Roasted Banana & Apple

Banana and apple are obvious first foods but roasting them brings out a whole new flavor profile.

The sweet caramel flavor of the roasted banana is offset the tartness of granny smith apples.

This is a nice way to change up first foods for your little one 

when you are still in the introduction phase of solids.

Roasted Banana & Apple

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & cut into chunks

3 bananas, peeled and cut (or smooshed by your free hand) into pieces

Preheat your oven to 400.

Place the fruit in a baking dish, cover with a piece of foil and roast for about 15 minutes.

By now your kitchen should smell delicious and they fruit will be bubbly and fork tender.

Mash or puree to the desired consistency.

Enjoy!      

*Variation

-Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie seasoning

-Use a different kind of apple or try pear

-Mix with any kind of grain or oatmeal

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Benefits

Apples are loaded with fiber, vitamins C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, potassium,

phosphorus and calcium. 

Bananas are packed with potassium and fiber but they are also good for the digestive system

and have been known to be binding.

Creamy Coconut Kabocha

Have you thought about introducing your baby to coconut?

Well, if you haven't, you should.

We're not talking about chunks of hard coconut or strong imitation coconut flavoring, 

or even coconut flakes loaded with sugar.

We talking about simple coconut milk.

It has a natural sweetness and mixed with the kabocha will give a mild coconut-y flavor.

It's also nutritious and there are loads of ways to use it.

Although I love kabocha squash, you could easily something like acorn squash.

As you see in the pictures I used acorn squash because I had an extra.

This blend is so good that B and I started brainstorming dishes for us around the combination.

This in itself is easily served to happy adults.

Creamy Coconut Kabocha

1 kabocha squash, cut in half with seeds & pulp removed

coconut milk 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Place your kabocha squash, with the cut sides down on a baking sheet.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the skin is fork tender.

Shake your can of coconut milk before you use it.

Scoop the flesh into a food processor and blend with coconut milk to a nice creamy consistency.

The amount of coconut milk you use will depend on how much squash you are blending.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-This is really fantastic with cinnamon

-Add in nutmeg, ginger, curry or even herbs like cilantro

-Mix with chicken, turkey or pork

-Instead of kabocha you could try this with sweet potato or yam

-Use that leftover coconut milk in dishes for yourself.

It's popular in curry but 

I can't wait for it to chill down so I can whip it like this or

make this pie.

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Kabocha squash is a great source of beta-carotene which becomes vitamin A.

It also has iron, vitamins B & C as well as fiber.

Coconut milk is incredibly undervalued.  

Although it does have fat, the type of fat included easily breaks down in the body and is more easily used as energy providing instead of storing... and really, our babies do need some fat.

The healthier the fat, the better.

It's known to increase the immune system as well as providing vitamins A & E, 

potassium, calcium and chloride.

Cherry Peach Sauce

Although this is actually the consistency of a lot of store bought purees, 

I find it too thin to serve it by itself.

Oh but flavor is really, really delicious and there are approximately 5,893 ways to use it.

I'll name a couple below.

Cherries are awesome, have great flavor and color but I don't use them enough.

It might be because my awesome cherry-pitter, let's call her the Jordyn 2000 has gone back to 

Sacramento, and cherry-pitting just isn't the same without her.

It's also messy and it makes your fingers purple.

Well it does if you are using your fingers to pit the cherries.

If we're going to take advantage of summer fruit then we just can't ignore peaches, can we?

Lovely, luscious summer peaches.

Cherry Peach Sauce

2 cups of halved & pitted cherries

2 medium peaches, skinned and pitted

1/4 cup water

Lets start with the skinning of the peaches.

Bring water to boil in a pot.  It needs to be enough to submerge your peaches.

Take your clean peach and cut an X on the bottom.

Drop the peaches into the boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes.

When you see the skin start to pull away from the X they are ready.

Let them cool and simple peel the skin off.

Place your cherries in a small saucepan with 1/4 cup of water and bring to a simmer.

Cook until your cherries are fork tender, stirring if needed.

Drain the liquid into a container.

Keep that lovely cherry juice!  Cool it down and give it to your little to drink.

Serve it by itself or mix it with their favorite juice.

Place your cherries and peaches in a food processor and puree.

Now for the fun part.

*Variations/Uses

-Add it to:

cottage cheese, plain whole milk yogurt,

mashed banana, pears or apple,

oatmeal or other grains

-Use it as a sauce for pancakes, waffles or french toast

-Freeze it into popsicles

-Cook with pork (or chicken or turkey) and maybe some roasted squash

-Add cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg or pepper

-Mix in some mint

Use it for yourself too!  Warm a bit with real maple syrup and serve it with brunch or 

spike it and serve it with dessert :)

Or spike it and eat it for brunch.  I won't judge you.

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Cherries are a great source of potassium, have anti-inflammatory properties 

and are packed with antioxidants.

They also contain melatonin which is said to help regulate natural sleep patterns, 

and what mama wouldn't like that.

Peaches are loaded with vitamin C and K as well as potassium, calcium and fiber.

Fig & Apple

Figs?

Here's the thing about figs.  

Yes, I've had them as an occasional accompaniment to a cheese platter 

but usually they are dried and it's just the tiniest portion.

For the most part when I think fig... I think Newton.

I know that's horrible but it's true.

Besides, have you seen how expensive fresh figs can be?

So when my friend Kelly pointed out her insanely large and beautiful fig tree, 

I jumped at the chance to steal some.

She sent me home with a bag and I started looking for things to do with them.

I didn't think stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon would work for Peanut... yet.

So I mixed them with apples and it's a fantastic blend.

Fig & Apple

6 ripe figs, stems removed, quartered

1 apple, peeled, cored, cut into chunks

Wash your figs thoroughly and make sure the stems are removed before cutting.

One of mine was really tough on top so I just cut the very tip off.

Add your figs and apple to a food processor and puree.

At this point it tastes fine and you could certainly serve it as is.

You'll notice the puree is pale with bits of that dark skin throughout.

However, I went a step further and placed this in a small pot over medium heat.

Cook it, stirring occasionally until those flecks of skin soften and the color bleeds into the puree.

The flavor, sweetness and even color really deepens with a bit of cooking.

Enjoy!

~Don't worry about the seeds, they are so small they aren't a choking hazard

 but they do add an interesting mouthfeel.~

*Variations

-This would be great with seasonings like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

-Add a bit of mint 

-Mix with pureed prunes or apricot

-Add it to plain yogurt or cottage cheese

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Benefits

Apples are loaded with fiber, vitamins C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, potassium,

phosphorus and calcium. 

Figs have loads of fiber, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Peach Chicken with Basil

The other day while I was searching the internet for peach recipes 

(our csa box has been packed with them)

I kept coming across peach and chicken.

Dishes called Polynesian chicken and Luau chicken over and over again, 

although I'm not sure peaches make me think of the islands.

Then I came across this one and I knew it would be perfect for baby food.

This recipe has become one of my absolute favorites.

I doubled it because the boys are eating a ton and I'm just trying to keep up!

This dish smells incredible and it's worth making a grown up version of... 

you know with salt and some crusty browning of the chicken.

Peach Chicken with Basil

1 chicken breast, cut into chunks (about 6 ounces)

2 peaches, skinned and cut into chunks (to skin, see this post)

1/4 cup diced onion

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

3 or 4 carrots, about 1/2 lb, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup brown rice, ground to desired consistency

1 cup water

1 tbs fresh minced basil

Place your carrots in a steamer until finger mashable.... about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, sauté your onion in the evoo until translucent.

Add your peaches and chicken with the heat on medium and cover for about 5 minutes.

As the peaches cook they will release their juice, creating a nice simmering liquid for the chicken.

Stir occasionally until your chicken is cooked all the way thru.

Doesn't it smell amazing?

Puree your mixture to desired consistency. 

I pureed it smooth and used the carrots to add texture. 

Bring 1 cup water to a boil.

Sprinkle brown rice powder into the boiling water, whisking constantly.

Turn the heat down to simmer the mixture,

whisking until the liquid is absorbed and the grains cooked.

Mine took about 8 minutes.

Stir rice into the peach/ chicken mixture.

Now we're going to add the carrots and this is where you can really control your chunks.

You can make this completely smooth.

You can add your carrots and pulse to gently chop.

You can even mash the carrots and mix them in with a spoon.

When you are finished adding your carrots,

stir in the basil.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-Using just the peaches and chicken, this is a great way to introduce meat

-Try this with cilantro or mint

-Substitute turkey, pork or tofu

-Use mango, pear or other stone fruit instead of peaches

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

Make sure you warm thoroughly before serving.

*Benefits

Chicken is a great source of lean protein in addition to potassium, phosphorus, niacin,

calcium, iron, selenium and zinc.

Peaches have lots of vitamin C and K as well as potassium, calcium and fiber.

Carrots have loads of different kinds of carotenoids which work as antioxidants, convert to vitamin A,

boost the immune system and protect and enhance your eyes.

Brown rice still has it's bran layer which allows it to retain more fiber (4x more then white rice)

as well as nutrients like niacin vitamin B6, magnesium and manganese.

Onions are known as cancer-fighting foods as well as helping build strong bones and connective tissue because of both the sulfur compounds (that make them smelly) and the antioxidants.

Basil has been known to have anti-inflammatory effects, is a good source of vitamin A, magnesium, iron, calcium & potassium.

I marked this as 8-10 months simply because of the onion, but as with everything else, when to introduce this is for you to decide.

Kiwi & Green Plum

We recieved a ton of these green plums in our csa box a week or so ago.

Only I didn't know what they were.

So I brought some over to my mom's and said,

 "I brought you this fruit, only I'm not sure what it is, but they look like green plums.  What are they?"

And she said, "They're green plums."

I like to ask my mom questions like that.

She used to work as a grocery store checker so I expect her to recognize all produce.

Sometimes I call her from the grocery store and ask her what aisle to find things.

Even though she hasn't worked at a grocery store in years...

and I could probably ask someone there...

but I prefer to call home and ask things like what aisle to find canned pumpkin.

Kiwi and Green Plum

2 ripe kiwis, peeled
4 ripe green plums, peeled and pitted

In order to peel your green plums simply cut an X in the bottom
and submerge them in boiling water for a few minutes.
Allow them to cool and peel the skin off.
You can see pictures of the process here.

Take 1 of the kiwis and 3 of the plums and puree or pulse in your food processor.
The puree does turn out on the runny side so,
I took the other kiwi and last plum and diced them up.
Make sure your dice is small enough (and ripe enough) for your baby to mash in his/her mouth.

Enjoy!

-You can obviously see the kiwi seeds but they're so small they don't pose a choking hazard.

*Variations
-This would be fantastic with mint
-Serve this with whole milk plain yogurt or cottage cheese
-Add it to babies cereal, oatmeal or other grains
-Mash with bananas or avocado
-Add to a little chicken and rice

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
This does brown when it oxidizes so be sure to keep it well sealed.

*Benefits
Kiwi's have twice the vitamin C of oranges, are packed with antioxidants, magnesium, fiber and potassium.
Plums have lutein that helps with vision, vitamins C & A, fiber, potassium and riboflavin. 

Cherries with Mango & Pear

The cherries out right now are just so absolutely gorgeous, it seemed wrong not to share them with Peanut.

My mom was telling me that cherries and mango are her favorite fruits and here we are.

No cooking.

The hardest part of this recipe is pitting your cherries.

Unfortunately my cherry pitter went back to Sacramento, her name is Jordyn :)

So I just sliced them in half and took the pit out with my fingers.

I still have purple under my nails.

I added diced pear for some additional texture and we ended up with this tasty treat for your little.

Cherries with Mango & Pear

2 cups pitted cherries

1 mango, peeled and cut into chunks

1 large ripe pear, diced*

Place your cherries and mango in the food processor and blend (or pulse if you want chunks) 

to the consistency right for your little one.

Add your diced pear, stir and serve!

*A word about your pear.  

Make sure it's very ripe and you dice it to a size that your baby can mush in his/her mouth.

~Alternatively you could also just puree all the fruits together

*Variations

-Add minced herbs like mint or basil

-Add spices like cinnamon, ginger or vanilla

-Mix in to yogurt, cottage cheese or oatmeal

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Benefits

Cherries are a great source of potassium, have anti-inflammatory properties 

and are packed with antioxidants.

They also contain melatonin which is said to help regulate natural sleep patterns, 

in which case I may only give Peanut cherries to eat from now on.

Mangoes are also a great source of potassium as well as beta-carotene and vitamin A.

Pears are high in fiber, vitamins B2, C and E.

Check back on Monday for an awesome new product and a giveaway!

Banana Avocado Whip

Banana and avocado are one of those combinations that I have seen over and over on baby sites.

Seriously, don't knock it until you've tried it.

The color is that gorgeous avocado green but the majority of the flavor is the sweet banana.

The secret ingredient in my banana avocado whip is the silken tofu.

Years and years ago I made a Cooking Light recipe for strawberry mousse that had silken tofu.

It blends right in and noone would ever know that it's in there.

It's softer then firm tofu, making it perfect to blend and you can put it with just about anything.
Add it to your fruit or veggie purees, serve it as finger foods
or pretty much mix it into anything.

Banana Avocado Whip
1 banana (Make sure it's ripe! The riper, the sweeter)
1 avocado
1/4 cup silken tofu

Simply puree all the ingredients together!

*Variations
-Serve it chilled on a hot day.
-Mash into chunks with a fork.
-Eliminate the tofu to serve as a first food.
-Add yogurt and/or milk and make this into smoothie for baby or for you.
No really, people drink these shakes, just google it!

*Storage
Hmmm, this is really a matter of opinion.
It will easily refrigerate for up to 3 days but it does get brown.
Both the avocado and banana get brown like guacamole that has been sitting out.

This doesn't mean that it's bad.

You can avoid this by putting the puree in a container and filling it to the top
or covering the top with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap sits on the top of the puree.
I would still put a lid over that.

If the air doesn't get to it then it won't brown.
If you do get some brown parts you can mix them in,
eat them yourself or skim it off the top and throw it away.

I used 2 ounce containers and filled them to the brim.
These keep perfectly until opened.

*Benefits
Bananas are packed with potassium and fiber but they are also good for the digestive system
and have been known to be binding (which is a nice way to say that it aids in diarrhea).

Avocados are fantastic for your baby.  Yes, they do contain some fat but it's the good fat.
The fat in avocados is monounsaturated which helps lower cholesterol and is high in omega-9.
Besides, babies could use the healthy calories in avocado.
They contain lutein, an antioxidant that helps maintain the health of your eyes and skin.
All this in addition to fiber, potassium, folate & vitamin A and you have a perfect first food.

Tofu is a great, simple source of protein without the added fat of some meats.
It also provides iron, omega-3 fatty acids and calcium.

Big & Little: Minted Melon

I suspect that some of you have been baking in the summer heat these days.

A few days ago I had veggies to roast but I could not bring myself to turn on the oven.

Peanut was lying on the floor in nothing but his diaper and looking slightly wilted.

Well, as wilted as a moose can look.

So I decided to make us both something refreshing.

What could be more refreshing then sweet summer melon and the cool touch of mint?

I've broken these down into 2 very, very simple recipes.

I did them each twice using both cantaloupe and honeydew

but you could just pick your favorite and stick with it.

Each recipe uses half of a melon (both about 4 lbs) but could easily be adjusted to use the whole melon

or more for one recipe and less for the other.

Make sure your melon is ripe!

Ripe melon = yummy sweetness

"I cantaloupe, I cantaloupe"  "Please honeydew, please honeydew"

Get it?  Can't-elope? Honey-do?

Anyone else say that or was it just my mom?

I say that in my head whenever I see either one of those...every.time.

When B and I lived in LA above Grand Central Market we would head downstairs 

to this amazing booth that sold tons and tons of different kinds of agua fresca.

It's basically a drink made from fresh fruit and very little else.

The possibilities really are endless.

Minted Melon Agua Fresca

-adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Half of a 4 lb cantelope or honeydew (or 1 small 2 lb melon), 

seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes, roughly 4 cups

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup of mint leaves

1 tablespoon of lime or lemon juice

pinch of salt

2 cups club soda

extra mint for steeping or garnishing

Add melon, water and mint leaves to your blender and puree.

Place a colander lined with cheesecloth, a kitchen towel 

OR a muslin swaddler for your baby drawer :)

over a deep bowl, add the puree and let it drain for about an hour.

Gather the towel/swaddler and gently squeeze any excess juice.  

Throw away the solids, stir in remaining ingredients and taste.

If you want more mint flavor add in a few sprigs of mint before chilling

Chill for at least an hour, it should be ice cold when served.

Pour into 4 glasses and top with 1/2 cup of club soda each.

Enjoy!

*Agua Fresca Variations

-hold the club soda and serve this to your little

-Add vodka but don't mix it up with the ones you set aside for your kids

-Try this with watermelon although you may want to cut back on the water a bit

-Omit the water and soda and freeze these as popsicles

Now on to the baby food.

This puree is refreshing and Peanut really enjoyed eating it straight from the fridge.

I'm sure it was cooling for a hot day and 

probably a relief from the 4 teeth that popped up in the last 10 days.

This recipe could easily be cut in half.

Also note that the puree in the pictures had less mint and I ended up adding more later.

I added apples for texture more then anything as the real star here is the melon.

Minted Melon Puree

Half of a 4 lb cantelope or honeydew (or 1 small 2 lb melon), 

seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes, roughly 4 cups

2 apples, peeled, seeded, cored and cut into chunks

1 1/2 teaspoons of minced mint

Steam your apple chunks or simmer in 1 tablespoon of water, 

until the apples are fork tender.

Allow the apples to cool.

Puree the apples, melon and mint.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-Leave out the mint (or add more if you like)

-Try this with watermelon

-Mix with peach or blueberries

-Instead of mint substitute a small amount of grated ginger.

I would start with 1/4 teaspoon and taste, adding more if needed

-For older kids serve this semi-frozen, like a healthy slushy or granita

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Cantaloupe is packed with potassium, beta-carotene, fiber and vitamin A.

Honeydew also has loads of fiber and potassium as well as calcium, magnesium and vitamin C.

Simple Dried Fruit (Prunes, Apricots, etc)

Well, these aren't the prettiest of purees but they taste great and are very nutritious.

The drying process really concentrates the sugar, so you end up with a fantastically sweet puree.

Dried fruits compliment an incredible amount of foods.

Pictured above are both prune (the darker of the two) and apricot purees.

Off the top of my head you could use prunes, apricots, peaches, raisins, figs or dates... 

I'm sure there are a ton more out there.

For this recipe I used prunes

Dried Fruit Puree

1 cup prunes (you can do any amount of dried fruit)

water

Place your dried fruit in a small saucepan.

Add just enough water to cover the fruit.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes.

The fruit should be easily pierced with a fork.

Just give it a test-mash in the pan.

Add the fruit to the blender or food processor and puree,  

adding as much liquid as needed.  

I used all my water but if you do have extra then don't toss that juice,

give the cooled juice to your little to drink.

Apples & Prunes

You can thin it all the way down to the consistency you would need to serve it to baby.

In this case you would most likely need more water.

I like to leave mine on the thick side and then freeze it into cubes.

This way, if I make something later on that needs to be sweetened and/or thickened

I already have some frozen purees ready.

Then I just pop in a cube or two to perfect the recipe.

~~~

Look for unsulfured fruit.  You want fruit that is naturally dried.

Read the ingredients and avoid sulfur dioxide or paraffin.

Some babies and adults may be allergic to sulfides.

Sulfur dioxide does preserve the lovely apricot color 

so keep in mind your unsulfured fruit will be brown, as shown in the pictures.

Try to find organic raisins or domestic raisins if you can as imported grapes fall on the "dirty dozen" list.

Yay, California raisins!

*Variations

-Mix with apples, pears or other fruit

-Great to mix with yogurt as it adds an intense sweetness to the tart yogurt

-Add to oatmeal or other grains

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Dried apricots are a good source of beta-carotene, vitamin A, potassium and iron.

Prunes are high in fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium, iron and tons of antioxidants.

Raisins also have antioxidants, potassium, calcium & magnesium.

Dates have calcium, magnesium, fiber and potassium.

Figs are packed with fiber, potassium and calcium.

Simple Stone Fruit (Plum, Peach, Nectarine, etc)

This puree can be done with any stone fruit or any combination of.

I needed to use up several different kinds so I ended up with a combination
of donut peaches, nectarines and plums.

There are all 3 in both of the purees shown but one has more plums then the other.

There are a so many different types of stone fruit on the market these days.
There are different varieties of fruit as well as hybrids like apriums and pluots.

Simple Stone Fruit 
3 medium nectarines, plums or other stone fruit (or combination of)
-make sure your fruit is ripe-

Boil a pot of water.  Meanwhile wash your fruit and cut an X on the bottom of each piece.
Place the fruit in the boiling water for a few minutes.
Remove and run cold water over the tops and simply peel back the skin.
Cut the flesh from the pit and puree.

If you are using this as a first food and prefer to cook it
 you could also place the fruit in a small saucepan and simmer until fork tender, then puree.
~~~

Taste your puree.  If the end result is too tart
 you could add pureed dried apricot or prunes for additional sweetness.

*Variations
-Mix this puree with just about any fruit under the sun
-Mash with banana (another easy way to sweeten)
-Add 3/4 teaspoon minced mint
-Add a generous pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (about 1/8 teaspoon)
-Mix with oatmeal or other cereal

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits
Peaches have lots of vitamin C and K as well as potassium, calcium and fiber.
Nectarines are high in antioxidants and vitamin A along with beta-carotene and potassium.
Plums are a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin C, K and A.

What is your favorite stone fruit?

I'm particularly obsessed with donut (or saturn) peaches right now.
The white flesh is so full of flavor with a hint of almond and
are much sweeter than some of the other stone fruit.
They are really easy to eat as the tiny little pit can be removed easily,
leaving you with tons of the yummy flesh.

Blueberry & Apple with cinnamon

I promise this is the last blueberry post for a while!
It's just that I had all these blueberries and Peanut loves them, so I couldn't help myself.

I had this craving for pie the other day and ended up eating this mashed up and still warm with nilla wafers and graham crackers and topped with whipped cream.

Not that it's a replacement for pie. 

It was late and I wasn't about to whip up a pie.

Yes, I did give some to Peanut.

Only without the extra fixins.

Blueberry & Apple with cinnamon

2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped into chunks (about 3 cups)

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon water

Place the ingredients into a pot or saucepan with a lid.  

Simmer for about 4 minutes or until fork tender, stirring occasionally.

Blend to the desired consistency.

Taste test!  I suggest starting with the 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and tasting to see if you would like to add more.  I ended up adding another generous pinch but I'm a big fan of cinnamon.

*Variation

-Switch things up a bit and try using 1/2 teaspoon of minced mint instead.

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Apples are a great source of fiber and contain nutrient that help regulate blood sugar.

Blueberries are full of antioxidants and vitamin C.  

Truly brain food, they help your little one maintain brain power.

Cinnamon has been said to lower blood sugar, improve blood flow, fight bacteria, relieve gas 

and reduce inflammation.