Some have wondered what I feed my baby, with my new healthy way of eating. Here is my answer to that.
Raw/Fresh
To give my baby the most nutrition, I use as much fresh (raw) fruits and vegetables as possible. Since I have a Vita Mix, I can use all fresh fruits and vegetables since it will blend them up, so I don't need to steam them first (except for sweet potato).
Note: In order for the Vita Mix to blend it up well, I need to make at least 2 cups. If my baby won't be able to eat it all before it goes bad, I will eat it myself or add to recipes that our family eats (such as our daily smoothie).
Organic
To reduce my baby's exposure to toxins found in pesticides, I use organic ingredients when possible, preferably from a local farm (to find a list of farmer's markets near you, go to: http://www.localharvest.org/)
What don't I feed my baby?
Frozen baby food
I try not to make big batches of baby food to freeze, as tempting as it is (and like I did with my first baby). I don't do this because...well, would you want to eat reheated frozen food all the time? Doesn't fresh food taste better? It does to me. I am introducing food to my baby; this is his first experience tasting something other than breast milk. I want my baby to taste food in its freshest, most delicious form; the way it is found in nature. Not some soggy, reheated, freezer-burn-tasting gloop.
Purchased baby food jars
I try not to feed my baby the baby food jars from the store because, well, have you tried them? They don't taste very good. That's probably because they have been heated to extremely high temperatures, thus losing most of the nutrition of the fruit or vegetable. Then they actually put back into the food synthetic forms of vitamins, such as Ascorbic Acid (synthetic Vitamin C) so that your baby can get at least SOME nutrition. But the natural vitamin C found in real fresh fruits and vegetables is much better for our bodies than the kind made in a lab.
I can't bring myself to give my baby this stuff, even organic, unless I have to (when we're traveling on vacation, out of the house and no time to prepare anything, etc)
And I'm sure it goes without saying...
I don't feed my baby any packaged or processed food- as most are laden with cancer-causing chemicals such as artificial flavors, colors, & preservatives, and devoid of essential, disease-fighting nutrients.
I don't add salt or sugar (or honey- since it can cause botulism in babies under 12 months). These are not only unnecessary, they are also not good for my baby's growing body.
I don't give my baby water- not only is it unnecessary, breast milk is way more nutritious. I breastfeed frequently throughout the day to make sure my baby has the chance to drink as much as he wants.
So...how do I manage to find time to make fresh food for my baby?
I find time to make fresh food for my baby because I can't bring myself to give him nutrient devoid or tasteless foods, and I feel that just because he's a baby and can't chew well yet, doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve fresh foods. If anything, he deserves them more than any of us because this is the beginning of his journey in life. This is his first impression of what food is. My baby is so precious and innocent and pure and deserves the very, absolute, best of everything. Therefore, I fit it into my daily routine, just as I decided to fit in daily juicing, daily smoothie, and fresh salads. Yes, I spend a lot of time in my kitchen (and it has become our second playroom), but great health is worth it to me.
How do I do it?
About 2-3 times a week I make a small batch of fresh baby food, so there is always at least one or two freshly made baby food purees in the fridge. For other meals, he will have something simple, such as avocado mashed with ground sunflower seeds, banana-cinnamon oatmeal, frozen peas in the mesh feeder, small pieces of banana coated in wheat germ, etc. Also, I make it a point to give him something green every day (so usually my purees have kale, spinach, broccoli, or peas in them).
Fresh Purees:
Here are some purees I have made for him recently.
(Although I made up these recipes, some were inspired by recipes found in books such as "Organically Raised" by Anni Daulter, "Raw Food" by Erica Palmcrantz, and "Going Raw" by Judita Wignall.)
Avocado Soup (all fresh/organic ingredients)- 1 avocado, 3 stalks kale (leaves only), 1/2 yellow bell pepper, 4 baby carrots, 1/4 cucumber, dash of dill (dried), dash of parsley (dried), 2 tsp ground raw sunflower seeds, water as needed (Note: This is great for a family dish as well, just double or triple, add some tomato, salt, a little garlic powder or other spices as needed)
Creamy Quinoa Goodness- 1 steamed sweet potato, 1/4 cup fresh or frozen mango, 3 stalks fresh kale (leaves only), 1/4 cup cooked quinoa, water as needed (you can add brown rice or replace for the quinoa)
Green Delight- 1/2 cup peas (I used frozen organic), 5-6 fresh organic green beans, 1/4 cup fresh organic broccoli, water as needed
Apricot/Pear/Blueberry (all fresh/organic ingredients)- 4 small apricots (pitted), 1 pear, 1/4 cup blueberries or you can add plum instead (I add this puree to oatmeal sometimes)
Note: All of the above were combined in a Vita Mix and blended until desired consistency was reached. My baby is almost 10 months old and is starting to chew more, so I make the purees more chunky for him.
My little cutie :)
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