Euphoria for Green Mamas » baby food

the “Baby Food” myth

Rachel — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:50:54 +0000

Are babies best served by food that is “scientific, uniform, twice boiled, and sold in jars.” And what about that white rice cereal? In our culture, it’s a classic first food. But, Dr. Greene says it’s akin to feeding baby white flour. He goes so far as to say, “it’s no wonder that kids are hooked on junk food when their first food is akin to Wonder Bread!” (see the entire article at Healthy Child, Healthy World)

My husband and I bought up (expensive!) baby food and fed our babies rice cereal and water (or breast milk) like most parents. But when I think about the concept of “baby food” after reading Dr. Greene’s work, my common sense tells me that feeding baby the whole foods we eat – with variety, spices and all – is a logical way to avoid fussy eating and teach baby to love those greens!

Making baby versions of your family’s food should be easy, convenient, frugal, earth-friendly and healthy. Of course, that’s assuming you’re already eating organic, whole foods. But if you’re not, approaching baby’s diet as an extension of your own might be just the encouragement you need to start making those choices that you really want to make anyways! And, that’s good because baby will be eating exactly what you’re eating someday. And that day comes more quickly than you’d expect!

If you want to learn more about the issues and science behind the baby food myth, get yourself a copy of Dr. Green’s Feeding Baby Green. The book is chock-full of ideas you can use to develop your family’s approach to feeding baby well.

Glass Baby Food Containers

Rachel — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:51:24 +0000

Looking for something eco-friendly and totally safe to store your homemade baby food? I was too! A smart Canadian mama has just introduced the solution – Wean Cubes. These durable little glass containers are fitted with silicone sealed lids so that the product is completely BPA, Phthalate, PVC and plasticizer-free. They’re NOT plastic – Yah!

These remind me of Pyrex; but unlike Pyrex, they’re able to store liquids without leaks and come in baby-sized 4 ounce sizes. The smart-clips lock on each side of the lid for a very tight seal. Plus, they come in 4 fun colors: pea, blueberry, carrot and raspberry. Buy Wean Cubes in packs of four for $28.00, all one color or multi-color.

Time to make up some baby food!

Hot to Avoid GMO Food

Rachel — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:51:35 +0000

Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO’s are Franken-foods that have wormed their way into our food supply to an unknown degree. Unlike in Europe where GMO’s are banned and/or restricted, the US has no labeling laws, so consumers do not even know if they are buying GMO foods at the grocery store. Why all the fuss? Find out what’s wrong with GMO’s here.

How can you avoid GMO food? 1. Avoid processed foods (experts estimate that 75% contain GMO) 2. Buy Organic (no GMO allowed) 3. Buy Local (and ask questions)

Inevitable, you do buy some prepared foods, such as ketchup, pasta and cereal. Check to see if your brand is GMO-free or likely to have GMO ingredients with the printable Non-GMO Shopping Guide put out by The Institute for Responsible Technology and The Center for Food Safety.

Here’s a quick look at GMO’s and Baby Food, as reported by the shopping guide:

Non-GMO

Baby’s Only, certified organic

Earth’s Best

Gerber products

HappyBaby

Mom Made Meals

Organic Baby*

Plum Organics

Tastybaby

May contain GMO ingredients (companies do not have to disclose)

Beech-Nut

Enfamil

Good Start

Nestlé

Similac/Isomil

The Difference Between 1st and 2nd Foods

Rachel — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:53:26 +0000

I love Dr. Greene’s unique perspective on how to introduce baby to solids. Here is a Q & A used here with permission:

You ask, we answer. This Q&A is from our friend and Healthy Child Board Member, Dr. Alan Greene, renowned pediatrician and expert on environmental health.

Question: What is the difference between 1st Foods and 2nd Foods? Can I skip 1st Foods all together?

Dr. Greene Answers: The baby food months are a fleeting window for teaching your baby to enjoy a variety of tastes, textures, and combinations. Soon that window will slam shut, and your toddler will be suspicious of foods that don’t seem familiar. This is as it should be: historically you wouldn’t want a child to toddle away from his parents into the wild and pick a berry to eat – it might make him sick. Or to pick a leaf – it could be poison oak. It’s normal for children not to like new fruits or vegetables by then.

I favor using the baby food window to introduce as many delicious tastes and textures as practical. For this reason, I no longer agree with the idea of staged foods, and especially not with introducing one new food every 3 to 5 days.

1st Foods are bland, single ingredient foods that have a very smooth texture. 2nd Foods have greater variety, combined ingredients, and more texture, 1st foods do naturally lead to 2nd foods, to 3rd foods – but I’m concerned they may all lead naturally to convenience foods and kids’ meals.

It can be fine to skip straight to 2nd foods – or even to skip 2nd foods altogether. Feeding Baby Green describes a variety of wonderful ways to feed your baby – perhaps with fresh tasting commercially prepared foods (Including some 2nd foods), and/or perhaps with tastes of food your family is already enjoying. It’s easier than you think.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World. Courtesy of Healthy Child Healthy World: a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit inspiring parents to protect young children from harmful chemicals.

Organize a Baby Food Swap!

Rachel — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:25:31 +0000

Do you plan to feed your baby homemade baby food? Or, maybe you already do? Either way, you’ll quickly discover that cooking baby food is easy. Run down to the farmer’s market and buy whatever fresh, organic produce is priced right. Cook and puree single foods or mix and match a few for an older baby.

OK… But, now you have a quart of sweet potatoes and one teensy tiny baby mouth to feed. What do you do with all the leftovers? I know, I know, you freeze that baby food into convenient ounce-sized portions with Fresh Baby’s clever baby food trays. Since you want to provide a varied diet, your freezer soon becomes packed with a few recipes and baby starts getting tired of your sweet potatoes. What next?

Organize a Baby Food Swap!

What a perfect excuse for new moms to get together! A Baby Food Swap is simple – just ask each mom to bring one large batch of homemade organic baby food either freshly made or frozen. She can pack it in 2 cup containers or bring it frozen in baby food cubes a lá Fresh Baby for easy sharing. Just like a cookie swap, each mom will leave with several servings of a variety of recipes.

Is your group intimidated about making homemade baby food? You can make the Baby Food Swap a cooking party too. Ask each mom to bring fresh ingredients for cooking at the party. Equip yourself with a few good food processors and share the love. When they see how easy it is to prepare, they’ll be ready to schedule the next Baby Food Swap with finished products (there’s more time for chatting that way). If you don’t know much about making baby food yourself, checkout Fresh Baby’s “So Easy Baby Food Kit“, which includes an instructional DVD and homemade baby food cookbook, plus those handy dandy baby food trays.

I only wish I’d heard of this idea when my children were eating baby food. Oh, the money I could have saved. And, oh, the fun we would have had!