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Shopping for Organic Baby FoodWith it's growing popularity, you'll find organic baby food in more places than ever in your grocery store. Refrigerated Section
In the fresh refrigerated section you can find freshly pureed, baby food for sale. HomeMade Baby is the innovator in the US market. Their certified organic and kosher meals come in resealable, plastic jars. The food is delivered to the stores and stays fresh for a few weeks at a time due to a Fresh Chill™ Cooking Method. The product is not available in my area, but the company's website says they are adding stores all the time. You can look for it in your local natural food store in the dairy section or check the Homemade Baby Store Locator. Meals come in three different consistencies so you can gradually introduce solids. Flavors range from the simple Just Apples, to Squapples (Squash and Apples), to Yummy Yammies (a blend of sweet potatoes, carrots, shallots, and lentils). Another option is to find a gourmet baby food company in your city and have organic baby food delivered. You will of course pay a premium for this option. To get the most for your money, serve small amounts at a time to your baby and promptly store the excess in the refrigerator or freezer. Once you put saliva from your baby's spoon back into the jar, you risk bacteria growth. Freezer Section
Frozen organic baby food takes convenience one step further and freezes it for you.You thaw out the serving amount as you need it so there is less waste. The meals come in three different textures and 15 different flavors. You can find single-ingredient recipes as well as some you may not have thought about making at home. For example, Baby Dahl has organic lentils, potatoes, carrots, cinnamon, coriander and DHA alga oil. Are you worried about losing nutrients in frozen organic baby food? Companies such as HappyBaby say freezing (a natural preservative) actually locks in nutrients and natural pigments of the food. Click here to learn more about the extra nutrients in organic food. The ShelvesJarred organic food is still the most popular option. However, it requires the most scrutiny.Read the labels and make sure the baby food has no added sugar, salt, preservatives, food starch and other fillers. Remember the first ingredients make up the highest percentage of the jar. Also note that the extremely high heat under pressure required to jar the food, robs it of some of its nutrients. You should also check the food to water ratio, the more water in the jar, the less nutrients your baby is actually getting. This increases as you go up to higher stages of baby food. Do comparisons amongst the jars of baby food. Organic labeled jars may look different when you start reading the nutrition labels. Choose the one with the most calories (i.e. more food per unit weight) Carefully look at the expiration date, grocers sometimes leave items on the shelf longer than they should. The lack of preservatives makes this date a critical factor in food safety. Produce SectionDon't forget about the produce section. If you are up to making organic baby food at home you can buy organic food, puree and freeze it for significant savings (70 - 80%).When your baby gets used to solids, fresh fruits make a hassle-free snack. Unless he is allergic, he will probably love mushed organic bananas, strawberries or oranges as part of his diet. Share this Article Use this link to tell others about this page via your favorite social bookmark, blog or email. Return to Baby Nutrition
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