I would like to write about baby–food after a long interval.

　My son is now 1 year and 5 month old, and he is lastly spending his “completion period” of baby-food, which are approximately divided into 4 periods “beginning,” “mid,” “latter” and “completion.” Around the end of the latter period ~ first half of completion period, it is around 1 year old, and child with fast growth is able to eat the texture of rice cooked as the adults normally eat.

　By this time, a child has gained the power to eat “Kinshoku” himself, and it is the best timing for the child to try and eat Kinshoku. Our son is firmly built and he is able to eat both amount and variety of food stuffs, so I have decided to have him start eating mushrooms such as Shiitake, Enokidake, Maitake, Shimeji, along with our product “SANLEM” Powder. This was his first encounter with Kinshoku.

　Mushrooms are cooked and chopped so that he could easily eat. For start, it is better not to add any seasoning so that he will be able to learn their unique flavor. After eating several times and learn the flavor, it tastes good to lightly seasoning it with Dashi (broth), and dress mushrooms with Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), Nori (dried seaweed) or chopped vegetables. And if the child likes white rice, it may be a good idea to make Takikomi-gohan (Seasoned boiled rice with meat, seafood, vegetables and others), or Maze-gohan (cooked rice mixed with cooked ingredients) so as to promote the child’s appetite.

　In our home, I let him eat SANLEM Powder sprinkled on white cooked rice. Babies cannot crunch tablets, so it is essential to start with powder. SANLEM is Shiitake Mycelium and it has the flavor not exactly like Shitake mushroom broth, but rather it has Dashi like healthy-tea flavor. Its flavor is closer to foodstuffs rather than the traditional Chinese herbal medicine. And even children could easily eat without hesitation not only with white rice but also mixed with vegetables and mushrooms and mixed in soup. For children, be careful not to spoon up the powder and let them eat it, because there is a possibility of being choked, it is better to moisten it by mixing with other foods. From the first day to today, at least my son seems to like white rice sprinkled with SANLEM Powder than without it and eats it deliciously.

　In fact, though I do not have a clear memory of it but I myself was eating SANLEM Powder from my baby-food period. My grandmother had told me that she mixed SANLEM Powder in my baby-food and made me eat it. Owing to the accumulation of good food habits ever since those days, I have grown to be very healthy, and I have never been hospitalized except for giving birth to my son after I have grown to be an adult. Meal is one of the highest gift, which could be accumulated by the parent for the child. In our home, I would like to adopt “Kinshoku” continuously and assist to enrich the life of my son.