish Mackarel instead. And guess what? It worked!
I boiled a small piece of Thora Fish and separately flaked it by hand (make sure you remove all bones). After pulsing the rice and vegetable mix together, I added a teaspoon full to half the mixture (while reserving some of the mix without fish). Initially, I fed the little one the fish-less mixture and then switched from one to the other. Towards the end I only fed her the mixture with the fish in it. And although she didn’t seemed thrilled with it, she ate it all, all the same. In the end, I added a bit more of the fish to the remaining rice mixture and fed her that too. But, overall, she would have taken 2 teaspoons of fish at most, but that should do for now – at least until she gets accustomed to the taste. So I guess I’m going to stick to Spanish Mackarel for a while now.
Because the Indian Ocean doesn’t pose the Mercury question a lot of parents of the west seem to have, I think it’s essential that you introduce baby to fish (avoiding non-heaty fish and shell fish, of course) as soon as it is recommended by your pediatrician.
Fish contain all 9 amino acids – making it one of the few sources of complete protein around. Protein plays a crucial role in almost all biological processes and amino acids are the building blocks of it. A large proportion of our cells, muscles and tissue is made up of amino acids. But, because our bodies do not make amino acids on its own, we must absorb them from the foods we eat – like fish.
It’s also a healthy and nutritious option for Omega 3s (which will help with infant brain development and skills). The Omega 3s in fish is also believed to help infants with eczema and other skin conditions.
NOTE: But it’s important to remember to introduce an infant to only whitefish at first because they are milder and less ‘fishy’ in terms of both taste and smell.
PINKPOPPYPETAL 