Fun Foods For Baby And Child: Easy, Nutritious Recipes For Children
Fun Foods Fast?
A GUIDE TO MAKING THE WORLD'S MOST NUTRITIOUS, FUN FOOD FOR YOUR
CHILD. FAST.
As parents, we are given an opportunity to revisit what it means
to nourish. Babies and young children wait expectantly for their
parents to feed them. The choice of what goes into an infant's mouth
is up to us, at least while our children are small. Most of us want
to feel our children the best food possible, but often the line
between nutrition education and advertising is thin.
Americans fork over $1.25 billion every year buying commercially
prepared baby food. Many parents take their cues about when to start
their babies on solid foods from baby food manufacturers. If the
cereal box says it's safe for four-month-old babies, parents assume
this to be true. Of course it behooves the baby food companies to
have parents start solids as early as possible. But does the baby
benefit? Studies show that the early introduction of solids may
be linked to an increase in childhood food allergies.(1)
There are obvious physical signs of a baby's readiness for solid
foods. These usually don't occur until about six months of age and
include the ability to sit up unattended and the tendency to grab
or reach for food. Some cultures use the appearance of teeth as
a sign of readiness. Many parents aren't aware that during a baby's
first year, he can get almost all of the nutrition he needs from
breastmilk. The first few months of eating solids are therefore
less to provide nutrients than to accustom a baby to new tastes
and textures.
Have you checked out the taste and texture of commercial baby cereal?
Pour some commercial rice cereal in a bowl. It has no smell. The
taste is the very definition of bland. The cereal is made from refined
rice that has been processed and precooked. Refined grains have
nothing to offer but carbohydrates. Whole grains, on the other hand,
contain not only carbohydrates but also protein, fat, fiber, vitamins,
essential minerals, and life. The germ is still intact. If you put
a whole grain in water, it sprouts. If you put commercial baby cereal
in water, it makes paste. Why train your baby to want this? By pre-toasting
organic whole grains, grinding them in a small electric grinder,
and cooking the grains with water, you can create a fresh, delicious,
nutrient-dense cereal with taste, texture, and aroma (see recipes,
page 40).
Commercial baby food is convenient, it's true. But the price for
this convenience is high. Besides paying companies to blenderize
food and put it in jars, you also pay them to dilute the food with
water and sometimes to add starchy fillers such as tapioca, rice
flour, and modified cornstarch. Even the companies producing organic
baby food sometimes use fillers. Such additives lower production
costs and help mask off-flavors.
In 1995, the Center for Science in the Public Interest did an evaluation
of commercial baby food. Their published findings concluded: "To
give your baby the most nutritious and economical food, prepare
your own baby food whenever possible. Using a blender or food processor,
it is easy to puree most foods."(2)
Is Organic Necessary?
Many parents wonder about the importance of organic food for their
infant, given that organic produce and grains sometimes can be more
expensive than their nonorganic counterparts. The answer is that
pesticides are a concern. Even traces of the chemicals can irritate
the immature digestive system of an infant. Congress unanimously
passed a Food Quality Protection Act in 1996 that requires all pesticides
to be safe for infants and children. Yet in a recent comprehensive
study done by the Environmental Working Group, pesticide levels
in the US food supply were found to be at unsafe levels for children
aged six months to five years.(3) According to the report, peaches,
apples, pears, grapes, and commercial baby foods which use these
fruits are the most common sources of unsafe levels of organophosphate
pesticides. To protect your child, buy organic baby food; or better
yet, make fresh food for your baby from a variety of organic grains,
beans, fruits, and vegetables.
Getting Fresh
The bottom line is that the best way to ensure the quality of your
baby's food is to make it yourself. Fresh food has the maximum in
vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Foods lose nutrients when processed.
A little jar of army-green peas with a two-year shelf life simply
can't compare to the smell, taste, color, and vitality offered by
garden-fresh peas that have been steamed and mashed.
Some parents worry that they must always supplement their child's
diet with prepared foods that contain iron, since there has been
considerable publicity in recent years about iron deficiency in
infants. Several factors can lead to such deficiencies. One is a
mother who was anemic during pregnancy. Another is the common practice
of cutting the cord too early, before pulsing has ceased. Apparently
this can decrease the iron stores transferred from the mother. Choosing
formula over breastmilk is also a factor. Babies absorb iron from
breastmilk better than from iron-fortified formulas. If the mother's
iron levels are sufficient, a child who is breastfed for a year
will most likely maintain normal iron status.(4)
But, perhaps playing to the fears of conscientious parents, baby
food manufacturers typically fortify their infant cereals with electrolytic
iron. Unfortunately, this is one of the least absorbable forms of
artificial iron. It will, however, stick to the flakes of cereal
instead of settling to the bottom of the box. Ferrous sulfate, a
more absorbable form of iron, can affect the flavor and appearance
of the cereal.
Artificial iron wouldn't be required at all if the companies used
whole grain for their cereals, especially such nutrient-dense varieties
as quinoa and millet, which have naturally occurring iron. If you
are breastfeeding your baby, eating a well-balanced diet, and using
whole-grain cereal for your baby, you should not have to worry about
iron. If, however, you are concerned, consider making your own iron-fortified
cereal: Simply toast the grains you use in a cast-iron skillet or
add a sprinkle of kelp, an iron-rich sea vegetable.
Making It Yourself
For mothers and fathers who work full-time, either in the home or
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