Lēto Smoothies and lil’gourmets | Supporting Baby's First 1,000 Days

Why are we talking about the first 1,000 days?

 

The 1,000 days from pregnancy to age two offer a crucial window of opportunity to create the foundation for a healthy and nutritious future. Thousanddays.org explains why these 1,000 days are so precious and why we parents should care.

 

“The first 1,000 days are a time of tremendous potential and enourmous vulnerability. How well or how poorly mothers and children are nourished and cared for during this time has a profound impact on a child’s ability to grow, learn, and thrive. This is because the first 1,000 days are when a child’s brain begins to grow and develop and when the foundations for their lifelong health are built.”

 

At Lēto Foods, we are committed to making nutritious and delicious prenatal and postpartum smoothies to support busy parents in taking advantage of this critical period. We also love teaming up with other business as well who hold these same values which led us to partner with lil’gourmets for our June 2022 Giveaway.

 

Why Lēto teamed up with lil’gourmets

 

At Lēto, we know the power of delicious clean food and its importance for moms and little ones. That’s why when our founder Amanda saw lil’gourmets founder Shibani Baluja speak at a Naturally Chicago event, there was an immediate shared passion (not to mention, they are fellow Wolverines, Chicago locals, and CPG veterans!)

 

lil’gourmets is a leading provider of organic veggie-first meals for babies and toddlers. We’re thrilled to partner with this fellow Chicagoland, woman-owned business commited to the principles we both deeply value.  Check out our Instagram for an end-of-June giveaway, or shop their array of products online!

 

lil'gourmets Benefits

 

All lil’gourmets recipes feature veggies & beans as their first and primary ingredients, delivering more than 1 serving of vegetables or beans per cup. There’s no added salt or sugar in their deliciously authentic global recipes, and their minimal processing and refrigeration allow them to deliver the taste and nutrition of a homemade meal. Why else do we love them?

• They put veggies first: Industry-leading average of 85% veggies or beans per cup ... that's 100% of a baby's daily needs and 50% of a toddlers
• They utilize global recipes: Based on the latest in infant nutrition, their recipes are designed to help kids develop a love of veggies and diverse flavors for life!
• They’re always fresh & organic: Add points on high quality ingredients, Clean Label Purity Winner, and minimally-processed.
• Its meals are served in a cup to encourage spoon feeding: Research shows spoon feeding your child during the early introduction to solids helps develop their motor skills, helps increase the muscles of mastication which have also been seen to help with speech development, and help babies recognize satiety cues.

They imagine a world where kids become curious about Morocco because they love their Moroccan Squash… and one where they request the complex flavor of a vegetable curry more often than mac & cheese! 

 

The Founder Story: Why Shibani Started lil’gourmets

As a fellow woman-owned business, we always love hearing a bit more about the start of the company! lil’gourmets was born out of both Shibani’s life experiences and medical research. Her long struggle with infertility led her to clean up her diet and eliminate all processed foods. She eventually had her son, Jayden (yay!), but then as a busy mom struggled to find food that she felt good feeding him. So, she began cooking all of Jayden’s food, using a variety of vegetables and spices. As a toddler, she discovered Jayden loved both veggies and flavorful foods. It was then that she learned that we have a window of opportunity in infancy and toddlerhood to help our kids develop a love of veggies and diverse flavors, and squash picky eating! This discovery led her to launch lil’gourmets. Hello fresh, nutritious and veggie-licious baby meals!

 

Enjoy!

 

Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for medical advice. Always consult a medical professional or health care provider related to medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment.