And while most of our first foods for babies are bland and lacking in flavor, texture and nutrients, many first foods around the world expose babies right away to the flavors and tastes that are central to their ways of eating.

Solid foods first introduced to infants were rice porridge, infant cereal, noodles, protein foods, chicken liver, fruit, and vegetable paste. The protein foods included egg and meat. The vegetable and fruit pastes referred to homemade paste prepared from fresh vegetables or fruits.

Being an acupuncturist, I turned to Traditional Chinese Medicine to guide me on my path, so I began to look at TCM food cures to guide me on baby’s first foods. The concept is simple: offer foods that protect the integrity of the digestive tract and are easy to digest and assimilate.

In the Asia Pacific region, rice or rice-based products typically take the lead as the first solid foods introduced to infants, as cultural beliefs suggest that rice aids in digestion. Beyond mere nutritional considerations, this choice reflects a harmonious blend of tradition and practicality.

In China, babies at four months will typically have moved on from breast milk to rice dishes paired with fish, carrots, seaweed, and eggs as well as blends such as chicken soup, pumpkin, ground pork and smashed eggplant. Jamaican parents often start at the four month mark too.