Why Choose Homemade Baby Food?

All parents want their babies to grow up healthy. Good nutrition is very important for babies, especially in their first year for proper body growth and development. As parents, we put a lot of thought into baby food. Some prefer jar food over homemade food because it’s already ready and portable. It may be easy for you to buy processed baby food, but have you ever thought how much nutritional value it is adding to your baby’s diet?

According to the holistic nutritionist Jill Hillhouse, commercial baby foods have less nutrients and more calories when compared to homemade foods. Moreover, readymade food contains additives like potato, tapioca starch and other preservatives that you might don't want your baby to eat.

The study further revealed various reasons for choosing homemade baby food, like:

• It’s more cost-effective than jar foods

• Homemade food is free of preservatives

• We can choose our own variety of ingredients to be included

• Babies develop the habit of eating the same food as the rest of the family. We can make them eat everything in a puree form.

Child specialists also recommend food including pureed vegetables, fruits and integrating meats into the baby’s diet while they are aged six to nine months. Eggplant, fennel, hummus, quinoa, pak choi and hummus are suggestions for babies who are nearing twelve months.

Jill Hillhouse also suggested organic produce for babies because it’s free from pesticides and other contaminants in foods. Organic foods don’t contain any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and is good for baby’s nutrition. Feeding your baby organic baby food may also decrease their exposure to harmful chemical substances.

Remember that a nutritious diet containing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants is very important for your baby. Food in one group cannot be substituted for another. Always give your baby a wide array of nutritious food.

You can learn more about your child’s good health by joining Shaw Academy’s Child Nutrition program. To know more about this program, please browse Shaw Academy reviews online.