Every Saturday morning, Kate and I go to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market and eat oysters for breakfast. This is a photo of her last weekend. She looks cranky but it’s really impatience. You can see the pile of shells on her lap, and she’s pointing and saying, “More!”
She always draws a crowd when she eats oysters at the market. People are stunned that a toddler would willingly eat raw oysters. But why not? I figure if I get her hooked on them now, maybe she’ll love them for the rest of her life — just like her father and I do.
I’m glad she loves oysters because they are one of the most nutrient-dense foods — right up there with liver. And of course when you eat them raw, you get all the enzymes, too.
A single 3-ounce serving of oysters supplies 31 percent of the daily value for iron, 268 percent for vitamin B12 and 509 percent for zinc.
B12 is necessary for the synthesis of red blood cells, the maintenance of the nervous system, and growth and development in children.
Called the intelligence mineral, zinc is required for mental development, for healthy reproductive organs (particularly the prostate gland), for protein synthesis and collagen formation. Zinc is also involved in the blood sugar control mechanism and thus protects against diabetes. Source: Weston A. Price Foundation Mineral Primer
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That is too cute. People are pretty freaked out when they learn that my kids eat sauerkraut by the bowlful, cod liver oil by the spoon, and sardines straight out of the can.
The no TV thing in the house gets ‘em too.
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That’s so funny! LOL. Elena eats a lot of things that most people wouldn’t, but she appears to have an allergy to shellfish, so no oysters for her!
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That baby is tooo cute!
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Santa Monica farmer’s market??? Are you in SoCal or is there another Santa Monica??? (I know you from the newwaphb yahoo group, just curious if we are neighbors…………….I’m in SoCal too)
She is so cute and I would love to see her eating those oysters.
When did you start feeding her shellfish?
My daughter is just turned one last week and I haven’t given her shellfish yet, but
I do feed her salmon and other fish. I’d really like for her to have some of those good nutrients from shellfish. Wish we had fresh oysters here at our farmers market.
Hi, Diane, yes I am in Los Angeles! Where are you?
Hi, Hillori,
I think I gave her some clam chowder once when she was just under a year. But only that one time.
I fed her liver almost every day when she was under one year — not shellfish because they say not to due to possible allergies. And like you I fed her salmon.
After she was about a year old, maybe 14 mos, I started giving her shellfish. Started with shrimp and scallops. She was probably around 18 mos when I let her try oysters at the farmer’s market.
At first she did not really like them but I let her suck on the shells and play with them. Then she started willingly eating them. Now she begs for them!
Thanks,
I did start her on the liver. At your advice, I bought the liverwurst and braunsweiger from us wellness meats and also beef liver. The braunsweiger is really good and she eats it right up, so thank you for the tip (haven’t tried the liverwurst yet, but just pulled it out of the freezer today).
I’m really trying to figure out a way to make the beef liver taste good. Although she likes it, I just have a hard time eating it, but I force myself to eat a little bit, so I know I’m getting those nutrients.
Ann Marie, does Kate just eat them plain or with the mign. sauce on it?
She eats them plain and with the sauce. She seems to like them both ways.
Honestly I think a lot of it is she’s copying me.
Whenever I brush my teeth, she begs for her toothbrush and she “brushes” her teeth, too. I always make a big deal about going to get oysters and I LOVE them — I make a big “to do” about it, saying “MMMM” and “YUMMY!”
She sees this and so she of course wants to do all the fun things Mommy does!
I guess it’s working for you to comment now?
Oh that is way too cute!
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Yes, it is finally working, I was trying all day yesterday, I don’t know what was happening!
Ha! I used to work at the Peet’s right down the street from the Santa Monica farmer’s market…I used to scheme to get Sundays off so I could go. We lived in Venice, so we just biked over. Ah, bliss.
Oh yum! It’s rare that I get good fresh, raw oysters…I’m jealous!
Kate looks adorable as always…though impatient she may be. Her chubby cheeks are downright precious.
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That is very cool. When my daughter was a toddler she would beg for a container of grape tomatoes when we went shopping. She would carry on like most kids arry on when they want a candy treat. People thought it was the strangest thing and could not believe she would rather have a box of tomatoes than candy.
I live where Orange, Riverside, & San Bernadino counties meet. I grew up in LA County in the San Gabriel Valley.
I find it so cool that she will do this. I asked my husband to take us for oysters for Mothers Day. I have not had them in FOREVER~!~!~!……. I wanted to introduce them to my toddler but looking all over the net about some sort of guideline. I am pretty cool with her trying whatever but also don’t want to make her sick in any way. (also don’t want my hubbie to freak if I try to give her an oyster) But I think I am gonna let her try them. I really hope she loves them like I did when I was a child (although I put them on a saltine w/ ketchup and chewed them up…totally grossed the grown men out who sat next to me at the bar)
BTW your baby girl is adorable!!!!
What is a 3oz serving of oysters, about how many?
I am not sure… I looked it up and a pound of oysters in the shell yields about a pint’s worth of oysters, which is 16 oz. So I guess 3 oz = 3 oysters?
Wow! Cranky because she wants more oysters! What a lucky mom and baby! Does she eat them plain?
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