Q: My eight-month-old nephew is enjoying eating many finger foods, including banana peels. He seemed to enjoy the texture and chewing on it with his new teeth. Is there a problem with this?
A
From a nutritional standpoint there is no benefit to chewing on a banana peel. It is mainly undigestible fiber. Not only that, any pesticides used in the growing of the banana are found on the peel. Therefore, he is perhaps getting a good dose of some unwanted chemicals. I would also fear that it could be a choking hazard. My guess is that he is chewing on the peel as a teething tool. It's toughness probably feels good on his gums. Try substituting some other food item that may do the same job, but with less danger of pesticides or choking. Stale or frozen bagels are good, as are frozen bananas (without the peel).
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