Baby Food Introduction Workshop

Baby Food Introduction Workshop ‘The Naturopathic Perspective’

Learn about:

• the order of food introduction
• amounts and texture of foods
• food allergies and sensitivities
• feeding relationships
• home made vs. store-bought
• making your own baby foods from scratch
• storing, sanitation, choking

Babies, dad and grandparents are welcome. $45 (includes HST), per family.

Classes are held at the Guelph Community Health Centre in downtown Guelph, at the teaching kitchen. Parking free throughout downtown (max 2 hrs), or paid parking at Baker St. parking lot.

Call to register. Space is limited.

Making baby foods from scratch by Paulina Zettel, ND

Why would anyone recommend making baby food? Doesn’t it take a great deal of time and effort? Aren’t the jars of commercial baby food just as good? With all the tasks facing new parents, why burden them with more things to worry about? These are some of the very important questions that new parents are asking. But in fact, making baby food from scratch can be easy, if not easier, more convenient and less expensive than purchasing commercial baby foods.

When making your own baby food, you know exactly what you put into that food. For example, if you serve a mashed banana to your baby, if contains banana and banana only. On the other hand, baby food jars can contain added sugar, or starch, depending on the manufacturer. With incomplete Canadian government guidelines for baby food labeling, you might end up having very little idea of what is in commercial baby food.

Another benefit of making your own baby food is that you can change the texture of the food as the baby grows. When you start feeding baby solids, the consistency should be almost liquid, and very smooth, as is jarred baby food. However, as your baby grows, he/she will be ready for more challenging textures. At home, foods can be easily mashed, blended with breast milk, minced or later finely chopped, when your baby is ready to start chewing. This plays an important part in the developmental skills of your baby’s life.

Also, regardless of income, home-made food is a good idea. Based on the ingredient cost alone, home-prepared foods are most often less expensive than their commercial counterparts. For example, a beginner jar of plain vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, or fruit costs 40-90 cents, where as you can buy a 2 lb bag of carrots for 79-99 cents, which will contain carrots for the whole family.

And last but not least, preparing your own baby food, helps parents gain confidence and control over what their children eat, setting a basis for a life long pattern of healthy eating!

We will discuss order of food introduction, food allergies and sensitivities, texture of foods, sanitation, storage and choking.