- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- babies today articles
- babies today q&a
- toddlers today articles
- toddlers today q&a
- breastfeed.com articles
- breastfeed.com q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Nutrition in a Jar
Choosing and Using Commercial Baby Foods
By Renee Roberson
Traveling to the grocery store in search of commercial baby food can be a bit daunting, particularly with the growing number of varieties and brands that line the shelf. So what should you look for on ingredient labels, and what types of jarred foods should you avoid?
"Look for very basic ingredients," says Bridget Swinney, a registered dietician and author of Baby Bites (Meadowbrook, 2007). "The smaller number of ingredients, the better."
However, Swinney does tell parents that some types of infant cereals (boxed and jarred) are fortified with extra vitamins, so those labels will have more ingredients listed that are actually fine for a baby's food.
Elizabeth Ward, a registered dietician and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feeding Your Baby and Toddler (Alpha, 2005), warns parents to keep an eye out for sodium on ingredient labels, as babies don't really need increased sodium in their diet at this point.
Many parents may want to offer their baby organic baby food, but wonder if the extra expense of buying organic is worth the cost, and if so, which foods are the most important organic choices.
"I think it's worth it to pay the extra money for organic baby food," says Ward, who explains that the food is usually labeled as being "Just Organic" or "100 Percent Organic." If a food is labeled "Just Organic," it must contain 95 percent of certified organic ingredients, she says.
"The other thing to reember is that organic baby foods aren't necessarily richer in nutrition," Ward says. "You buy them to avoid synthetic pesticides that are on fruits and vegetables. Organic fruits and vegetables are not genetically engineered or undergo radiation."
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||
