Why not give your child the gift of health by starting them on the healthiest diet

I opened up my  eyes to life and the first thing on my mind was food... I cried and moved my head to the sides looking for a source of nourishment, I tried to latch on until I finally got some breast milk in my tummy, I haven't read any nutrition books before while being in mummy's tummy, nor was I following any specific diets, but by instinct I knew that this breast milk is giving me all the nutrition I need and all the love i was seeking.i also knew that I needed this so often this is so critical for me to grow up, so I cried every two hours to get more.I have to mention that I didn't see a dietician to tell me how often or how much milk i need, I did well on my own.the milk left me feeling full and relaxed and ready for a sound sleep.

I grew up more feeding on this healthy milk, every now and then mum would give me a bottle of a different milk, it tasted and felt very different on my stomach, I usually had more gas and reflux after these bottles, and they didn't feel as warm and relaxing as mums milk.

I grew up even bigger and I started to sit by myself, I started to feel cranky after my feed, mum understood that I still felt hungry and that milk isn't enough for me anymore, it was time for solid food, I was so excited, I used to see all those veggies and fruits so colorful in the supermarket and I think I ll love them and they ll make me stronger and bigger and will give me all the nutrients I need to start crawling and maybe even walking soon.

Mum took me to the supermarket but she didn't go to the fresh veggie and fruit section that always looked so attractive to me, instead she went to this aisle where there were lots of jars and cans with cute characters on them and colorful logos with a picture of a fruit and veggie printed on it, and she picked some and took them home.I was kind of dissapointed but it wasn't my say.

She started feeding me this food, and since I never tasted solids before and had no preference what it should taste like I just assumed it tastes good, and I ate it. She fed me cereal that had no attractive color and that tasted really sweet and something about this sweetness just kept me hooked on this cereal asking for more and more and she also fed me fruits veggies and chicken straight from the jar which tasted okay for a first time eater but I was kind of wished that it had more texture and flavor to it.

I kept eating processed foods as I grew up since that's what I saw my mum doing, I had boxed Cheerios for breakfast and nuggets or hotdogs for lunch and I still had my worth of veggies everyday from corn to French fries to veggie chips and i got my protein from processed cheese.I kept feeling worse and worse and having more and more issues going wrong in my body, I stopped being able to tell when I am full, I had lots of food cravings, I started getting sick more often and was so low on energy most of the time,I also struggled with my weight. all my friends who were eating the same diet as me had all sorts of problems too from diabetes to autism to obesity, children all over the world adopting this highly processed diet kept suffering from new and chronic diseases... And we just didn't know why.

Doctors started recommending supplements to make up for all the minerals and vitamins that are removed from our food during the processing of it, they didn't throw them away I guess They put them in a pill for us to take later when we really need them.these vitamins and minerals that we have been deprived of since we were 1 year old feeding on these highly processed Jared foods have really affected our life and health in numerous ways, I wish all mums knew that they would have saved us lots of hardships.

Well now I am 25 years old and I learned to read, and I decided to see how we can make the next generation grow up healthier and happier and less nutrient deficient than we did. I guess the whole idea is to eat the whole unprocessed foods with all its nutrients and vitamins now instead of eating food that had all its nutrition removed and taking the pill later after the harm has been already done.


This is not how I was fed nor does it reflect my real life it is just an imaginary story.

 Facts about jarred baby food: 

• Processed baby foods have added water, sugars and starchy fillers. While these products are not nutritionally bad for your baby, their use in baby food dilutes the nutrient content of the actual foods. 
• processed baby foods are cooked at high temperatures to kill bacteria, so they can be stored in jars at room temperature. Bacteria are not the only things that are eliminated in this process. Vitamins and nutrients are also destroyed. Many baby food manufacturers compensate for the loss of vitamins by artificially adding some of them back in after the food is processed
• The study (Cheating Babies: Nutritional Quality and Cost of Commercial Baby Food), announced Gerber and Heinz replace up to 70% of their second- and third-stage fruits with water and then thicken them with chemically modified tapioca starch. They also add starchy fillers to all their regular second- and third-stage dinners. Homemade baby foods do not need any thickening agent added nor do they need to be made with fillers.
• They have found that many of the most popular brands contain less than a fifth of the recommended daily supply of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and other crucial minerals.
• Experts warn that babies fed solely on the store-bought jars and formula milk are being deprived of these nutrients which are crucial for growth, development and to protect against illness when they grow up.
• Although the organic ingredients may be better for your baby, organic commercial baby food is still mass-produced. Organic or not, your baby is being fed highly processed food straight out of a jar.
• Finally, mass-produced foods carry the rare but real risk of contamination. In recent years, manufacturers have recalled baby food products because of reports that some jars were contaminated with pieces of glass, harmful bacteria and the bacteria that cause botulism and arsenic [sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Canadian Food Inspection Agency and USDA].

Why buy organic food for your baby?

• This week the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released findings on the foods with the and an analysis of baby food.
• Green beans prepared as baby food tested positive for five pesticides, among them, the organophosphate methamidiphos, which was found on 9.4 percent of samples, and the organophosphate acephate, on 7.8 percent of samples.   EWG analyzed baby food samples in 1995 and found the two organophosphates in surprisingly similar concentrations.
• Pears prepared as baby food showed significant and widespread contamination. Fully 92 percent of the pear samples tested positive for at least one pesticide residue, with 26 percent of samples containing 5 or more pesticides and 15 different pesticides on all samples. Disturbingly, the pesticide iprodione, which EPA has categorized as a probable human carcinogen, was detected on three baby food pear samples. Iprodione is not registered with the EPA for use on pears. Its presence on this popular baby food constitutes a violation of FDA regulations and the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
• Organic Watchdog Files Formal Legal Complaint with USDA
• CORNUCOPIA, WI:  The Cornucopia Institute, a not-for-profit policy research organization based in Wisconsin, filed a formal legal complaint with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) against several infant formula manufacturers that are adding two synthetic preservatives to certified organic infant formula.
• A buyer’s guide to avoiding organic foods with DSM/Martek’s DHA algal oil and ARA fungal oil, including foods aimed at adults and children, like Horizon milk (manufactured by Dean Foods), is available on The Cornucopia Institute’s website.
• The Cornucopia Institute named the following brands of organic infant formula in its complaint to the USDA: Earth’s Best, Similac Organic, Vermont Organics, Bright Beginnings and Parent’s Choice (sold by Walmart).
• The only commercially available baby formula available in US stores that does not contain these synthetic preservatives is Baby’s Only Organic, manufactured by Nature’s One.  Baby’s Only Organic is certified organic by OneCert.

Benefits of Home made baby food: 

More nutritional value
When you make baby food at home, you can cook it quickly. This process not only preserves the wonderful color and taste of the food, but most importantly it maximizes the foods’ nutrient content for your precious baby. 

Elimination of additives
Processed baby foods contain trace amounts of chemicals, including pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved these chemicals, you may choose not to feed your baby products containing them. Buying certified organic produce (fresh or frozen) and preparing food at home eliminates agricultural chemicals from your baby’s diet. 

Variety
You can make all the variety of healthy veggies fruits and grains that u wish.

Texture
Jarred foods tend to have no profound texture and gets babies used to a blanch taste, homemade food can be made with more textures and different flavors.

Eating habits
You set up your baby to have a good eating habit of eating delicious freshly cooked home food instead of setting him up for junk processed food. It all starts with their first years and they will grow up to eat they saw you feeding them.

love
you do give your baby warmth and love when you feed him homemade food done with care.


Cereals are not the right foods to start your baby with:

• As you introduce solid foods to your baby, you begin to shape eating habits that will be with him or her throughout life. Why not give your child the gift of health using the World's Healthiest Foods as the foundation of your child's diet. Even though whole grains are healthy but there are healthier choices out there that you would like your baby to love and eat more of.
• respect the tiny, still-developing digestive system of your infant. Babies have limited enzyme production, which is necessary for the digestion of foods. In fact, it takes up to 28 months for the big-gun carbohydrate enzymes (namely amylase) to fully kick into gear. Foods like cereals, grains and breads are very challenging for little ones to digest. Thus, these foods should be some of the last to be introduced. (One carbohydrate enzyme a baby's small intestine does produce is lactase, for the digestion of lactose in milk.1)

What to start with as a first foods:

1-Proteins:

Babies do produce functional enzymes (pepsin and proteolytic enzymes) and digestive juices (hydrochloric acid in the stomach) that work on proteins and fats.12 This makes perfect sense since the milk from a healthy mother has 50-60 percent of its energy as fat.Babies do produce functional enzymes (pepsin and proteolytic enzymes) and digestive juices (hydrochloric acid in the stomach) that work on proteins and fats.12 This makes perfect sense since the milk from a healthy mother has 50-60 percent of its energy as fat

2- fruits and veggies :

Start with avocados, sweet potatoes, bananas , squash, carrots....

3- home cooked grains

Whole wheat, quinoa, millet, oats. ( avoid boxed enriched cereals)

Don't be afraid to feed your baby unsweetened foods, you create there taste buds, they have no preference and you are shaping their eating habbits.



Your guide to simple home made baby food:

You don't need recipes and books for baby food, they ll love simple fresh food done with care just like nature intended it to be eaten.this section is not aimed to telling you which food to introduce at which age.these are just ideas for home cooked baby food that hopefully would inspire you to dump baby jars

1- mash a soft banana by fork, you can add some oats or flaxseeds to it she. They are ready for introducing that.if you are on the go take the whole banana closed and mash it up when she is hungry.

2- cut an ripe avocado in half ,makes a perfect quick snack and you can easily take it on the go.my one year old has it everyday it is one of her favorite foods, just because you dont like a food doesn't mean your child won't like it.

3- bake a sweet potato and mash it up

4- soak some whole wheat and oats and millet overnight then boil until cooked, serve them with milk if the are ready of it, mash them with yoghurt and a dried prune. ( don't sweeten them they ll get used to the delicious taste of the whole grains by itself). If they are not ready for dairy you can mash it up with fruits or veggies.you can always sneak in some of the super healthy green veggies like spinach and kale.

5- steam some squash or zucchini or any veggie on hand and mash it up

6- steamed peas are one of kids favorite cause they enjoy picking them up one by one

Tools to make home made baby food easier:

I would suggest you invest in a few tools to make it easy for you to have your babies food ready all the time and don't give up to readymadeprocessed food

1.  small non spill plates (I prefer to get them glass, if not make sure they are bpa free)
2.  lunchbox
3.  zip locks
4.  fresh variety of ingredients in your kitchen
5. small pot 
6.  small food processor : my recommendation is to get a Tribest PB-350 BPA Free Mason Jar Personal Blende by Tribest

It is a food blender where you can mix the food in a glass jar directly and store it, you can buy unlimited number of glass jars in the size that is convenient for your babies meal size, put in your veggie or fruits steamed or even raw and blend and store. You can do all weeks food and store in freezer if your a busy mum or for quick on the go.this was one of my favorite kitchen tools it made my babies food so much easier, I even took it with me on road trips, I took bananas and oats and dried fruits with me and used to mix my babies food in any restaurant we are in since it is very small and easy to take along.there are lots of blenders out there and the best one is the one you already have in your kitchen.

By making the food yourself, you take the guesswork out of what you're feeding your baby.