Summary: On today's episode, I'm talking with baby nutrition expert Megan Garcia all about ideal first foods for baby!<br> <br> <br> <br> We're back with our 174th episode of the Fed+Fit Podcast! Remember to check back every Monday for a new episode and be sure to subscribe on iTunes!<br> <br> Find us HERE on iTunes and be sure to "subscribe."<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Learn more about Megan Garcia on her website HERE.<br> <br> Episode 174 Sponsors<br> <br> Lorissa's Kitchen - for 20% off on Amazon, click HERE and use code "20OFFLK"<br> <br> Episode 174 Transcription<br> <br> Cassy Joy: Welcome back to another episode of the Fed and Fit podcast. I am your host, Cassy Joy Garcia. And today I’m joined by a {laughs} I really wanted to say sister from another mister! {laughing} She’s a fellow Garcia. Please forgive my nerdiness. And I’m really excited to chat with her. Her name is Megan Garcia.<br> <br> She is, to tell you really quickly about her, Megan is a mama of two boys. She lives in Los Angeles. She has a master’s degree in traditional Oriental medicine. And is the creator of First Foods and Beyond. When Megan found out she was pregnant with her first baby back in 2011, she began exploring baby health and wellness. Specifically, a baby’s first 1000 days. Her interest in baby health, combined with a big love for all things food and gut related, has become the heart and soul of what she does in her own little corner of the web at MeganGarcia.com. Gosh, that is the second time I tried to mispronounce your last name, which is very embarrassing, because it’s my name. At www.MeganGarcia.com.com. Megan; welcome to the show!<br> <br> Megan Garcia: Thank you! I’m so excited to be here.<br> <br> Cassy Joy: I’m so excited to have you here. This is going to be really fun, and it’s very relevant, because I have an 8-month-old. And I feel like I’m a sponge right now, learning as much as I can about first foods. So thank you so much for taking the time to come on. I would love it if you could tell us a little bit more about yourself. And then we’ll jump into some of these questions.<br> <br> Megan Garcia: Ok. So, I have a background in Chinese medicine. And I talk about herbs and acupuncture a lot in my work, just because it’s kind of a natural way to manage imbalances in the body. But, when I was in school, I did a lot of writing for folks in the health industry. Bloggers and other people. So, when I was doing that, I kind of realized that I wanted to read actual research and science. And I live right next door to UCLA, and that’s where I went to school as an undergrad. So I ended up spending a lot of time on the UCLA campus, reading a lot of research about the gut and the immune system. And that’s how I did my work then.<br> <br> Then I got pregnant, and I continued to do that. I had a baby. And I was interested in pregnancy and nutrition for baby. But it really wasn’t until he was 2 years old that I kind of decided that I wanted to do something of my own. And start blogging, instead of more of a ghost-writing position. More of; this is me, and this is what I think about.<br> <br> So, it turns out that gut health and the immune system, it really has a big role in pregnancy and diet as well. All the different diets that we do, like AIP diet, and paleo, and all of that. It plays a really big role in those first 1000 days of baby’s life. Which would be 9 months of pregnancy, and then the 2 years of your baby’s life. And those 1000 days have a huge impact on the rest of your baby’s life.<br> <br> Not to put pressure on moms; I know we already have enough pressure and mom guilt. But it really helps to have knowledge about what might be the best thing. That’s what I’m really passionate about. Because I feel like there is a lot of pressure we place on ourselves, so there’s room for compassion. And just understanding yourself,
