Foods of 2021: Adventuring Through New Flavors & Feels
Food exploration has probably been the most exciting & significant areas of growth of this past year, with so many new flavors tasted, new food textures felt, and so many kitchen cupboards curiously unlocked, all leading to where we are now.
As 2021 was wrapping up, I found myself reflecting the most on the food journey we embarked on this past year, and its many stages. This post is a recap of this journey, highlighting our favorite flavors & food experiences as well as techniques we adopted in fostering a positive relationship with food for our infant.
Beginnings
8/12/2020
Sweet Potato Lips
Food introductions is probably one of the main aspects of Becoming A Mama that I had been looking forward to since I delved into my own flavor exploration journey, eager to share this journey with my own child one day. I recall the many debates I have had with myself deciding what my child’s first food would be- would it be a fruit or a vegetable? Perhaps I should begin with seasonal flavors, or why not a particularly Palestinian flavor? The possibilities were endless, and I could not make a decision until Arafat came along, but when he did I immediately knew what our first food would be: Sweet Potato! One of my all time favorites, Sweet Potatoes are vibrantly colored, with a comforting texture that carries such natural sweetness.
It was in late December of 2020 that Arafat had his first taste of oven-roasted Sweet sweet Potato. He was a little over 4 months at the time and his bite was a little less than the size of a pea, but introductions were made. On his sixth month, I introduced solid foods in the form of Banana Oat Pancakes, which he played with more than he consumed.
Not much happened after this first taste, and I had no intention of seriously introducing food, purées or solids, into our daily routine until a few more months. His fragile baby stomach was simply not ready for anything more and I am certainly not the type that forces anything on infants. Those were Arafat’s breastfeeding heydays and there was no reason to rush, but while we waited, Khalid & I focused on creating a positive home culture surrounding food, an endeavor in which my sister Layan played a major role in.
Fostering A Positive Relationship with Food
11/1/2021
Arafat joining one of our many Chili Chili dinners.
Encouraging a positive relationship with food meant that Arafat was always present at our dinner table, which started just a few weeks after birth. I remember this one time, it was two or three weeks after I had given birth and Khalid’s mother had sent us these DELICIOUS Fajitas. Out of sheer hunger, I ate them at our dinner table while I was breastfeeding. I did not want to wait & Arafat did not seem to mind this change in setting. I would like to think that was our first family dinner.
Our Fondness for Fruit
After the six month mark, our journey with food discovery started to rapidly pick up, with fruits proving to be a serious front-runner for Arafat’s food of choice. Writing this at the 17-month mark, and fruit are still his absolute favorite. I remember the first fruit Arafat tried were Strawberries: introductions were made on a stormy February day and I held a Strawberry in my hand as Arafat proceeded to devour. Another serious contender for first-favorites were, surprisingly, Dates! Khalid’s family is particularly fond of Dates, which they constantly snack on, and I am pretty sure first introductions were made in his Mama’s kitchen.
A wide-range of fruits soon followed, including: Bananas, Peaches, Watermelon (which were serious favorites for the longest time), Grapes, Mangos, Berries, Pears & Apples. Parallel discoveries were being made in the vegetable world, with the introduction of Carrots, Zucchinis, Potatoes & Broccoli. Those days witnessed also introductions in the Yogurt, Hummus & Lentil departments, serious first-food favorites in Palestinian culture, all of which Arafat showed great enthusiasm for. Prior to the 8 month mark, consumption was minimal, and focus was on discovering new flavors & feels.
Negotiating my Mama Anxiety
Such introductions were not easy, and followed exhaustive research aimed at both ensuring foods were prepared in age-fitting methods with flavors he is actually ready for. As a first time Mama, and with all my excitement to jump start our food discovery journey, I was rightfully anxious of the process, refusing to allow my ego to infringe on my son’s comfort or health. This balance is absolutely critical in ensuring an infant’s long-term digestive health as well as establishing a solid base for a healthy relationship with food.
Those months were not easy on me and I had felt like I was the only person attempting to strike that balance, witnessing others attempt to encroach on this process with harmful foods, for kicks. If you are a Mama living in Palestinian society reading this, then you know exactly what I am talking about. While those days were absolutely devastating for me, they are the first time I felt like I needed to put my foot down, to be stronger for my own son’s well-being. I remember reaching out to an Infant Nutritionist at the time hoping she can give me resources/ articles I can share with those around. Her harsh response awakened me: “You need to take matters into your own hands… DO NOT feel rude or inconsiderate to their feelings, you know better and they are harming your baby.” This conversation was a major shift for me pushing me to realize that when my son’s health was involved, all socio-cultural considerations must be dropped. Arafat’s long-term health is my priority.
Daycare Meals
Soon after, Arafat started attending Daycare, and preparing Daycare Meals for him was one the ways I tried to create a smooth transition into Daycare life, allowing him to have familiar flavors prepared lovingly in this new environment. At that stage there was increased attention to purées, naturally, which I tried to get as creative as I can with. It was during this stage that chicken was introduced to Arafat’s diet, followed by red meats at the one-year mark. With time, we transitioned from Daycare Purées into more textured meals and becoming more adventures with our flavors.
Below are some of our favorite Daycare Meals:
Same, but a little different
Today, Arafat’s meals are almost identical to ours, a process started months ago by sharing certain components of our meals with him. As he grew up, more components of our meals were included in his, and today his meals are almost identical to ours (I have yet to introduce spice seriously, although it is one of my absolute favorites). This has eased our food preparation process, which I recall got a little chaotic when separate meals were being prepared. While we have entered a stage where we can share our meals, I continue to track Arafat’s daily nutritional consumption, an exercise Khalid & I can sometimes fall short in. That is, we may have days where we eat a lot, and in great variety, there are others when we are just on snack mode with a Falafel Sandwich passing as our dinner. This necessarily cannot be applied for Arafat, who is a growing child with many nutritional needs. On such days, I find myself needing to supplement our family’s food plan with components specifically for Arafat, to make sure he has met all his nutritional needs for that day.
Here are some of my favorite Twinned Meals of 2021:
Top: Mama’s Breakfast (Fruit Yogurt, Kiwi, Banana, Oats & Honey).
Bottom: Spaghetti Bolognese, Mashed Potatoes & Broccoli.
Top: Ma’karona Bi Laban (Pasta with Minced Meat & Garlic Yogurt).Bottom: Mama’s Fattet D'jaj.
Our Flavor Forecast for 2022
Whether it was through a shared mealtime, matching meals or basking in the sweet flavors of fruit, we have managed to successfully navigate through our first year of food introductions. Looking ahead, I imagine much of the same approaches will persist but with an expanded meal repertoire- I expect sandwiches will be a particular highlight of this coming year. Arafat will continue trying new flavors and matching mealtime with his Mama, who in turn, will continue to enthusiastically foster a growing relationship with the many flavors of our world.
General Disclaimer: This post does not discuss food preparedness which is a major consideration with all infants. I encourage all parents reading this to do their own research and consult with specialists to discuss where their child is on their food journey.
