It is an age old understanding among mothers that the future health of their children is dependent upon what we as parents provide them from the time they are born.  Unfortunately, this basic principle is often forgotten in the busy and increasingly artificial lifestyles that are commonplace in most circles. 

 There are some that say, ‘that which is free has no value’, but that statement runs empty when we talk of the love we have for our children.  Love is free, and is by far the most valuable gift we as parents provide our kids from the first breath. Love for our children is encased in the care we give them, and there is no more important aspect of that care than what we feed them. I believe that if you want to provide the best care for your child, then… you would want to raise them on a more natural diet that is by design a more organic approach. 

The first choice a mother has to make is regarding milk—breast or formula.  Breast milk is the most perfect food for a baby followed by goat milk and coconut water.  The next phase in a baby’s life is introducing solids, which can be a bit confusing and controversial. What is most interesting here is that your baby actually already has the answers for you.  Babies are after all born with an innate ability to know what their bodies need and don’t need.  If they do eat something they perceive as foreign and unnatural, they will spit it up and most likely refuse it the next time.

Many children who contract diseases are malnourished on some level.  Malnourished need not be always defined as starved.  Quantity and quality are mutually exclusive.  A child that is obese can still be malnourished because they are consuming foods with no nutritional value.  Therefore, their bodies are lacking in vital nutrients.  Poor nutrition lowers children’s resistance to all kinds of diseases.  It is at this young stage that malnutrition has the most severe effects; especially related to protein, iron, iodine and vitamin A deficiency.

What we can do as parents is to be smart and informed with our food selections.  Ideally you would stick to as natural as possible – the less processed the better.  Jarred/boxed baby food is convenient, but I challenge myself to make homemade baby food the majority of the time.  Feeding your baby a variety of organic, fresh and seasonal foods is the best option and your baby will appreciate it.  Any time I try to feed my son jarred foods or boxed cereals that I define as alternative, he doesn’t seem to like the food as much compared to the fresh and natural course.

I’m not advising you to spend hours in the kitchen preparing meals for your baby on a daily bases.  I usually make enough of each item to last 2-3 days.  Another great tip I learned from another mom is to make large batches of each fruit or vegetable at a time; keep out enough for a few days and then label and freeze the rest.  Next time you want to serve your baby that particular food, simply take out a portion, let it defrost in the fridge, and you are ready to serve.

Below are helpful tips I have put together for babies 6 months and older…

Coconut Pudding: What do pediatricians generally recommend as the first food? Baby cereal made from rice or oats. Not only is this a cooked food, it is also very processed and has very little nutritional value. This food alone is generally the cause of constipation. Nature has provided another food that is the ideal first food and is the answer to constipation. The meat from young coconuts is raw, loaded with enzymes to aid in digestion, packed with protein, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. Their little stomachs can easily absorb the nutrients and break it down. The coconut water is just as nutrient-rich and provides electrolytes and enzymes.  Coconut Pudding Recipe:

1. Purchase Young Thai coconuts from a local health store.  Ask them to cut the top off for you and reseal with the plastic.  You can cut them yourself but they are very difficult.
2. With a metal spoon, scoop out the inside of about 2-3 young coconuts and place the meat in a blender.
3. Add 2-3 Tsp agave, honey or maple syrup; a splash of vanilla extract; a dash of cinnamon and about 1/3 cup of liquid – use either water, dairy free milk or the coconut water from inside the coconut.
4. Blend on high until smooth and Creamy. *Use within 2-3 days

This tastes amazing combined with pureed fruit and/or goat yogurt!

CEREALS:There are two different ways to make whole grain cereal.  If your baby does not have any teeth and needs to have a pureed cereal, here is what you do: Select from a variety of nutritious grains such as millet, amaranth, quinoa, barley, oat or rice.  In a high power blender grind the grain as fine as possible.  In a sauce pan, add about ¼ cup of the grain to just over ½ cup water (about a 1:2 ratio).  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until done.  *Make sure to stir constantly or else the grain will clump.  In a bowl mix the cereal with breast milk or water if needed for thinning.  Also try mixing in pureed raw fruits, mashed bananas, pureed young coconut meat, and/or a drop of raw cold-pressed coconut oil or flaxseed oil.  Try different combinations of choice, depending on what they like, such as applesauce, pureed apricots, pears or mango. 

FRUITS:

Try fruits that are in season.  Most fruits are best when raw, unless they are really fibrous such as apples.  It is difficult to puree apples completely unless precooked.  Make sure and first peal any fruits that you use.  Good ones to start with are peaches, apples in the form of applesauce, pears, bananas, avocado, apricots and mangos.

•  Simply peal the fruit, cut it into pieces, and place in your food processor or you can use a baby mill grinder.

•  Puree until smooth – add water if necessary.

VEGETABLES:Veggies are always best when in season.  Babies have a hard time digesting raw veggies, so it is always best to cook them first.  Some great veggies to start your baby off with include, sweet potatoes, squash, yams, green beans, peas, zucchini and carrots.  I like to mix one of the orange or yellow veggies (squash, sweet potatoes, yams or carrots) with a green veggie.  It makes it a bit more palatable.  However, some babies like peas or green beans by themselves, try and see what happens. 

PROTEIN:Generally between 9-12 months, babies are ready for a small amount of protein-rich foods.  Depending on your baby, you could introduce animal protein such as chicken, fish, goat cheese, legumes, and eggs.  Legumes such as lentils, white beans, adzuki and black beans should only be given if they are first soaked in water for 8-15 hours before cooking.  The soaking process allows pre-digestion to begin, breaks down the enzyme inhibitors in the bean, and increases the absorbability of the protein and nutrients.  Thus preventing gas, bloating or any difficulty with digestion.   

COMBINATION MEALS:Once a baby is used to the individual grains, veggies and proteins, it is really fun to begin making pureed soups and stews.  My son loves when I cook together sprouted quinoa, soaked red lentils, chopped carrots, and acorn squash.  I simply placed all ingredients in a pot with some water, bring to a boil, cool, and then puree.  I like to add a little coconut oil, Celtic Sea salt and nutritional yeast.  I make enough for at least 10 meals, freezing enough for 3 meals per container.  Another fun recipe is cauliflower mashed potatoes.  I steam the cauliflower and butternut squash until really soft and then puree with olive oil, Celtic sea salt, nutritional yeast and coconut water. YUM!  Be creative. 

LIQUIDS: After 6 months it is recommended to start offering your baby fluids besides breast milk or formula.  Rather than give my son juice, which is full of sugar, I like to offer him plain water, a little bit of diluted goat milk, or a few ounces of Young Coconut water (not to be confused with coconut milk).  The coconut water is great on their tummies and aids in digestion.  It is refreshing for them while not too filling.  I buy a couple of the Young Coconuts from the health food store weekly, chop it open, drain out the water, and use over 2-3 days.  You can also freeze the coconut water and use at a later time. 

FATS:Breast milk and formula have all the fat needed for an infant.  However, as your baby starts nursing less and eating more solids, gradually they will need some fat to be added to their solid regime.  One of the best fats is avocado – great pureed with banana, applesauce, sweet potatoes, or by itself.  The oils that I commonly add are coconut oil, flaxseed oil and olive oil.  Plain goat yogurt is also an easily digested fat/protein/calcium.  My son absolutely loves pureed peaches with unsweetened goat yogurt.  Sometimes I add a couple drops of agave or stevia.  It is also great as a kefir type drink.  Combine part goat yogurt with water, breast milk or coconut water and shake well. 

MORE TIPS:

• I don’t recommend adding salt to any of your baby’s food until they are at least 9 months, and even then only a minimal amount.  The only salt that should be used is Celtic Sea Salt or Himalaya Salt, which are whole foods supplying over 80 minerals.  Since a baby’s kidneys can’t handle a large amount of sodium, it is best to eliminate all processed salts.  Plus, you don’t want your baby to grow into a salt-addict!

• Try not to sweeten any foods as much as possible.  Even with plain goat yogurt, first let them taste it plain before adding anything sweet to it.  If you are going to use any sweetener, it is best to stick to fresh fruits, agave, maple syrup, barley malt, rice syrup or stevia, making sure to avoid honey until after one year.

• Try rotating foods every 3-4 days to insure that your baby is getting a varied diet.

• Wait 3 to 4 days before introducing a new food.

• Don’t force feed your baby, they know what they need.

• Always buy organic whenever possible

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2. Amazing Homemade Baby Formula
3. What is the Healthiest Compliment to Breast Milk?
4. Coconut Water is Tops in My Book!
5. Rebekah’s Food Journal Day 1