Cereal bundle

First of all, our greatest desire is to be your everyday NINJA ally. In other words, to help you as a parent for as long as possible and not to be left unawares by offering a solution that becomes obsolete too quickly! To be a daily nutritional ally, we had to offer products that would be suitable for baby as early as possible in his development and that would continue to be nutritious for his constantly changing needs.

In doing so, rather than opting for mashed meals, we bet on TEXTURED MEALS! That being said, it is true that the preference of the texture is specific to each one, ALL TASTES are in nature, as they say! Our intention is to provide nutritious meals for all little ones, so the good news is: OUR MEALS ARE VERSATILE! You can offer them in their original form, either in pieces, or adapt the texture according to baby's preference and the development of his skills: crushed or pureed. We can't mention it enough, each baby is unique and you have to listen to their needs, rather than imposing one or another of the textures (pieces, crushed, mashed).

We put the word textured on our packaging and in reality, we refer to ALL textures, as long as the one chosen is suitable for baby 😊 The introduction to the different textures must be safe and pleasant for our little ones.

When it comes to our oat blends, we wanted to give baby the comforting experience of a more traditional oatmeal! What's more, Belov is keen to innovate!! Shelving another traditional cereal, which we might call 'powdered', was not aligned with Belov's mission. Our tasty mixes can even be added to baby's favorite preparations: muffins, pancakes, etc. ! OHH YESSS! By being fortified with iron, we help you contribute to the recommended daily intake! OHHH WOOOWWWW!

Interestingly, traditional baby cereals are processed! More specifically, the grain goes through a process called enzymatic hydrolysis. Following this transformation, starch (a polysaccharide) is reduced to smaller sugar molecules to aid digestion. Hydrolyzation also sweetens the mixture. Luckily we worked with a food chemist to understand all those complex terms!!

So, during the R&D process for cereals, we wondered if bringing a traditional cereal to market (with the understanding of what this product really is…) was aligned with Belov's values ​​and with the evolution surrounding infant nutrition. After reflection, we have come to the conclusion that no! What's more, Belov's innovation should be recognized across all of our products. Because of this, we directed our resources to develop textured oat mixes for toddlers that would be fortified just like traditional cereals (that benefit being not dreadful!).

Did you know iron deficiency is most common up to 24 months?

It was therefore necessary to develop a product that would be able to help parents until their little one reached 2 years old! By opting for oatmeal rather than powdered cereal, we are making way for TEXTURE! Moreover, it is necessary to promote the introduction of lumpy textures no later than 9 months to prevent the child from developing certain aversions. So, with textured blends, we make sure to help parents meet their daily iron needs for longer!

YES, all of our oat blends are organic! The best thing about all of this is that our oatmeal comes from a local family business!! Yes, yes, from St-Félicien, QUEBEC, CANADA!

When it comes to irreversible delays in the development of cognitive functions, the situation should not be taken lightly. Thus, we were keen to help reduce the risk of iron deficiency by developing iron-enriched oat mixes to help parents meet the frequencies of iron-rich foods to offer their baby, until at the age of 24 months.

Here is a passage from Health Canada's infant nutrition guide:

By about six months of age, iron stores in older infants are depleted (IOM, 2001; Butte, Lopez-Alarcon, & Garza, 2002; Dewey & Chaparro, 2007). The risk of iron deficiency increases between six months and 12 months of age because rapid growth during this period requires a large amount of iron (Institute of Medicine, 2001). The risk is always present from the age of 12 to 24 months. Indeed, studies indicate that the nutritional quality of a young child's diet and his consumption of the main micronutrients, such as iron, tend to decrease (Picciano et al., 2000).

The risk of iron deficiency can be reduced by timely introduction and regular consumption of iron-rich complementary foods such as meat or meat alternatives and iron-fortified cereals (Butte et al., 2002; Dewey and Chaparro, 2007; Meinzen-Derr et al., 2006). Between 6 and 12 months of age, infants should be offered iron-rich foods at least twice a day. From the age of 12 to 24 months, the child should eat foods rich in iron at every meal.