Homemade or Commercial Baby Food?

By Joanne B. Parrotta

http://www.wiseadvicebooks.com

 

No loving, health-conscious parents want to feed their babies nutritionally poor food.  We want to provide our children with only the best, most beneficial foods available. However, many parents today can’t find the time to make their baby’s food from scratch, while others find it difficult to provide fresh, organic food for their babies. Consequently, they reluctantly offer their babies commercial baby food. But is commercial baby food really the best option for busy parents and their babies?

According to Consumers Union (CU), publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, because the fruits and vegetables in commercial baby foods are often condensed, they may contain concentrated levels of pesticide residues. CU quotes Philip Landrigan, professor of pediatrics and preventative medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who says, “A lot of these pesticides are toxic to the brain.”

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) published a report called “Cheating Babies: Nutritional Quality and Cost of Commercial Baby Food,” in which the authors summarize the findings from their comparison of baby foods. They say,

Gerber and Heinz replace real food with water and thickening agents in many of their products for children over six months of age. Such adulterated products are nutritionally inferior to products made with more fruits and vegetables.

The single-ingredients foods made by all the companies differ only modestly as a result of adding somewhat different amounts of water. However, Gerber and Heinz add substantial amounts of water and thickening agents (flours and chemically modified starches) to more than half of their twenty-five most popular fruits, mixed and creamed vegetables, desserts, and dinners for babies over six months (second and third-stage foods).

Through the aggressive marketing tactics of baby food manufacturers—who dish out millions of advertising dollars each year—many people assume that commercial baby food is as nutritious and as inexpensive as the homemade variety. Unfortunately, that is usually not the case. Some commercial baby foods have been criticized both for their contents and for their cost. As stated in the CSPI report, a large portion of many commercial baby foods is actually water and modified starch. 

 

You Control What Your Baby Eats

You can control what goes into your baby’s food and therefore into his or her sensitive belly. Ensure that the food you feed your baby is safe and healthy. When you make your baby’s food yourself, you can take extra care to choose the freshest organic produce.

Don’t believe the advertising that says that commercial baby foods are formulated to meet your baby's nutritional needs. By making your own baby food—which is easier than you might think—you can provide your baby with a much healthier diet. You can make a variety of nutritious and delicious meals—with organic ingredients and no additives—quickly, easily, and relatively inexpensively. The benefits to your baby are many, including exposure to a greater variety of nutrients, tastes and textures without added preservatives or fillers.

Is All Commercial Baby Food Really That Bad?

The answer to this question is, surprisingly, “no.” Research shows that some organic commercial baby foods can be healthy and nutritious. Although they are more expensive then regular commercial baby foods, they are made with ingredients that are certified organic. Therefore, you can use carefully selected organic commercial baby food from time to time without guilt—just be sure to select the very best. But keep in mind that they are designed to be convenient, not to replace homemade food.

This article was adapted from Baby & You: The Little Book of Mother and Baby Care (WiseAdviceBook, 2008) by Joanne B. Parrotta. To learn more about this book, the author and her publications, visit www.wiseadvicebooks.com and www.amatterofdestiny.com. The author can be contacted at info@wiseadvicebooks.com.