Heroic Mama

Back in 2019, when I first arrived in Japan, my mother-in-law served me this fermented soybean at lunch. I could still clearly recall the small brown beans’ stickiness and sliminess, along with a strange smell. It was not love at first sight. When my mother-in-law saw that I was not enjoying it, I probably looked horrified when she saw me. She encouraged me to stop eating if I did not feel like it. However, I made every effort to gulp it and consume it all because I felt ashamed about not eating it. That was the first and last natto I had. Fast forward: now that I have a one-year-old daughter, I was already contemplating giving her a natto. I heard from my Japanese friends how beneficial natto is to the body. I was even told by some that it was quite tasty and that I should give it another try. As a mother, I wanted to give my daughter the most nutritious food on the planet. I therefore had my daughter try it for the first time and see if she would like it. My mother-in-law warned me t...

Hello! In this article, I would like to discuss the importance of nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life and share my top 10 brain-boosting foods. What we eat from the very beginning of life plays a crucial role in the growth and development of our brains. This journey starts before a child is born, during pregnancy, and continues through the first two years of life, commonly known as the First 1,000 Days. 80% of the brain develops within the first 1000 days. Within this period, a child’s auditory and visual sensory systems, learning abilities, memory functions, and information processing systems are formed. This is why proper nutrition is crucial during the first 1,000 days because it provides the building blocks for healthy brain development. How well or poorly mothers and children are nourished and cared for during this time profoundly impacts a child’s ability to grow, learn, and thrive. These, in turn, impact the child’s future success in school and economic opportuni...