Threatened with CPS Call for Feeding Baby Curry with TikTok Mom Graca Walters

Graca Walters (0s):

Do you know, as a mom, what's best for your baby? So I think you should just go with that because I mean, your toddler will be less picky in food and seasoning. So it's best to kind of start, you know, like six months and up.

Katie Ferraro (15s):

Hey there, I'm Katie Ferraro, Registered Dietitian, college nutrition professor, and mama of seven specializing in baby led weaning. Here on the Baby-Led Weaning Made Easy podcast I help you strip out all of the noise and nonsense about feeding, leaving you with the competence and knowledge you need to give your baby a safe start to solid foods using baby led weaning. Well, hello there. And welcome back. Today's guest is like nobody I have ever interviewed on the podcast before; she is a viral video superstar mom, but not everybody sees it that way.

Katie Ferraro (55s):

Her name is Graca Walters, and she's originally from the Congo now living in New York. So Graca Walters loves cooking. She makes all sorts of Caribbean and African foods, and she has a baby. So like a lot of us she's at home with our baby, and they're on lockdown. She decides to join TikTok. So grace says, sharing videos of all of the foods that her daughter Zuri is eating. Baby-led weaning, including recipes. And then she shares what is now the infamous lamb curry recipe. Now, even though you guys listening probably recognize the benefit of feeding your baby a wide variety of foods, including meats like lamb and flavors like curry, apparently TikTok does not. And the internet went berserk about Graca's lamb Curry video.

Katie Ferraro (1m 38s):

I mean, she got so much hate about feeding lamb curry people saying it was disgusting and babies couldn't eat that. And it looks like dog food. There was even one troll who threatened to call CPS for her feeding her baby lamb curry. Anyway, one of the moms in my community forwarded me. The story was all over the news last week. And she was like, did you see this? And I read a few of the TikTok comments, and my anxiety for this mom immediately went through the roof because she was doing nothing wrong. In fact, Graca is doing everything right. So I wanted to have her on the podcast to talk about feeding our babies different cultural foods, using seasonings and spices liberally in baby-led weaning. And just also to let her know that there's a whole community of us parents and caregivers out there who really do support moms like Graca and caregivers who are looking to raise independent eaters and who want to help prevent picky eating by feeding babies, a wide variety of foods and flavors and tastes and textures.

Katie Ferraro (2m 34s):

So Graca also has a small shop where she produces and sells seasonings and sauces. And she's going to tell us a little bit about that endeavor as well, and do not worry. I got her lamb curry recipe. So I'm going to be sharing that in the show notes for this episode, which you guys can find at blwpodcast.com/80. So with no further ado, here is Tik TOK sensation and lamb-curry making-supermom Graca Walters. So Walter's gray said, thank you so much for being on the podcast. I know it's been absolutely crazy for you the last few days since your Ted talk video about making your baby's Zuri lamb curry went viral. And I know a lot of the feedback has not been positive, but I want you to know we totally support you, and I'm dying to get the lamb Curry recipe.

Katie Ferraro (3m 17s):

Zuri is 13 months old. Now you've been doing baby-led weaning since she was six months. Take us back and tell us a little bit about how it went for you when you were starting solid foods.

Graca Walters (3m 26s):

Thanks for having me. So I'm from Congo and how I started maybe like winning was when my daughter turns six months. I just felt like she was showing interest in food. Like, you know, I'll be having dinner with my husband, and she'll try to grab the food from our plates. So I was like, maybe, you know, she's interested. Let me try and share some of the food that I was making. And I cook a lot. I cook all the time. So I started giving her a little bit of portions of food that I was doing, like lamb curry or beef stew, stuff like that. And she will, at first, we'll just play with it, put it in her mouth and throw it and stuff like that.

Graca Walters (4m 11s):

But then she started enjoying it, the sauces and the seasoning. So I was like, okay, so I can keep going. And now she's 13 months, and she loves it. So that's how I started that.

Katie Ferraro (4m 23s):

Do people do? Obviously they call it something different. I'm sure. But baby-led weaning, like, is it more traditional in the community that you grew up in for babies to learn to feed themselves? Or did the parents generally put the food in the baby's mouth or put the spoon in the baby's mouth?

Graca Walters (4m 37s):

So from where I'm from, we started even earlier like that, like at four months the parents will start giving them, we call it "foo-foo,". It's like corn and you just put it in sauces. And that's how we start were babies back home was chicken and stuff like that. So we start even earlier than that, like in Congo, we don't really have a stores where you have like Gerber and stuff like that. I mean, we do have that, but it's expensive, you know? So parents are just motivated to cook themselves for their kids.

Katie Ferraro (5m 12s):

And you mentioned chicken as a first food. So is it traditional for babies in Congo to have not just fruits and vegetables and starches, but also meats as well? Well,

Graca Walters (5m 20s):

Yes. It's like our first food. I started with lamb, and then I did pass that and stuff like that. But back home, we start with meat, chicken. Yeah. So we start with meat, and we also introduce veggies and foods and the rest.

Katie Ferraro (5m 39s):

Okay. So I really applaud you for pushing your baby's palate. I love that you're sharing this idea that babies can eat a wide variety of food safely because we know if you look at the research like diet variety is so important for helping to prevent picky eating. So I'm sorry that the haters on TikTok have no clue, but why do you think people reacted so strongly to the videos that you were posting of Zuri eating foods? Like

Graca Walters (6m 2s):

I think people reacted strongly, and I got a lot of hate, especially from moms. I thought it's because, you know, and I'm not trying to mum shame or anything because it's hard to prepare meals every day for your baby. It's time-consuming, you know, like, you know, we have a lot of women who have like jobs and stuff like that. So it's not easy to come back home and go preparing a whole meal for a baby. So I get that part, but I feel like I got a lot of hate because maybe some mothers were projecting their cooking insecurities on me. Yeah.

Katie Ferraro (6m 41s):

I also think it's really shocking. Like I know for myself when people go through my a hundred first foods program, they're like, yeah, day one, avocado day two banana day, three sweet potato day four, we do lamb. And that's when people were like, what babies can eat meat. And I think because oftentimes, you're pushing their conventional understanding of what babies quote-unquote should eat.

Graca Walters (7m 1s):

Yes.

Katie Ferraro (7m 1s):

They're not, maybe because they've never seen it. They certainly don't believe it. And so, I do a lot of my work on Instagram. It's funny because some of the gals on my team are younger than me. And they're like super into TikTok. Like you have to be on tech talk. I was like, I don't want to be on TikTok. Like I like Instagram. Like that's where I'm comfortable. I have a really supportive community of parents who were like, oh, that's interesting. I didn't know a baby could eat lamb. I'd like to learn more about how to feed lamb safely versus like; I read a few of the comments on your tech, talk on your videos. And it gave me anxiety. Like I couldn't believe how mean and cruel people were about you feeding a food to your baby, which is totally safe just because it's something that they didn't do. So tell me a little bit about like Tik TOK. I know you're using it as a platform to teach about cooking and stuff, which I think is awesome, but I mean, it's hard.

Graca Walters (7m 44s):

Yes. It's not easy. You know, when I got on TikTok I got there because, you know, I was just not say bored, but it was literally when the pandemic started and we were in locked-down and I, you know, I love to cook and I saw people making videos on cooking and they looked great. And I just wanted to share my recipes and connect with people. So that's how I started with TikTok and yeah, I just wanted to kind of inspire other moms and show them that it's okay to give your baby real food and spices and seasoning and, you know, just to show them that their baby could also love it.

Graca Walters (8m 32s):

And as they grow, they will maybe not be that picky.

Katie Ferraro (8m 35s):

Absolutely. What you're doing is mimicking what the research shows us, that the greater, the variety of foods and flavors and tastes and textures that we introduced to babies early and often the more likely they are to eat a variety of foods and the less likely they are to be picky. And I know Zuri is 13 months now, could you tell us a little bit about how she eats now? Like what does a typical day look like to you in your family for a 13 month old?

Graca Walters (8m 59s):

So in the morning, usually I make her, she likes eggs with spinach or add some fruits. I'll give her strawberries banana, cut it up. Well, sometimes I'll give her a toast with spin up about her. I made sure to start with peanut butter early again, because I wasn't sure if she'll be allergic and stuff. So that's why I started with that. That's in the morning. And then for lunch, you know, I'll make your carer to sweet potatoes or maybe leftovers from the night before. Like if I made, passed out something like that, just a little, a little bit. And then for dinner, she'll have whatever I'm cooking for my husband and I, so usually, you know, I like to cook Caribbean food or African food.

Graca Walters (9m 46s):

So again like the lamb curry, the popular dish lamb carry, or what else we like rice and beans. She really loves that, you know, sometimes sweet potatoes or apple juice mix every other day. And what is she drinking right now? So I give her water and you know, I also get a lot of hate for giving her water.

Katie Ferraro (10m 12s):

So isn't that hilarious that people would hate on you for giving a baby water. Now, early on babies don't need extra water, certainly early on in eating, but by the time your baby turns 12 months of age, really the foods that we offer should be mimicking what the rest of the family is eating, and she's not drinking as much breast milk or formula as she did previously, we can meet babies fluid needs from foods and milk and water, and you definitely can be giving her water. Again, people are going to have their own opinions on everything as I'm sure you know, but I really just applaud you for putting it out there that this is what you guys are doing. And I love your message about Zuri being able to eat, you know, modified versions of the same foods, the rest of your family eats. You're like, whatever we're having for dinner, we're having for dinner. And that day on tech talk, it happened to be lamb curry, and everyone went crazy.

Katie Ferraro (10m 55s):

So back to the lamb curry, because you're on a podcast for a community that's really supportive of this idea. And I want you to know that there are parents out there who do support you and you feeding your baby exactly what it is. The rest of your family, eats kids don't need special kid food,restaurants don't need to have kids menus. There doesn't need to be an aisle at target packed with, you know, shelf stable kids' yogurt, which is full of added sugar. It's all pretty ridiculous if we think about it. So thank you for reminding us that back to the lamb curry though. Cause I know everyone's going to ask if I can, I'm going to get the lamb curry recipe from you to share if that's okay. Because I think my audience would love to know how to make it. What are some of the ingredients in the lamb curry that you feed to Zuri?

Graca Walters (11m 37s):

So, because I do my own blend of spices, I do mix the curry that I get at a Caribbean store and I also blend with some puppets.

Katie Ferraro (11m 51s):

Sorry, bell pepper or spicy pepper?

Graca Walters (11m 55s):

It's not spicy. It's like a, it's the sweet one. Yeah.

Katie Ferraro (11m 60s):

Sweet pepper. Or I guess in like traditional American culture, think of bell peppers, which was funny. When I lived in south Asia, my mom sent me seeds for bell peppers and I grew them in my family was like, the family I lived with was like, these are the dumbest peppers ever. They don't taste like anything and they don't have any flavor and they don't have any heat. So yeah, like your generic, boring peppers is what I'm thinking of, but you might, you're calling them sweet peppers.

Graca Walters (12m 21s):

Yeah. I think that's how we call it. You know, in my country it's a sweet, you can get the yellow or orange pepper. And then I put the Curry powder that I get at the local Caribbean store here in New York. And I put some onions in there. I put olive oil.

Katie Ferraro (12m 39s):

Okay. Can I get the recipe from you to share? Is that okay?

Graca Walters (12m 42s):

Sure. Sure.

Katie Ferraro (12m 43s):

I'll link that up for you guys on the show notes for this episode, if you go to blwpodcast.com/80, we'll have the recipe that Zuri had from lamb curry that set the internet off. So let's talk a little bit about the spices because as we know, babies, don't have to eat bland food, a lot of parents. So they're hesitant, especially, you know, you mentioned there's a lot of American adults. There's adults all over the world who are intimidated by cooking. And they're hesitant to explore with spices and seasoning for babies because they think like, oh, I'm not supposed to flavor the food. Can you tell us a little bit about your business Texy Kitchen and how did you come to get involved in preparing like homemade sauces and seasoning?

Graca Walters (13m 21s):

So for a long time, people always ask me about, you know, cooking preparation and what spice that I use for certain foods like my family members or my friends. So that's how, you know, they kind of inspire me to start my own business and share my homemade sauces and seasoning plants. So yes, I was just getting a lot of questions, especially with my TikTok videos. You know, they'll ask me, how did you do this? And I also did this. I mean my business, because I wanted to make it easy for people. Like, just for example, my mother-in-law likes to cook a lot too. And you know, she's a little bit older and you know, she doesn't like to make four or five different spices.

Graca Walters (14m 6s):

Like she gets overwhelmed. So I blended all together and you know, just to make it easy. So basically that's how I started it. I was making spices or her and for my family. And I'm like, you know, because other people in my family don't really cook like that. So I just wanted to make it easy. And you know, we started talking at the dinner table. They're like, well, you make it easy for us. We don't have to look for five different spices and try to mix it in a dish. It's just in one jar and I make it like, you know, so it's easy for everyone to use

Katie Ferraro (14m 45s):

I love your confidence in your baby's ability to eat so many different things. And I know that other moms, parents, caregivers, who are listening, who they are also challenging the status quo about what babies can safely eat. So for those listening who are getting pushback from their partners or their mother-in-laws, or even TikTok about the different food choices that they're helping their baby learn how to eat, what would you say to give them confidence to continue really pushing their babies?

Graca Walters (15m 12s):

Okay. So a lot of people are like culturally misinformed on what they can or can't give their baby. My first advice is to always consult with your baby's pediatrician doctor, you know, and start the process of, you know, baby weaning a little bit earlier than a year. You know, like I started at six months. I don't know if that was too early.

Katie Ferraro (15m 36s):

No, that's perfect. We say write it around six months of age, plus when the baby's showing the other signs of readiness to eat, you know, you go with your gut, like

Graca Walters (15m 42s):

Yes. And my pediatrician actually recommended it was like a, she getting interested in foods if she is trying to give her a little bit and see how she, she does. So always consult with your doctor first and, you know, trust your instinct. And I know that people could have, like mothers could have, 'em be scared a little bit because maybe, you know, a family member said, this is not how they did it with their kids and stuff. I feel like you should just go with your gut and do, you know, as a mom what's best for your babies. So I think you should just go with that because I promise that when the baby grows and the baby will be less picky, I mean, your toddler will be less picky in foods and seasoning.

Graca Walters (16m 30s):

So it's best to kind of start when you are supposed to start, you know, like six months and up.

Katie Ferraro (16m 37s):

Yeah. And I know for it's sometimes for parents that are listening, when their babies are just starting out at six and seven months, they feel really overwhelmed. Cause they'll see pictures or videos of other babies eating way more than their baby or faster different foods are not gagging as much. And I always try to remind parents not to compare your baby to anyone else's that early on in solids. They don't need to eat that much. They're still getting most of their nutrition from breast milk or formula. And so it's not like Zuri woke up at her six month birthday and knew how to eat, you know, an appropriate portion of lamb curry. It took time. And how long would you say, like, if you can even remember, I know it's hard, but like when did it really click for her? If you started at six months of age by about what age was she showing interest in food to the point where you could start either dropping a milk feed or you had to provide her with more food or she was actually eating it versus just playing with it.

Katie Ferraro (17m 25s):

When did that happen?

Graca Walters (17m 26s):

I will say 10 months. So it took me at least four months into like being very confident and two, this is what she's going to have. And maybe a bottle of later, you know, I wasn't relying into like the baby jar foods because I, 10 months I knew she was ready, but you know, it took four months, at least three months, three months and a half for her also be confident that, okay, this is how I need to eat and I'm going to be four. So yes, it took me three and a half months to get there.

Katie Ferraro (17m 59s):

So thank you so much for sharing your story. I just want to reiterate that we really support you in your decision to introduce Zuri to a wide variety of foods is I think so inspiring and it you're doing an awesome job, helping her to become an independent eater and for our audience who wants to learn more about you, where can they go to learn more about your videos, lamb curry, your spices, like tell us all the places.

Graca Walters (18m 22s):

So my TikTok is TexyKitchen1, and I also make YouTube videos where I do details recipe. So it's TexyKithcen on my YouTube. And I also have my website where I sell my seasoning and spices. And that's texykitchen.com.

Katie Ferraro (18m 42s):

Thank you so much. This was an amazing conversation.

Graca Walters (18m 45s):

Thank you so much, Katie. Thank you so much.

Katie Ferraro (18m 48s):

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that conversation with the TikTok sensation and lamb curry making supermom Graca Walters. I know the internet can be a super nasty place at times. Like I can't believe all of the mean comments that people were making about Graca and the lamb curry recipe that she made for Zuri. But then the internet can also be kind of amazing because we were able to find her, get her on the podcast, listen to Graca's side of the story and also get the lamb curry recipe, which I'm going to be linking up all of Graca's social channels and her small shop it's called texy kitchen. That's where she makes a lot of different seasoning mixes and sauces. She has this peanut butter sauce she was telling me about after the interview, I just ordered it from her site.

Katie Ferraro (19m 28s):

There's a really cool peanut butter shrimp recipe on her page as well. And I'm going to be trying, but you can check out all of her locations online. She's got a YouTube channel. She still on TikTok, good for her, but also her small shop. If you go to the show notes for this episode at blwpodcast.com/80. Thanks so much for listening and also, Hey, thank you so much for supporting other moms who like all of us are just doing our best to try to help push our baby's palettes beyond basic boring baby food. You guys are all doing a great job and don't you let TikTok tell you any differently. Bye for now!