QandAs: Food

Can I Feed my baby Organic Food?

Answer:
Not only is it safe to feed your baby organic food,

sales of organic baby foods have increased significantly in recent years. With many parents concerned about exposure to pesticides and other toxic substances, several major baby food manufacturers have begun to offer their own organic options, and there are also a number of recipes available for creating homemade organic baby foods.

This is not to suggest that organic baby food is more nutritious or safer than commercially produced baby food, however. The term "organic" largely applies to the method by which ingredients are grown, i.e. without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers. The nutritional difference between organic and mass-produced foods may be minimal, and organic food can be noticeably more expensive or difficult to find on grocery store shelves. The main advantage of organic baby food is the unadulterated nature of the ingredients, so some parents believe the added cost is a small price to pay for quality assurance.

As with any other foods, organic or otherwise, parents must take care to introduce new foods slowly into the baby or toddler's diet. Soft or blended organic vegetables and fruits may be fine for babies, but solid organic foods such as raw carrots or apples should only be introduced when a child is able to process solid foods. Organic meat should be handled the same way. Parents who invest in organic baby foods should maintain a healthy variety of options or be prepared to purchase some commercial baby foods to supplement the organic.

One advantage some parents see with the strict use of organic baby food is the early cultivation of healthy eating habits. Many organic baby foods and organic foods in general are processed with much less sugar, fewer preservatives and less filler than non-organic equivalents, so babies raised on organic food may not develop a harmful sweet tooth or preference for highly processed snacks.

Children raised on organic foods should also have much lower concentrations of toxic pesticides and other harmful chemicals stored in their bodies, which could prevent the onset of serious developmental problems later in childhood and adolescence.

Organic food should still be carefully washed, peeled, scrubbed or cooked before serving to a baby, however. Organic growing methods do not eliminate the possiblity of bacterial contamination, especially the dangerous e.coli bacteria.

The same holds true for any food grown in a home garden or purchased from a local farmer's market. The "organic" label is not an absolute guarantee against all contaminants, but it does insure the product has not be subjected to multiple insecticide sprayings or chemical growth fertilizers.