"Give lemon to my baby?? Whaaaaat?!" We can hear you now ;-) But know that behind its reputation as an acidic food that might make their eyes squint and their tongue sting, there's actually a vitamin treasure that your baby might very well love!
Lemon, a natural preservative
Small but mighty… this citrus fruit, which some shun for its bold taste, is nevertheless essential to our balanced diet. Its benefits are so numerous that it's impossible to list them all in this post!
At Good Goût, we use organic lemon in our baby food recipes as a natural preservative. This way, we enhance the flavor of the fruit or vegetable while preserving all its nutritional qualities.
The lemon even has its own festival! One town pays tribute to it every year: Menton. From February 11th to March 1st, young and old alike come to admire giant sculptures made of thousands of oranges and lemons! But enough about the touristy side of things, let's get back to the matter at hand. Or rather, back to our lemons.
Lemon, yes… but organic lemon!
In conventional agriculture… the dose of treatment applied to lemons (and citrus fruits in general) is much higher than for thin-skinned fruits (apples, pears…).*
These chemicals, used during and after harvesting, reduce the risk of mold and facilitate storage.
Should we also mention the artificial waxes used to slow down drying and give the fruit a beautiful appearance?
In short, these techniques mainly guarantee the presence of residues in the bark and even in the pulp!
So, of course, we prefer healthy, organic lemons for our little ones, for maximum vitamins!
Introduce your baby to lemon
Acidic taste, strange texture… lemon can be introduced into baby's meals from 4 months old.
There is the gentle method: squeeze some organic lemon juice and incorporate it into an apple or banana compote.
There's also the funny method… which consists of offering a small slice of lemon to your little one for a tangy experience and, as a bonus, a few funny faces! ;-)
It's so funny, and perfectly harmless. As a bonus, it awakens your taste buds.
The citrus fruit with 1001 virtues
A little boost to your health
Rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, it boosts the immune system, hence the importance of regular consumption for those who are more vulnerable. Lemon is also an anti-infective that will help you treat the onset of a cold or a sore throat.
Purify the air
To protect yourself from winter infections and avoid catching Dad's stomach bug, it's recommended to ventilate your home and purify the air. You can do this by diluting a few drops of lemon juice in the water of your spray bottle for a fresh, healthy, and lemony atmosphere!
A remedy for nausea
In case of nausea or if your children are prone to motion sickness, a drop on a sugar cube or diluted in a spoonful of honey should provide relief…
We could go on like this for a long time… but we have a date for a DIY lemon-based cosmetics workshop. To learn more about lemons and get a better idea of their benefits, click here.
http://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Nutrition/EncyclopedieAliments/Fiche.aspx?doc=citron_lime_nu
* https://www.quechoisir.org/actualite-pesticides-l-europe-intraitable-sur-les-agrumes-traites-n10085/
