Say No to Processed Baby Foods – Know the Dangers
When we assume our babies to be ready for solids a quick fix or blind fix would be store-bought processed foods with big brand names. We do not think twice before buying them as everyone around is buying it and using it for babies. Some doctors may recommend it too as they are being paid by a great marketing team for years. It’s easily convenient at most. The more expensive it looks, the more prestigious you feel using it. Traditional is outdated and we did not even realize how well it just almost vanished from our plates, our baby’s plates.
Check the below useful links from our blog
- Snack Recipes for Babies, Toddlers, and Kids
- Food Charts for 6-10 months babies
- Can I give my baby Biscuits?
- Homemade Health Drinks for Babies, Toddlers, and Kids
Why should you say no to Processed Baby food?
• Sugar
Breastmilk is naturally sweet and hence babies can easily get attracted and addicted to sugary processed foods. High sugar food can cause low immunity, obesity, early tooth decay, and hyperactivity. Sugar, processed food, contains sulfur which is not good for babies, and consuming any form of sugar can make them get addicted to it and hyperactive too. Babies who consume a high amount of sugar can get obese and sleepless too. It’s no secret that any type of processed sugar is bad for us, but it’s especially toxic for babies’ developing brains and bodies! Plenty of naturally sweet foods are available to us without the need for added sugars.
• Highly refined
It is stripped of nutrients during the processing and later fortified with synthetic minerals and these are less bioavailable for babies than those naturally occurring in foods.
• Can cause deficiencies
Excess iron or other nutrients in Processed Baby Foods can potentially be harmful to the body. Babies get all the necessary calorific nutrients from breastmilk till a year and hence there are chances that these overdo the requirement and be harmful. Processing of food includes the potential loss of nutrients and other beneficial constituents such as bioactive.
• Milk Solids
Milk is not advised for babies until a year due to the high amount of protein in animal milk. Formula milk or breast milk are the only options for babies until a year. Cow’s milk contains a high amount of proteins which can cause lactose intolerance or digestion issues or damage their kidneys. Check our detailed video on Cow’s milk for babies.
• Preservatives
Mass production and worldwide sales push for the need to increase shelf life and makes it obvious to use Preservatives. To increase shelf life, usage of varied other chemicals pose a threat to kids’ immunity. The more chemicals into our system the weakened we are. Preservatives can cause a problem with young children like hyperactive behavior. This problem is also measured by parental and objective reporting. Beyond the chemicals, pesticides, lead and other dangers lurking in commercial baby foods, the food preservation techniques employed by baby food manufacturers compromise the nutritional value. Foods can be treated at excessively high temperatures, with preservatives such as citric acid, sulfur dioxide, and dyes added to maintain vibrant colors while sitting on store shelves
• Addiction
Added flavors make the baby enjoy the taste but this addiction will not allow them to try other foods or textures. These added chemicals make it too addictive for one to resist and always ask for more. They may play a role in increasing hyperactive behavior among young children. This can cause us to eat more, gain more weight, and have a harder time digesting the real sugars that our bodies need.
• Packaging
Dry and Wet baby foods across the world are packaged in dangerous materials. BPA leaches from food containers to food. These are also responsible for exposing babies to carcinogenic toxic called semicarbazide.
• Thickeners Used
Corn Flour, Starch, Pectin, Maltodextrin, Malt extract are some of the thickeners used in baby cereals. Side effects of these include allergic reactions, weight gain, gas, flatulence, and bloating. Research says that these are harmful than sugar in baby food.
• Undeclared Ingredients
Transfat and other undeclared ingredients are also part of baby food. Cheaper ingredients are used for obvious reasons. While many commercial baby foods sound wholesome and healthy, they can sometimes contain truly terrifying extra ingredients. According to a study done by Consumer Reports, measurable amounts of arsenic, a dangerous carcinogen, were found in commercial grocery products made with rice, including rice baby cereal.
• Non-Organic
Organic foods are pesticides free, full of nutrition, and taste better too. Many commercial brands are yet to move to this sector and hence it’s important to make the right decision.
My research and learning about baby food started when my daughter had to be introduced to solids. Though I bought a pack of commercial baby food which claimed to be organic I was taken aback when I saw the list of chemicals used in it. I started making food mixes for her at home and then this company TOTS AND MOMS FOODS evolved when my friend insisted to spread the joy of making homemade food for moms who were in need. I was working with my advocate husband post-delivery and later took this business full time and things just followed.
The motto of our brand has always been to introduce our kids to our traditional yet forgotten superfoods. Kerala Banana, Millets, Grains, Pulses, Dry Fruits, and Seeds are used widely in our products. When we are aware that our babies can digest natural food and not supplements, it is important to choose natural over chemical-laden products. Every product is made regularly in small batches by a group of women, hygienically at our unit. We are FSSAI certified and our Google Reviews and Reviews under our product talk the love our customers have towards our brand.
Apart from our Brand, there are other few trusted Organic Certified Baby Food Brands in India like Little Moppet Foods, Early Foods, First Solids, By Grandma, BabyStaples, and a few more. Do ensure to always check the brand details, ingredients, manufacturing date, shelf life, and manufactured by before buying any Baby Food Product. There have been few brands which are mere resellers and manufactured at various facilities by multiple companies.
Video: Say No to Processed Foods – Know the Dangers
- Video in Hindi – दूकान में मिलने वाले शिशुआहार में क्या मिलाया जाता है?
- Video in Kannada – ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಅಂಗಡಿಯಿಂದ ತಂದ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಹೆಸರಿನ ಆಹಾರ ಎಷ್ಟು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದು?
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