Parenting mothers are earnestly studying at a cooking workshop for preparing weaning foods with rice flour. (Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto prefecture)
Rice flour has been increasingly used as weaning food in Kumamoto prefecture, since a number of parenting mothers found out its characteristic features that it is not only an allergy-free food, but also can be easily cooked.
The ingredient of rice flour is used for preparing various dishes including a soup or source thickened with the flour and instant rice porridge. At the shelters for earthquake’s victims in the Kumamoto region, the rice flour played an active part as an emergency food for babies and infants. Their lives have been saved with the flour particularly where relief goods were less supplied.
An idea of using the rice flour as weaning food was proposed by Haruhi Aitoh, 49, a registered dietitian living at Uki city in Kumamoto prefecture.
She came up with this idea when she warried about the supplies of the relief goods sent from many places throughout the country just after the Kumamoto region was hardly stricken by earthquakes. Those relief goods lacked foods for babies and infants, although a plenty of dry milk and bread were sent to the earthquake disasters.
On the basis of the experiences at the shelter, she is continuously providing to parenting mothers in the prefecture with information on weaning food of rice flour through holding seminars for those mothers.