Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/139497
F rst F o ds by Lisa Marshall Ask your mom for some guidelines on the first foods to feed your baby and you might get a litany of rules that looks something like this: Start with bland and easily-digestible white rice cereal. Offer vegetables before fruit. Hold off until eight to nine months to offer meat. And wait anywhere from one to three years to introduce potential allergens like peanut butter, eggs, and fish … Forget all that. I n the past five years, a growing body of research on how first foods shape food preferences, allergies, and development has led to a sea of change in advice. The take-home message: Timing is critical and variety is best. "It used to be a much more conservative approach with a lot more rules, but a lot of those rules have gone by the wayside," says Dr. Jennifer Tiehen, a pediatrician with Pediatrics 5280, in Centennial. Aside from cow's milk and honey (see below), babies 6 months and older can eat a wide array of foods, as long as they 36 are pureed and are not a choking hazard, she says. "There is very little medical evidence that delaying certain foods, or introducing them in any particular order, has any specific advantage." On the contrary, mounting evidence suggests that well-timed food introductions can fend off allergies, help cultivate a more sophisticated palette, and ensure baby is getting the nutrients he or she needs. Here's a look at the latest advice.