Nutrient-Dense Raw Milk Tonic for Little Ones

Nutrient-Dense Raw Milk Tonic for Little Ones

Nourishing and delicious, this Nutrient-Dense Raw Milk Tonic is the perfect bedtime snack for little ones!

What’s best for baby.

Feeding the baby can be a pretty controversial topic. I remember all the unsolicited advice I got from well meaning mothers when I was a new mom. Whether it’s at church, at the park, in the grocery store line… everyone has an opinion! No matter our differences, though, there’s one thing we all agree on. It’s important to give our babies the best start we can!

As a mom of five I’ll be the first to admit that every kid is different. Different temperaments, different personalities, different tastes. But there’s one thing every baby has in common. A clean, unrestricted response system when it comes to food. They have no idea that the majority of adults would say brussels sprouts are disgusting, or that (everyone knows) lima beans are nasty. Babies also don’t know that crayons aren’t considered edible, or that dog food won’t supply them with the nutrients they need. ��

A eye-opener for mom.

Now, I’ve never been very conventional when it came to feeding my kids. With my oldest I tried the whole baby cereal thing, and it seemed like an immense waste of money to me. Then I tried a baby food grinder, and that was a waste of time. By my third I was pureeing my own baby food. But I still felt that it wasn’t worth the time, he was over that smooth stuff faster than I could make it! They all wanted what I was eating, so I gave it to them.

It seemed to be the easiest and best way, but by kid number four, I knew something needed to change. After finding out I couldn’t have gluten, or eggs, or dairy, or broccoli, or garlic, or carrots, or – the list was seeming infinite – I hit the books (or the internet) trying to figure out what was wrong. Much research lead me to realized that I and a few of my children were dealing with leaky gut issues that were contributing to our constant sickness and allergic reactions to food everyone else seemed fine with.

An unconventional start.

After more studying and prayer I realized that the way I was feeding my babies were eating was not giving their guts the best start. Contrary to popular opinion, rice cereal or oatmeal is not the best food for your baby. They don’t have the enzymes needed to properly digest grains until their molars come in (usually around 14-18 months), so starting off with grain-free, easy to digest foods is so important!

And so, even though the first child is usually considered the Guinea pig, number four became mine! When she was around one year old we started the GAPS diet as a family (you can read more about that here). And it was eye-opening. She didn’t eat grains (not even gluten-free ones) until she got her molars around 18 months. Instead, when she ‘started solids’ we introduced her to bone broth, avocados, raw egg yolks from pastured hens, homemade yogurt, and boiled veggies. After about 6 months on that diet we began introducing gluten-free grains. Let me tell you, it was not easy, but I know that it was worth it.

Nourished Beginnings.

If you’ve been on the fence or wondering if there’s a better way to start your babies off on solid foods, let me recommend a wonderful resource to you. My friend Renee, from Raising Generation Nourished, has a new book hot off the press all about giving babies the best start possible! Nourished Beginnings hit the stands last week and I was one of the first to get a copy!

Let me tell you, friends, this book is wonderful. Renee provides recipes that encourage little ones to develop a broad palate and become and adventurous, well-rounded eaters. From simple starts to recipes the whole family can enjoy together, the recipes are nutrient dense and flavor-full.

Renee encourages the use of traditional, real-foods such as bone broth, veggies, eggs, and meats, and includes recipes for common baby ailments such as colic, fevers, and tummy aches. There’s even a wonderful little section on first treats that I’m excited to try (forget my 18 month old – I’m totally eating that Raw Cocoa Avocado Pudding myself at nap time)!

Nutrient-dense Raw Milk Tonic.

I’m excited to share a wonderful recipe from Nourished Beginnings with you today, as well as give away a copy! Make sure you scroll down to the bottom and enter to win a copy! As for the recipe, it’s a delicious, warming, nutrient-dense raw milk tonic. Perfect for calming down little ones before bed at night, or waking them up on a chilling morning.

While I shy away from giving my babies conventional milk, due to over-processing and the unhealthy diets of the cows, I have no qualms about giving my little ones fresh, raw milk. I also have no issues feeding my children raw egg yolks, as long as they come from pastured hens. Though some may frown upon eating raw eggs, I’ve never had any of my children react to them, and even I can eat them despite my intolerance to conventional eggs!

If you’re not convinced, though, you can leave out the yolk in the recipe below and/or just add in a healthy oil like avocado, olive, or coconut oil instead.

In the recipe card I’ve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links won’t cost you anything extra. Thanks! ��

Enter here for a chance to win a hard copy of Nourished Beginnings!

Missed the giveaway? You can still get the book HERE.

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Original article and pictures take raiasrecipes.com site