Back for another article at the end of the summer period in order to tell you a little more about the exotic fruits that have certainly graced your tables this summer and that will continue to do so at the end of the year. We love them for their colours, their flavours, their tastes but also because they are original! But where do they come from? What are their nutritional benefits? When can they be introduced into baby's diet and in what form? All the answers to these questions in these few lines!
Where do they come from?
Exotic fruits are imported to Europe for our consumption, but in reality they grow in the tropics, as they need warmth andhumidity to mature. The best known are pineapple, avocado, banana, passion fruit, guava, pomegranate, kiwi, lychee, mango, coconut, grapefruit and papaya. In fact, there are many others, such as starfruit, breadfruit, kumquat, longan, cape gooseberry, pitaya, rambutan, tamarind...Â
While we can easily find them on the market in their country of origin, we find them less easily in metropolitan France. However, it is possible to see that manufacturers have had to respond to consumer demand by including them more and more in supermarkets, organic shops or Asian shops. Exotic fruits have many virtues, for example, pomegranate is rich in vitamin C, starfruit is rich in fibre, kumquat helps to reduce cholesterol, passion fruit is rich in iron...
At what age and how can you give them to your baby?
As for our little ones, exotic fruits can be given to baby from the beginning of food diversification, between 4 and 6 months (according to the latest recommendations). A little tip: it is more appropriate to offer vegetables and then fruit because of the natural attraction we have for sweetness. Remember to check the ripeness of the fruit : the riper it is, the more digestible it will be for baby. Exotic fruits are often acidic. Offer them cooked at first to facilitate digestion and then raw at a later stage. The high vitamin C content of these fruits, eaten raw,increases the absorption of non-haem iron!
They can be offered in many ways: in the form of compote, fruit puree(s), smoothie, sugar-free sorbet, coulis, etc. In DME (or child-led diversification), take care to offer very ripe fruit that crushes between the palate and the tongue. Do not hesitate to remove the skin if necessary, otherwise it may stick to the palate. Remove the pits and also the seeds depending on baby's transit, as they are not easily digestible. Favour seasonal products; for information, these fruits are more available during the winter in our country, which diversifies baby's diet more during this period, which is not very abundant in mainland France.
In addition, the shapes and colours of exotic fruits are particularly attractive, which is essential during food diversification! They come in all shapes: small or large, hairy or smooth, soft or hard... Don't hesitate to show and let them touch these original fruits from a very young age! These fruits also allow them to discover many colours: the yellow of the banana, the orange of the mango, the green of the kiwi, the fuchsia of the pitaya!
Finally, as a gourmet, I offer you some examples of recipes containing these wonderful fruits: banana pancakes, coconut yoghurt or exotic fruit coulis, mango/litchi compote, exotic fruit kebabs or salad, pineapple and coconut milk smoothie, banana/kiwi purée... You can also use exotic fruits in recipes for sweet and savoury dishes: chicken with pineapple or coconut milk, for example... Once again, be creative and treat yourself!
Dietician - Nutritionist specialising in paediatrics
Sources
- Haut Conseil de la Santé Publique : Avis relatif à la révision des repÚres alimentaires pour les enfants ùgés de 0-36 mois et de 3-17 ans (30 June 2020)
- CIQUAL : Ciqual Table de composition nutritionnelle des aliments (anses.fr) (August 2021)