Eight months ago, I joined those in the ranks of parenthood. Since that day, I have been more interested in nutritional information. Most of us know that in the US, we consume a lot of processed foods, but did you know because of this, the majority of our babies are born with 200 or more chemicals already in their bloodstreams?
This can be reduced and even negated by consuming organically grown produce, unrefined cooking oils such as coconut and olive oil, reducing dairy intake, and preparing your own meals. At six months, we started introducing solid foods to our sons diet. We create our own baby food by mixing simple organic produce in the blender: carrot with spinach, carrot with avocado, brown rice meal with blueberries or mango. Recently, we began to add a touch of spirulina. Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids; antioxidants that can help protect cells. It contains nutrients, including B complex vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid found in breast milk)!
Why do we make our own baby food when it's so easy to buy it pre-made? We were startled when we began to read baby food labels to discover that they are diluted with fillers such as corn, corn syrup, sugars, preservatives, etc... On that note, If you don't already know, processed sugars like high fructose corn syrup are a main catalyst in the development of cancer cells and are directly linked to obesity rates in children in the U.S.
Making baby food is quick, easy, fresh, nutritious, and our healthy baby boy has enthusiastically gobbled up almost everything we have offered to him. We are what we eat; Our bodies are amazing self-healers that thrive with proper nutrition.