Introducing Solid Foods
Randall Neustaedter OMD, LAc, CCH
Excerpt from Child
Health Guide, North Atlantic Books, Spring
2005
At five to six months it is time to start
introducing your baby to the idea that some
objects in the world, other than a breast
or bottle, taste good. Give your baby tastes
of food on your finger or on a small spoon
if she expresses any interest. Usually she
will make a face and push the food back out
at you with her tongue. It takes practice
for babies to learn how to swallow solids
because a new skill of muscular coordination
is necessary to get those solids from the
tongue into the throat. Up until now your
baby has only ingested food by sucking. There
is no urgency to get solid foods into your
baby at any particular age. Babies do fine
on just breast milk for nine months if necessary.
Some babies are more interested in solids
than others. Some six-month-olds will be grabbing
the food out of your hand. Others seem to
show no interest at all. Follow your baby's
clues, and keep offering different types of
foods. Do not feel compelled to get your baby
to eat. Giving too many solids may discourage
your baby from the all-important task of breastfeeding.
The first foods for babies, other than breast
milk or formula, should be cooked fruits and
vegetables and mashed bananas. These simple
carbohydrates are the easiest foods for your
baby to digest. The enzymes that break down
solid foods develop slowly. Start with very
simple carbohydrates and gradually introduce
more complex carbohydrates and proteins later.
Do not start your baby with rice cereal. Grains
are too complex, and the early introduction
of grains is associated with later development
of allergies and the formation of autoantibodies
associated with diabetes. Go slowly, introducing
one new food at a time, wait two or three
days to observe reactions and introduce another.
Common allergic reactions are a rash around
the mouth or anus, runny nose, diarrhea, or
fussiness. Allow your baby to play with new
foods and observe her face afterwards to see
if she develops a rash. The most allergenic
foods are egg whites, dairy products, nuts,
wheat, soy, corn, citrus, and berries.
Infants should get only pureed or mashed
foods. Any foods with chunks can cause choking,
which is a very serious danger. Of course
you need to be vigilant about anything that
goes in your baby's mouth. Avoid hard foods
and small round foods such as raisins or whole
beans until your baby has molars for chewing.
Never let your child run or play vigorously
with anything in her mouth. A general rule
for solids should be, the more teeth your
child develops, the more capable she is of
coping with firmer foods.
Dangerous solid foods: Choking hazard
- Whole nuts (especially peanuts) until
three-years-old
- Popcorn (hulls are dangerous)
- Raw carrots
- Raw apples (watch out for peels)
- Beans unless mashed
Use fresh fruits and vegetables whenever
possible. Cook them yourself. This is not
as difficult as it may sound, and it is more
nutritious and safer than using prepared baby
food from jars. Organic is always best. It
is not safe to feed an infant pesticides or
fertilizer byproducts.
Baby food jars themselves contain a chemical
that may be hazardous to a baby's health,
regardless of the nutritional value of the
product inside. Baby food jars contain a substance
known to cause cancer, liver damage, and genetic
modifications. The chemical, called semicarbazide,
is found in the plastic sealing gaskets of
glass jars with metal lids. The chemical leaches
into the foods contained in these jars. The
nutrient content of baby food products in
jars may be considerably inferior to their
freshly cooked counterparts. Nutrients in
single ingredient baby foods (first-stage
foods) vary depending on the amount of water
present in the jar. The carbohydrate content
of first-stage foods is a measure of the amount
of fruit or vegetable present compared to
the amount of water. The brand with the highest
carbohydrate content contains nearly 80 percent
more carbohydrate than the brand with the
least amount (Stallone, 1995).
I encourage parents to make their own baby
food from organic vegetables, fruits, grains,
and meats whenever possible. Several excellent
books provide detailed instructions for home
preparation of foods for children aged 5 months
to 3 years, Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron
being one of the best. I agree with most of
her methods except for the use of microwaves,
a certain hypervigilance about microbes, and
the early introduction of cereals.
Do not microwave your baby's food or bottles.
A Swiss study showed that changes in the blood
of test subjects could be detected after eating
foods cooked in microwave ovens. Several studies
observed the formation of known carcinogens
when vegetables, milk, meat, and grains were
heated with microwaves. Russian researchers
also reported a marked acceleration of structural
degradation in microwave heated foods leading
to a decreased nutrient value of 60 to 90
percent in all foods tested (Lee, 1998).
Egg yolks
Egg yolks supply cholesterol, which is needed
for mental development. Remember, babies need
fats. Organic, cage-free chicken's egg will
also contain omega-3 fatty acids that stimulate
brain development. Feeding your baby one egg
yolk every day from the age of five or six
months will provide these essential nutrients,
as well as vitamin A and amino acids.
You can either crumble a hard-boiled egg
yolk and mix it with other foods, or scramble
the yolk in a pan with coconut oil or butter.
To separate the yolk from the white before
cooking, place a funnel into a cup and crack
the egg into the funnel. The white will drain
out into the cup and the yolk will remain
in the funnel. You can do the same thing with
your hand if you like. Crack an egg into your
palm and allow the white to drain out between
your fingers into a bowl. Do not give your
baby raw eggs or soft-boiled eggs because
of the slight chance of salmonella contamination.
Order of solid food introduction
Five to Six (5-6) Months (pureed or mashed
foods)
Egg yolk (organic only)
Applesauce (organic)
Bananas (mashed)
Stewed prunes
Steamed broccoli
Carrots (organic only-+)
Yams, sweet potatoes
Seven to nine (7-9) months (soft or mashed
foods)
Cereal (organic rice cream brown rice flakes,
or oatmeal)
Vegetable soups
Peas (mashed)
Squash
Avocados
Peaches, nectarines
Ten to twelve (10-12) months (begin to give
soft solid pieces)
Yogurt (whole milk organic plain)
Chicken, turkey
Cooked vegetable pieces
Blueberries
Mangos
Papaya
Potato
After twelve (12) months (protein and calcium
sources)
Whole wheat breads and crackers
Cheese and cottage cheese
Whole egg
Cashew and almond butter
Oranges
Strawberries
Melons
Apples (peeled)
Grapes and raisins (seedless)
Corn
Spinach
Honey
Tahini
Dr. Neustaedter has practiced homeopathy
and oriental medicine for over 25 years, specializing
in child health care. An accomplished and
well-recognized author, he has written The
Vaccine Guide: Risks and Benefits for Children
and Adults (North Atlantic Books, 2002),
a book that helps consumers make informed
choices about vaccination. His new book, Child
Health Guide: Holistic Pediatrics for Parents
(North Atlantic Books, 2005), represents a
state of the art guide to raising children
with natural medical care. He can be reached
through his extensive website at www.cure-guide.com.
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