Store-Bought Baby Food – a Problem?

Is store-bought baby food safe for your baby?

 

Have you ever been to a baby shower where you played the “guess the baby food” game?  All those un-labelled jars lined up for you to guess the contents – did any of them taste good?

baby food in a jar(I always found them either foul-tasting or totally bland). Is it a myth that babies need to eat stuff that doesn’t taste like real food?

Let’s look in more detail.

Nutrition

Of course you want the most nutritious food for baby.

The question is, can you get good nutrition from store-bought, commercial baby food?

Well, according to a report produced by The Center for Science and Public Interest, the main commercial producers replace some ‘real food’ with water and thickening agents.  This dilutes them and reduces the nutritional value of the food.

(“Thickening agents” include flours, chemical starches, corn, high fructose corn syrup and sugar).

When I was growing up in Ireland, we boiled all our vegetables – probably to the extent that we destroyed much of the nutrient value in them.  Many store-bought foods are cooked at very high temperatures – this is to ensure that all bacteria are killed, which allows a longer shelf life.  But it does make me wonder if the nutrients aren’t lost in that process too.

Price

commercial baby food is expensiveThe report also showed that baby food is very highly priced compared to adult food.  For example, baby food versions of fruit juice and apple sauce are more than twice the price on average of national brands for ‘normal’ or adult food.

Twice the price – yikes!

Allergies

Something else to consider is that according to Scientific American, some common fillers are potential allergens.  Corn and wheat may cause allergic reactions in some children, and there is some evidence that avoiding wheat before a baby is one year old may help to prevent wheat allergies later in life.

Is it Special?

We’re told in advertisements that brand X baby food is particularly good at meeting the nutritional and developmental needs of infants.  Yet there’s nothing special about baby food in terms of its contents. But it’s certainly convenient.

Is it “green”?

In general, it’s more eco friendly to make your own homemade baby food, because you’re not using resources to make the containers, labels and packaging. And the containers aren’t being transported to stores and then home to you. In addition, the containers are not always re-used, whereas when you make your own, you tend to re-use your containers.

Just how much baby food do we consume?

Between the ages of 6 months and one year, babies in America are given about 600 jars, while babies in Western Europe eat about 240 jars.

It’s a massive (and profitable) industry.

Should we buy store-bought baby food?

I believe this comes down to personal choice.  There’s a lot of pressure on young mums, and everyone needs to just do the best they can with what they have.

Some people find making their own homemade baby food is just too time-consuming.  Others find it easy to slot into their routine.

One big advantage of homemade baby food is that you always know exactly what you’re feeding your baby – and for many parents, that is the deciding factor.

If you want to make your own baby food, here are some very easy tips.

Advantages of commercial baby food

The main advantages are to do with convenience.  You don’t have to cook or prepare anything, just spoon ready-made food straight to baby.   It does save time. And store-bought baby food is great for travelling.

Another advantage is the date stamp – the contents are guaranteed safe until that date, and they last much longer than homemade baby food.
Earths Best organic baby foodThe texture is generally correct for the age of the baby, plus parents feel less frustrated if the baby refuses the food, than if they had made it themselves.

You can buy organic food which reduces the risk of pesticides and is better for the environment.  (Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food  has a good reputation, and Plum Organics are best sellers).

If you prefer the convenience of bought food, here’s how to get the best out of it.

Tips for store-bought baby food

These tips will help you to get the most from store bought food:

  1. Look at the ingredients list.  Compare products to get the best nutritional value.
  2. Some commercial baby foods list “tapioca” as an ingredient (which sounds good) when in fact it is more accurately described as “chemically modified food starch” (which doesn’t sound so good).
  3. Commercial infant purees (first stage food) are often higher in nutritional value than the higher-stage commercial baby foods which tend to contain more fillers.
  4. If you’re buying single-fruit or single-vegetable products, choose the one with the most calories, because this shows it has the most food and the fewest fillers.
  5. Buying organic commercial baby food means you don’t have to worry about pesticides in the fruit and vegetables, but you pay a premium (and baby food is already expensive!).
  6. Avoid commercial baby fruit desserts, and instead make your own or buy single-fruit products or unsweetened apple sauce for more nutrition.

Commercial baby food can be very useful and convenient.  I think it certainly has a place, and is a real boon if, for example, a parent is ill, or when you’re travelling.

Please share this post – sharing buttons below and right – thank you!

Do you (or did you) make your own baby food, or buy it – or both? How was it? Let me know in the Comments below!

Warm regards,

signature Clare

 

 

 

Related: Homemade Baby Food – just how easy is it, really?


Tags

baby, baby food, ecofriendly, environment, green, health, homemade baby food, nutrition, organic baby food


{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}
Join 5 De-Stress Yoga Challenge happy woman
>