Are bananas healthy for babies?

Bananas may be introduced as soon as a baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age.

Bananas are packed with carbohydrates to energize the body and essential nutrients that babies need to thrive, like folate, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and potassium. Together these nutrients support the nervous system, skin health, iron absorption, and blood pressure. A bonus: bananas contain more antioxidants than many berries, herbs, and vegetables!

Nutrients vary by ripeness. For example, all bananas contain a good amount of fiber to build a healthy digestive system, but less-ripe bananas contain more prebiotic fiber than ripe bananas, which contain more soluble fiber. No matter the stage of ripeness, bananas are a great addition to a child’s diet and an excellent snack when paired with a healthy protein or fat, such as nut butter that has been thinned with yogurt to reduce the choking hazard for kids.

Despite its nutritional benefits, banana is not without flaws. Conventionally grown bananas are heavily sprayed with pesticides, which can harm the environment and health of the people who grow and eat the food.Thankfully, peeling and discarding the banana skin can minimize exposure to pesticides—and there is growing demand for more sustainably cultivated, equitably sourced bananas. For those who prefer to eat the peel (yes, it is edible!) and food products made from it (like banana peel flour), consider purchasing organic or treating these as “once-in-a-while foods”—and be sure to wash the peel thoroughly before cooking to remove pesticide residue.

★Tip: Bananas are affordable and easy to serve—an ideal fruit when pressed for time, which, let’s face it, can happen every day. If you’d like to cut back on a daily banana habit, try treating the fruit as a backup food for on-the-go moments with children.

Excerpted article from https://solidstarts.com/foods/banana/#:~:text=When%20can%20babies%20eat%20bananas,around%206%20months%20of%20age.

Note: This article was partially modified

We are incidentally in the export-trading of Cavendish Banana, origin Davao Philippines. If you are an importer or interested, you may inquire directly through our email: merryheart.stuffs@gmail.com.