Elevate Your Kids Food and Health With Spices

Spices are nature’s pantry and pharmacy in one. Since 3000 BC, spices have been used to flavour food and as medicine in civilisations spanning Egypt, Rome and India. The history of spices is essentially the history of modern man - our quest for spices influenced our wars, trade, food and health. Christopher Columbus was chasing spices when he accidentally discovered America and the Portuguese conqueror Vasco De Gama landed in southern India to his men leaping off the ship chanting “For Christ and spices”! Needless to say, spices have shaped human geography and destiny in a major way.

Despite greater access and affordability worldwide, the mention of spices still evokes an association with ethnic food, and incorporating them into mainstream Western cooking can feel daunting. Questions abound: does nutmeg pair well with savoury or sweet dishes? How can one use cumin and turmeric outside of Indian cuisine? What does cardamom go with? And most importantly, can I really give my baby and kids spices? Aren’t they too spicy?!!

Can I Really Give Baby Spices? 

If you're unsure about whether spices are appropriate or safe for your baby or kid, you're not alone. Despite an Indian upbringing, I too was confused about when to offer my baby spices. I knew cultures around the world did so early on but I lived in the 'West' now and wanted to follow the appropriate guidelines. Putting on my research hat, I quickly discovered that there is a broad consensus among experts that the bland diet we have grown accustomed to giving babies, particularly in the West, has no scientific or health basis (1 ). Pediatricians agree that we can and should broaden babies’ palates with the use of herbs and spices starting as early as 6-8 months. Dr. Anca Safta, pediatric gastroenterologist, director of endoscopy and assistant professor at the University of Maryland: “In infants there's a lot of debate on food introduction, even among pediatricians. There's a difference between hot spices, and the aromatic ones. Aromatic ones — such as cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, turmeric, ginger, coriander, dill and cumin — are perfectly fine to introduce to children, even in infancy after 6 months. We live in a society where we think that baby foods have to be bland, but really you don't have to do that."

5 Compelling Reasons to Give Babies and Kids Spices

1) Spices have a plethora of health and medicinal benefits that are being continually tested and validated by modern science. For instance, turmeric fights inflammation and cancer (2 ), cinnamon is an anti-diabetes superhero (3 ), paprika may prevent obesity (4 ), cumin boosts digestion (5 ), cardamom reduces nausea (6 ) and coriander is a powerful anti-bacterial (7 ).

2) Spices can serve as natural remedies for various common ailments like colds and digestive upsets, reducing the need for antibiotics and other medications with unpleasant and undesirable side effects.

3) Spices expose babies, toddlers and kids to new tastes, setting the stage for a lifetime of healthy, adventurous eating. Palate development begins in the womb, continues through breastfeeding and expands once babies are introduced to flavours and textures through solid foods. 

4) Spices infuse food with flavour, reducing the need for excess salt and sugar.

5) Spices and enhanced flavouring can help some picky eaters who are 'hypo-sensitive' accept more foods readily (8 )

Guidelines

1) Begin with aromatic spices like cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, coriander, clove and paprika. Hot spices like cayenne pepper can irritate young tongues and tummies and can wait.

2) For young babies, cook the spice thoroughly with the food to get rid of any bacterial contamination that can sometimes be present in spice batches. If using a spice in a cold dish like cardamom mango lassi popsicles (9 ), dry roast the spice over medium heat for 1-2 minute to kill any contaminants.

3) Allergies to spices are rare but can happen. If you are concerned about allergies, follow the 4 day rule (10 ).

4) Start with small amounts of spice and build from there.

5) Don’t give up if baby, toddler or kid rejects the new flavour. Remember, it can take up to 10-15 exposures to introduce a new taste or food to kids.

Here’s to elevating our families' food, health and life with spice! 

Kanchan Koya, Ph.D. combines her Doctorate in Molecular Biology from Harvard Medical School and her training from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to elevate our health with science and flavour. She is a Certified Health Coach and Founder of Spice Spice Baby, which brings to light the science-based benefits of spices and inspires their use in babies’, kids’ and families’ foods in simple and delicious ways. For recipes, science of spices, nutrition tips and inspiration for your family’s health, visit Spice Spice Baby