A few months ago, I attended a talk at a Food as Medicine conference in Portland that inspired this article for Organic Life. As I interviewed scientists and nutritionists about what and when to feed babies, I uncovered some surprising advice. Not only is it okay to give peanut butter to your baby as early as 4 months, it's encouraged. (Feeding it to her at an early age may actually prevent peanut allergies. Same goes for dairy, egg, wheat, and seafood, studies are showing.) Less surprising—to me, anyway—is that starting at 6 months, you should give your child nutrient-dense foods such as egg yolks, liver, and fish. Babies' developing brains need choline to help form neurological connections as well as Vitamins b6, b12, A and D. (All of which are found in animal foods.) My mom, who followed health food guru Adelle Davis' nutritional wisdom in the '70s, raised me on eggs, liver, wheat germ, yogurt, 9-grain bread. (As well as lots of fruits and veggies, of course.) So, Davis' philosophy has never seemed radical to me, and today the weight of medical evidence is behind her.
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