first foods

Early Life Nutrition – First Foods

Part of "For Every Step of Life's Journey" Product Concept Line-Up

Give parents the confidence they need when facing their toughest food critics yet, a first-time eater. These concepts were created with nutrition, texture and allergies in mind.  

Contact Us or more information on our First Foods concepts, ingredient solutions, and insights.

First Foods  

This stage of early life nutrition focuses on the nutritional needs of infants 4-8 months of age. From about 4-6 months of age, they focus on single-source ingredients to ensure there are no allergies to the new foods. In other words, the parent is introducing one thing to be sure the child can easily handle the food and there are no allergic reactions. The textures are very simple and easy to swallow without much chewing. Flavors are also mild at this stage as the child has many new sensations to take in, and you don't want to overwhelm them. Starting at about 6 months, parents begin to offer children the opportunity to try some delicious combos and exciting textures. Introducing fruit and vegetable purees and multi-grain cereals are popular choices for this phase. 

Nutritional Needs 

Important Nutrients Include4,5,6

  • Iron 
  • Protein 
  • Vitamin D 
  • Zinc 
  • Calcium 

Considerations for Development 

  • Single Sources of purees early on, then simple combination purees 
  • Allergy identifications 
  • Simple textures and flavors 

Glanbia Nutritionals Solutions 

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Gluten-Free Instant Porridge 

Inspiration 

Slowly introducing solid foods into your child's diet is an exciting time for both the parent and the baby! It can also be tricky and a little bit stressful. When first introducing those solid foods to baby, the parent must focus on introducing foods that are easy to digest, provide key nutrients for their developmental stage, and are easy to swallow. Once baby has that down, and initial allergies are identified or ruled out, you can start to get into slightly more complex food offerings, like multi-grain cereal options and multi-source vegetable purees7. This gluten-free instant porridge is a great option for little ones that are on the road to a more 'big kid' diet. It provides fiber, omega-3s, and is gluten-free for easier digestion.

Key Benefits 

  • High in Fiber 
  • High in Omega-3 fatty acids 
  • Gluten-Free

Glanbia Nutritionals Ingredients

OatPure™ Gluten-Free Quick Oat Flakes: De-hulled, heat treated oat groats which are steel cut, steamed, and flaked. The heat treatment is a validated 4.6 log reduction. Oats are grown under a Glanbia growing program, by Glanbia Co-op members bound by contract on rotation-monitored land. The oats are specially grown, harvested, stored, milled, and tested to ensure compliance with EU legislation and which permits the use of the term "gluten-free." The OatSecure supply chain is designed and independently validated to QAI/NSF Protocol P404 to control the risk of gluten cross contamination from cereals such as wheat, barley, and rye. 

Solmiko® HD MPC: a spray dried milk protein concentrate powder manufactured from fresh pasteurized skim milk through a process of ultra-filtration, followed by evaporation and spray drying atomisation. Solmiko HD MPC 80 is a good source of native casein and whey proteins in the same ratio as found naturally in milk. The product has excellent dispersability, good bulk density and particle size characteristics making it suitable for use in a range of functional and nutritional applications. 

SnackFlax™ Brown Wholeseed: Brown flaxseed that undergoes our MeadowPure™ selection process that maintains industry leading shelf life and stability. SnackFlax Brown Wholeseed undergoes our MicroSure™ Plus process, a heat treatment that involves a 5-log validated kill step and results in the safest nutritional ingredients in the industry. 

SnackChia™ Black Wholeseed: Whole, uniform black chia seeds that are heat treated using our MicroSure™ Plus process, a treatment that involves a 5-log validated kill step and results in the safest nutritional ingredients in the industry. 

BevFlax™ XtraSmooth: A finely milled golden flaxseed product with uniform golden color that undergoes our MeadowPure™ selection process that maintains industry leading shelf life and stability. BevFlax XtraSmooth undergoes our MicroSure™ Plus process, a heat treatment that involves a 5-log validated kill step and results in the safest nutritional ingredients in the industry.

Instant Cereal for Toddlers 

Inspiration 

Cereal has long been a go-to first food for toddlers. It's easy to digest, mild in both taste and texture and is loaded with essential nutrients. This instant cereal just happens to be even more packed with the good stuff. Glanbia Nutritionals cognition premix features vitamins and minerals that help little bodies and minds grow and develop, including Choline, Folic Acid, and B Vitamins. 

Key Benefits 

  • Children's cognition premix includes all fortification needs 
  • Contains ancient grains 
  • 20% daily value of calcium 

Glanbia Nutritionals Ingredients

OatPure™ Gluten-Free Quick Oats: De-hulled, heat-treated oat groats, which are steel cut, steamed, and flaked. The heat treatment is a validated 4.6 log reduction. Oats are grown under a Glanbia growing program by Glanbia Co-op members bound by a contract on rotation monitored land. The oats are specially grown, harvested, stored, milled, and tested to ensure compliance with EU legislation and permit the use of the term “Gluten-Free.” The OatSecure supply chain is designed and independently validated to QAI/NSF Protocol P404 to control the risk of gluten cross-contamination from cereals such as wheat, barley, and rye. 
Children’s Cogntion Premix: A premix solution specifically blended for children’s cognitive benefits with flaxseed, L-choline, magnesium oxide, maltodextrin, lutein, vitamin E, vitamin A, pantothenic acid, folic acid, vitamin B6, and chromium picolinate. 

TruCal® D7: A balanced milk mineral complex containing 7 minerals including calcium for bone support. TruCal's balance of minerals has been scientifically shown to help improve bone density and strength (Glanbia Nutritionals in-house study). 

BevChia™: An all-natural specially milled white chia seed that has been heat-treated using our MicroSure™ Plus process. This treatment involves a minimum 5-log validation kill step and results in the safest chia in the industry. 

SnackQuinoa™ Stone Ground: A milled white quinoa that has been heat-treated using our MicroSure™ Plus process. This treatment involves a minimum 5-log validated kill step and results in the safest quinoa in the industry. 

Interested in viewing the full product concept line-up of For Every Step of Life's Journey – Part 1?

References

1. Mintel GNPD, accessed August 2020. 
2. PR Newswire. Prenatal Vitamin Supplements Market Size Worth $673.8 Million By 2025: Grand View Research, Inc. November, 2019. 
3. Mintel, It's time to refresh the maternal health category, November 2019. 
4. Stanford Children's Health. Feeding Guide for the First Year. Accessed March 2021. 
5. Kidshealth.org. Calcium (for parents). Accessed March 2021. 
6. What to Expect. Best High-Protein Foods for Toddlers and Kids. March 2021. 
7. Baby's First Foods: How to Introduce Solids. Amy Gorin, MS, RDN. Sourced from Parents.com.

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