Homemade Baby Food & Nutrition
When babies are born they are given the best nutrition for their bodies….a mother’s milk. What happens when they are able to now eat solid food? There are many brands that sell themselves as organic, but can we really trust them? Well there is an alternative. If we are already practicing a clean diet there is a way to make sure our young ones are benefiting in the same way. If you have heard of the Nutri-bullet than you know there is one for babies also. (https://www.babybullet.com) This allows parents to make sure their children are getting all of the needed vitamins without the extra chemicals that extend shelf life.
Benefits of making your own baby food
You know exactly what you’re feeding your baby.
It’s more economical than buying pre-packaged foods (although some parents note that this is not always the case).
They can choose their own fruits, vegetables, and other foods for purees, instead of relying on the flavors chosen by manufacturers. You’re not going to find melons or avocados in the baby food section of the supermarket.
It gets the baby used to eating the same food as the rest of the family — just in puree form.
Jarred food is cooked at extremely high temperatures to kill bacteria for longer storage, at the same time taking out many of the foods vitamins and nutrients and taste. You can roast, steam, boil veggies or fruit on the weekends and puree in a mini food processor as mentioned above. This also paves the way for a healthier future as your child gets older! Yes it is more work and less convenient but even as adults it is easier to stop past Mcdonald’s vs cooking a healthy home meal. Which is better for our bodies in the long run? A great book for reference is “100 top baby purees”
A step-by-step guide to making and storing food for your baby.
Healthy Homemade: How to Make Baby Food in 6 Easy Steps
- Wash and rinse your hands and equipment.
- Scrub and peel fruits and vegetables.
- Bake, steam, roast, or microwave until tender (steaming and microwaving preserve the most nutrients).
- Puree in a food processor with a little liquid (water,breast milk, or formula), or mash if your baby can handle more texture.
- Store in the refrigerator or freezer, in airtight containers. (Packaged baby foods can be stored in the cupboard until they’re opened; because they’re fresh, homemade baby foods can’t.)
- Rewarm when it’s time to eat and allow to cool.
There are a number of storage containers sold specifically for refrigerating and freezing small serving-sized amounts of baby food; you can also just use an ice cube tray.
In addition to fruits and vegetables, you can puree foods such as cooked meats (fully cooked, with no pink, and remove fat, skin, and connective tissue), beans, and cooked eggs.
Leave comments below if you have tried this! Or let us know if you do!
Source: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/baby-food-nutrition-9/making-baby-food?page=3