Ruth's Blog
Commercial Baby Food vs Super Baby Food: Did You Know?
When parents consider making their own baby food the first concern is invariably: Is it safe to make my own baby food? Or said another way…Is commercial baby food better for my baby? Let Super Baby Food dispel the myths.
Myth #1: Commercial baby food is superior to homemade baby food.
The food that you make at home from fresh, whole vegetables and fruits is nutritionally superior to any jarred commercial variety on your grocer’s shelf. The cereals you can quickly and easily make at home from brown rice (and other whole grains) cannot be compared to the processed, refined white rice commercial baby cereals.
Myth #2: It takes too much time to make homemade baby food.
Making homemade baby food is easier than you think. Check out WholeParenting.com’s pictures showing how simple it can be to make your own nutritionally superior baby food.
Myth #3: Homemade baby food may cause my baby to get sick or get food poisoning.
Some parents think that there is something magical that goes into the preparation of commercial baby food that can not be done at home, which somehow makes it the only food suitable and safe for their baby. Not so, baby food can be made easily, nutritionally, and safely at home.
Myth #4: The convenience of commerical baby food is worth the price.
Actually, making your own baby food is the cheaper alternative. Check out this handy dandy chart prepared by WholesomeBabyFood.com to see the price per baby food manufacturer as compared to homemade baby food from your ice cube tray. Homemade baby food is much cheaper!
Can you think of any other myths surrounding commercial baby food vs baby food made at home? Share them with us so we can dispel more myths!
How to Pick and Prepare Carrots for Your Super Baby, the Super Baby Food Way
Choosing, Picking, and Preparing Carrots to Feed your Baby
Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A that is not toxic, even in large doses. Your baby should get a vitamin A veggie every day! Here are some details for feeding you baby carrots:
Age: Baby must be at least 7 months old for cooked carrots, 10 months for finely grated raw carrots.
Choosing: Carrots should be firm, and not pale. The smaller the carrot, the sweeter the carrot.
Storing: Carrots need cold temperature and high humidity. Store in the refrigerator in plastic bag with holes. When properly stored, carrots retain their nutrients for up to two weeks.
Preparation for cooking: Nutrients are most concentrated in the peels of carrots and just below. You don’t have to peel or scrape young or small carrots if you give them a good scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Older, bigger carrots are probably better peeled.
Steaming: Steam whole carrots 15 minutes, carrot slices about 10 minutes.
Baking: Large carrots can be baked in the oven. Scrub them and leave whole and unpeeled. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes.
Freezing: Freeze pureed carrots using the food cube method for up to 2 months.
For tips on preparing and feeding more vegetables, check out Super Baby Food book or check right back here at the Super Baby Food Blog.
The Super Baby Food, Food Cube Freezing Method
Pureed, cooked vegetables are a large part of the Super Baby Food Diet. To save time and energy, cook and puree large batches of veggies all at once and freeze them in ice cube trays using the Food Cube Method.
The Food Cube Method involves two steps:
1) Placing the food in ice cube trays and letting it freeze until solid, and
2) Transferring the frozen food cubes into plastic freezer bags.
Remember, the pureed food in the ice cube trays should be frozen as quickly as possible.
After the the food cubes are frozen solid (8-12 hours), transfer them to freezer bags (you must use Freezer bags, not storage bags) removing as much of the air in the bag as possible. Label and date each bag with a freeze date and a expire date. It’s safe to say that frozen vegetables will keep up to two months. A timesaver tip is to mix together several days worth of orange and green vegetable cubes and avocado cubes in the same freezer bag. This trick makes it easier to find, pull out, and open ONE bag instead of three!
For more details on the Food Cube Freezing Method check out Super Baby Food or check back to the blog for more informative blog posts!
