Healthy Summer Refreshment for Toddlers Aged 1+: Greek Blueberry Chia Yogurt Ice Cream
Ingredients for approximately 4 servings:
- 150g (1cup) blueberries
- 250g (1cup) Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. Chia Seeds
- optional: 1 vanilla bean
- Wash the blueberries and blend them into a purée.
- Mix the Greek yogurt, honey, chia seeds and optional vanilla bean until well combined.
- Gently fold the blueberry purée into the yogurt mixture. For a beautiful marbled effect, stir only lightly.
- Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container or ice cream molds.
- Freeze for at least 4–6 hours.
- Let the ice cream thaw for approximately 10 minutes before serving.
Source:
Harris, R. A., & Dabritz, H. A. (2024). Infant Botulism: In Search of Clostridium botulinum Spores. Current Microbiology, 81(10), 306. Source
Honey is considered one of the most important sources of Clostridium botulinum spores in infants, which is why it has been recommended since 1981 that children under one year of age should not be given honey. Worldwide studies have shown that approximately 4% of the honey samples examined were contaminated with C. botulinum, with toxin types A and B being detected particularly frequently. However, due to honey’s low water activity, the bacteria cannot multiply in it and cannot produce preformed botulinum toxin. C. botulinum is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, strictly anaerobic bacterium whose botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) inhibit the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at neuromuscular synapses, thereby causing flaccid paralysis. Infant botulism primarily results from the ingestion of C. botulinum spores, which can multiply in the still immature intestine and produce toxins there. Infants are particularly susceptible to intestinal colonization between three and five months of age (Harris & Dabritz, 2024).