Tummy soothing foods

Hi Marjorie!

The information about Taiwanese first foods was great. The honey water thing would definitely be taboo here -- according to the medical literature, infants 12 months and under need to avoid honey because of the risk of botulism. Do you think she was referring to bee honey?

We had a rough few days here ... a toddler with an upset tummy in the middle of potty training is not an easy situation. I was interested that your mother-in-law recommended ginger drinks for tummy soothing. My mother (eastern European background) would make us drink flat gingerale or flat coca-cola.

The food writer Elisabeth Luard reports that garlic and and garlic broth is a traditional tummy soother in Provence. My Mexican friends use rice water, and my Sudanese colleague recommends hibiscus water as a general panacea for toddler ills. All these home remedies have in common that they are liquids, and my guess is that a key benefit in using all of them is maintaining hydration.

The issue I face with the sodas, broths and teas is that when a child is sick and cranky, he's not ready to try new foods or flavors. Introducing a new soup or a brightly flavored tea is probably not going to fly. We defaulted to rice, crackers and diluted apple juice. I went to the Mexican store around the block and bought some hibiscus flowers to make tea....have you ever made it? It is a beautiful red color, with a very delicate flavor. He took a few sips, and in the end just wanted a sippy cup of water.

He is back to himself now. I will be interested to compile more suggestions for traditional tummy soothers from across the globe.

Abbie