What’s in an Apple? Vitamin A, Folate, Vitamin E, Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Selenium. Also contains small amounts of iron, manganese, copper and zinc. Apple nutrients are mostly found in the skin!
What does it do for my baby’s body? Apples contain two types of fibre; insoluble fibre and soluble fibre. Both help maintain bowel regularity. The insoluble fibre works like roughage, while the soluble fibre (pectin), helps keep the bowels regular (avoiding constipation or diarrhoea) and specifically affects the makeup of the stool. Pectin will firm up the stool as it is a soluble fibre.
The phytonutrients in apples can help you regulate your blood sugar, slows down digestion and absorption of carbohydrate (sugars). Apples reduce glucose absorption, which lowers the rate of glucose absorption in the digestive tract, putting less sugar load in the bloodstream. Also stimulation of the pancreas puts out more insulin, which in turn helps clear sugar levels in the blood – keeping blood sugar regulated. Multiple studies have shown apple intake to be associated with decreased risk of asthma too, so all round Apples are a good food.
Should I give Apple when my baby has infant reflux? While apples are a good choice for one of an infant’s first foods and easy to digest, they are high in acidic values such as malic acid and ascorbic acid (otherwise known as Vit C) when eaten raw. Mixing apples with milk will cause a clash of acid and alkaline in your baby’s tummy, so it’s best not to use apple in a meal with a milk feed or mix apple puree and milk, while your baby is refluxing.
The skin of the apple is unusually rich in nutrients, and even if the recipe you’ve chosen requires peeled apples, consider leaving the skins on if your child is over 6 months old.
Fun fact: Bruised Apples (from being dropped) will start to release unusual amounts of ethylene gas. This ethylene gas can pose a risk to other apples that have not been damaged and greatly decrease their shelf life! Remove bruised apples from your fruit bowl.
If you have any baby Apple recipes, send them in!
