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Katie Ferraro, RDN, MPH | Baby-Led Weaning

Can pap alone nourish a baby?

Published 20 days ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader,
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​In many parts of Nigeria, babies are traditionally weaned with pap - a cornmeal-based cereal that provides calories but lacks many of the essential nutrients needed for healthy growth.

Public health nutritionist and researcher Latifat Okara is working to change that.
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Latifat joined me on the baby-led weaning podcast to share how her work with NomNom Babies is helping families replace nutrient-poor staples with culturally familiar, nutrient-rich foods like crayfish, brown beans, eggs and plantains in Nigeria.
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This is episode 38 of the Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro podcast and the title is “Healthy Baby Food in Nigeria with Latifat Okara”. You can listen and learn more on the shownotes page here.

Wiser weaning

I loved learning about Latifat’s own personal experience starting solid foods with her 2 children, as well as the work she is doing in Nigeria.
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Listen to learn:

  • How overreliance on pap in Nigeria contributes to malnutrition - and how Latifat helped her daughter thrive with more nutritious local foods
  • Which other nutrient-dense weaning options Latifat and her team began to explore that babies can actually eat (...including crayfish!)
  • How cultural beliefs, religious practices and seasonal food availability shape infant feeding practices in Nigeria
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Hope you enjoy learning from Latifat about the nutrition challenges and opportunities in Nigeria in this new episode.

Happy Feeding,

– Katie

Katie Ferraro, MPH, RDN

Dietitian, Baby-Led Weaning Specialist

Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro

​www.babyledweaning.co​​

​100 FIRST FOODS™ program​

​Instagram @babyledweanteam​

Podcast www.blwpodcast.com​

​YouTube @babyledweaning​

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PS - if you’re looking for step-by-step instructions, videos and recipes on how to prepare your baby’s 100 First Foods with Baby-Led Weaning - my online program Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro has EVERYTHING you need to get started (including my full 100 First Foods Daily Meal Plan…so you never have to think about which food to offer your baby next!) Click here to check it out and get started offering real, safe food today!

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Katie Ferraro, RDN, MPH | Baby-Led Weaning

Creator of the original 100 FIRST FOODS™️ Program

I’m a Registered Dietitian, college nutrition professor and mom of seven who specializes in infant feeding and baby-led weaning. Like many parents, I struggled with spoon-feeding my oldest until I discovered baby-led weaning - a natural, hands-on approach that lets your baby build a foundational love of food. Starting solid foods can be stressful, but I’ll help cut through the noise with a proven strategy for helping babies master baby-led weaning.

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