Ask the experts: Organic baby food
To conclude our green parenting month, we asked Caroline Freedman, the CEO and co-founder of NurturMe, the first and only certified-organic, all natural and gluten-free baby food company, to answer some questions about the importance of organic eats.
Why should parents choose organic baby food products?
Feeding your baby organic foods protects her from harmful synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which are often used on conventionally grown farming. Pesticides are toxic by design and can cause harm in humans, particularly to infants who are smaller, have immature immune systems and rapidly growing brains.
What are the benefits for the environment?
In addition to being better for humans, organic food grown from organic farming methods is also beneficial to the environment because it reduces the amount of harmful toxins being used on the land. This improves the quality of the foods produced, the soil, the water supply; Responsible farming can have a ripple effect, positively affecting many aspects of the environment. (Unfortunately, the opposite is also true about conventional farming.)
How has green baby food made an impact in your life and the life of your babies?
Healthy living is about healthy eating, sure, but it’s also about clean living and responsible consumption. Feeding your child “green” baby food is one way to express your commitment to healthy living. And often times, once people make a habit of purchasing one type of green product or a specific brand, that buying/consuming behavior begins to replicate itself until, eventually, one is making general lifestyle choices that support health and sustainability.
Do you have any tips for making your own baby food?
Making baby food is easy enough, but it can be time consuming. Modern parents have a lot on their plates—jobs, kids, household duties. When it comes to feeding time, I say, simplicity is best. Use the freshest, best quality ingredients you can—organic bananas, organic peas, organic apples, you get the point—and puree them. To save even more time, you can try the NurturMe dried baby food and just mix with liquid (even breastmilk) to create a puree. Either way, the important thing to remember is that feeding at these early stages is about complementing the infant’s diet of breastmilk or formula; They will still be getting most of their nutrients from those sources. So, feeding time can be kept simple—the point is to help your child get a healthy start in life by introducing them to fresh ingredients and quality foods, in the hopes that they make healthy choices about foods later in life.
