7 Powerful Reasons For Making Your Own Baby Food

Your little one is ready for solids. This is one of the most exciting milestones of your baby’s first year. Do want to give her the best kind of baby food? Prepare her meals at home using fresh ingredients. Here are 7 Powerful Reasons For Making Your Own Baby Food.

Why Make Your Own Baby Food

Commercial baby food is not the best for any baby. Research has confirmed over and over that commercial baby food contains hardly any nutrients. Thus, babies fed solely on store-bought jars and formula are being deprived of nutrients crucial for growth, development and protection against illness.

Why is there such a big difference? Commercial baby food is cooked at very high temperatures for a long period of time, a process called sterilization. The food is basically cooked to death! This is why jars and pouches can last for several months on your pantry. The cooking process kills most vitamins and nutrients. It also kills taste, color, and aroma.

Homemade Baby Food Contains More Nutrients And Tastes Better

To retain most of the nutritional value, your homemade baby food must be lightly steamed and not boiled. It is also important to know that most ripe fruits can be pureed without cooking, leaving all of the precious nutrients intact. An avocado for example doesn’t need to be cooked, contains lots of nutrition, and it is the perfect food for babies due to its creamy texture.

I fed my first child lots of commercial baby food, cereals, and baby snacks. We started switching to real food when I started learning about nutrition and what an important role it plays in everyone’s health. My son’s first food was rice cereal. Yes, I know! Mom didn’t know any better. Learn more about my story and how important real food is for us, please see My Story-Esophageal Atresia.

Now, five years later, and after extensive “concerned mommy” research, I know better. This is why I made a list of 7 Powerful Reasons For Making Your Own Baby Food. We are skipping the cereal this time. As first foods for my daughter we tried avocado, banana, squash, and peas. My baby is loving them all! All you need is a good baby Food Maker (one that steams food to retain most of the nutrients) and some Storage Containers.

If you are interested in a very easy recipe and great first food for baby please see my post Homemade Applesauce With Cinnamon. It is the perfect example of how easy to make and how tasty homemade baby food can be.

7 Powerful Reasons For Making Your Own Baby Food

Making your own baby food is easy and it doesn’t take more than 10-15 minutes. You can also freeze your baby food and reheat later. There is nothing better than feeding your baby real, non-processed wholesome foods.  A great start for a life of healthy eating habits your baby will thank you in the future.

1.- More nutrition

Homemade baby food is way more nutritious than commercial baby food jars. Remember, baby food manufacturers have one priority when making baby food: profits. To cut costs they add water and thickening agents/starches. Have you seen the ingredients on baby food jars? Check them out! You will be surprised to see water as the main ingredient. Find more about reading food labels with my 7 Ways To Avoid Processed Foods post.

2.- Tastes better

We are not even going to discuss how tasteless commercial baby food is. Homemade baby food on the other hand is so tasty. I try my baby’s food all the time and I am happy because it tastes great! You can even enhance the taste by adding some spices and herbs. I make my daughter’s food using ingredients like a pinch of Himalayan sea salt, ghee, olive oil, rosemary, or cinnamon. Know which spices and herbs are safe for babies and be creative! You can really enhance the flavor of your baby’s meals.

3.- Teaches healthy eating habits

By making homemade baby food, your baby will learn to love non-processed foods from the start. Baby should taste, see, and smell the natural taste of real and fresh food. It is ok to make a mess, your baby is discovering something new and exciting. Commercial baby food can’t give you that. Your baby’s palette is being set up for fresh flavors the more you prepare her meals. This is to me the most important out of the 7 Powerful Reasons For Making Your Own Baby Food. Set your baby’s preference to appreciate and love real food.

4.- Variety of textures and consistency

Have you noticed that all commercial baby food jars have the same consistency and texture? A jar of sweet potato puree will always taste the same. However, if you make your own sweet potato puree you could play with the texture by making it thicker or adding spices. By making your own, you can try blending the vegetables and fruits really well at the beginning and then make purees thicker, using less water or breast milk. This variation gives babies an important lesson in the tastes of food; small variations are acceptable. Your homemade food can be kept in containers in the refrigerator or freezer for later.

5.- Easier transition to table foods

Makes complete sense. Baby will be used to the taste of homemade food using fresh ingredients and the transition to table foods will be a breeze. Store-bough baby food doesn’t have much taste and there is very little variety for your baby to explore flavors. When choosing homemade baby food the possibilities are endless. By exposing your baby at an early age to all those different flavors, you increase the chances that your baby is going to be a better eater. Your baby will not eat the same foods over and over so her taste buds will become more flexible. You will be teaching your baby to be an adventurous eater. Want to learn more? Please see my post 5 Tips For Raising Healthy Non-Picky Eaters.

6.- Better quality ingredients

Choose organic ingredients and know exactly what goes into your baby’s meals. Select your produce and avoid dangerous pesticides and GMOs. You know also it will be free of additives and fillers that a baby simply does not need. Pure goodness, handpicked with love and care. A perfect example is my Homemade Applesauce With Cinnamon recipe.

7.- Good for the environment

Disposable packaging isn’t as earth-friendly as reusable dishes. You can purchase good quality Containers and dishes that can last for a long time. And don’t forget also you will be saving money by making your own baby food. Get more nutrients for you dollar, and your baby gets more nutrients for his growing body when you make homemade baby food.

Making you own baby food is not that complicated if you have the right tools. It is actually pretty convenient and the benefits you will be giving your baby make it all worth it. I hope you enjoyed this 7 Powerful Reasons For Making Your Own Baby Food post and get inspired to make food for your baby.

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