Natural Fruits and Vegetables for Baby

A dear friend of mine has a son, an only child, who is now 32 years old.  He is a big, tall, strapping, handsome young man who is never sick, (not even a cold now and then) has never been sick, and he has never had a cavity (and this without fluoride treatments or fluoride toothpaste). His strength and endurance are remarkable.  He is successful.  He is also very handsome.  How did he get this way?  I believe it started with his mother’s care from his earliest years.  I believe it started with how his mother fed him from babyhood through the day he left home to go out into the world on his own. 

Breastfeeding came first, and later she fed him pure, natural fruits and vegetables which she cooked herself at home.  When he was a toddler his food contained very little salt and little sugar except what came naturally in the food.  As he grew older he was never fed anything that contained additives such as nitrates or high fructose corn syrup.  His mother was very, very careful about every bite he ate until he was grown.

Here’s how she did it.  Thirty-two years ago people still grew their own vegetables and had a fruit tree or two on their property, even in towns.   Oh, not everybody did that, but it was far more common than it is today. She cooked baby’s fruits and vegetables until they were very soft, and then mashed them until they were pureed.  She saved the water from cooking for baby’s bottle when he was thirsty so he had the advantage of every single vitamin and mineral in the cooking water. She never spoke to baby in other than a low, soft voice, but with all this she was strict and baby always knew his boundaries. The boundaries were so fair that he was able to accustom himself to them with no problem.  He ate whatever his mother put in front of him, enjoyed it, and thrived.  Sounds like a dream child, yes?  Well, he is!

If you are going to try all this home-cooking of baby’s food, just remember that there are some vegetables that are high in nitrates and you must be careful to avoid them if at all possible. High-nitrate vegetables include the following:  beets, carrots, green beans, squash, turnips, spinach and collard greens.

It’s not a good idea to feed baby food that contains nitrates since it is my understanding that babies bodies convert nitrates to nitrites.  I have read that nitrites “transform your baby’s immature hemoglobin into methemoglobine which is unable to transport life-sustaining oxygen” around baby’s body. However, the American Dietetic Association says: “Due to fertilization, root vegetables may contain small amounts of nitrites. We would recommend that you utilize organically grown produce if this is a concern.  If prepared and stored in a safe manner, homemade baby food is fine.” You might want to follow-up this article by going to the Registered Dietition Knowledge Center – Consumer Division of The American Dietitic Association. A couple of books you might want to obtain that the Berkeley Moms say may be helpful are: “First Meals” by Anabile Karmel and “Super Baby Food” by Ruth Yaron.  Some authorities advise nothing but breast milk the first year with only a modicum of any other food.

With all this varying advice, my advice is to read, read, read, and ask, ask, ask.  Who do you know who has had great success feeding baby?  What does your pediatrician say?  What does your grandmother say?  What does your own mom say?

Not every child can grow up to become 32-year-old Adonis or Venus, but most mommies I know will try with all their hearts to make that happen. Today there are many marvelous items for making your baby food at home. I recommend looking at the BabySteps Natural Feeding system from giggles

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Love to all from Gramma Bugpuddles