Steamed Buns

Harini mummy rasa macam kurang sihat sikit, sore throat melampau, so mood memasak pun ke laut. Tapi perut Mirza tetap isi, so mummy pun mencari resepi yang senang dan cepat..

Steamed Buns (suitable for 1yo sebab ada guna madu)

Bahan-bahan
100gram low protein flour or cake flour
20gram sugar (saya tukar guna agave nectar, guna madu pun boleh, molasses pun boleh)
1 large egg
60ml fresh milk (saya guna susu kambing)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (saya guna rainforest virgin coconut oil)
1 teaspoon natural baking powder (cari kat kedai organic, cosway pun ada) kalau nak guna baking powder biasa resepi ni jadi sesuai untuk 4 tahun dan ke atas)

Cara-cara
1) Pukul  telur sampai kembang. (Nak guna mixer boleh, saya guna hand whisk je sebab malas nak keluarkan mixer)
2) Masukkan gula, pukul sampai sebati.
3) Masukkan susu, mix well. Masukkan coconut oil, mix well.
4) Masukkan tepung plus baking powder yang dah diayak. Mix well.
5) Masukkan dalam bekas, kukus untuk 15mins (api sederhana).



ps: Mengikut pemahaman saya, gula dan garam sesuai untuk 2 tahun dan ke atas. oleh sebab itu kebanyakkan resepi saya tiada gula dan garam. Kalau yang kena guna gula, saya gantikan dengan madu ataupun agave nectar. Madu seeloknya madu yang asli. Sebab madu biasa yang ada jual di supermarket tu kadang kadang sudah dicampur gula. 

Ikut pertimbangan masing-masing kalau mahu intro gula dan garam kepada anak umur 1 tahun.

Fish Fingers

Assalamualaikum and Hi dearies

UPSR dah habis, lega.. alhamdullilah, no more extra classes during the weekends and kurang sebeban nak tanda kertas soalan tiap tiap minggu heheh.. so boleh la focus lebih sikit dekat blog kann.. Walaupun upsr habis hari Khamis, tapi saya tak sempat masak masak sangat sebab Mirza kena HMFD since Monday. Dia tak nak makan, so mummy tak la masak, just bagi susu and buah occasionally. Alhamdullilah, since yesterday, selera makannya bertambah, so today mummy buatkan kudap kudapan untuk dear Mirza.

Fish Fingers (suitable for 10mo and above) 

Bahan bahan
Isi Ikan putih (fish fillet : cod/haddock/dory - kalau dapat fresh/siakap)
Dry Breadcrumbs (saya buat sendiri)
Telur 1 biji
Tepung (saya guna unbleached plain flour)
Mixed herbs (saya guna Italian Mixed Herbs)
Blackpepper (amik dalam sebijik dua, tumbuk halus)
Papprika (optional)

Cara-cara
1) Isi ikan di potong bite sized or potong ikut senang anak nak pegang. Lapkan isi ikan tu sampai kering.
2) Lumurkan ikan dengan mixed herbs, blackpepper, paprika.
3) Sediakan 3 mangkuk or pinggan. Satu isi tepun (dalam tepung ni saya letak mixed herbs dengan lada hitam jugak) , satu isi breadcrumbs, satu lagi isi telur yang dah dipukul.
4) Mula mula, celupkan ikan dalam tepung, kemudian celupkan dalam telur, akhir sekali celupkan dalam breadcrumbs.
5) Boleh goreng or bakar. Kalau bakar 180c dalam 30mins

ps: dalam gambar, dua saya goreng (actually goreng 3 tapi mummy dah ngap satu), 4 lagi saya bakar. 

7 months baby nak makan apa??

Assalamualaikum and Hi all...

        Ada yang pm saya di FB saya, cakap dalam blog saya cuma ada resepi untuk 6mo, 8mo, 10mo and 1yo. Untuk 7mo tak ada resepi ke? Bukan tak ada, cuma untuk saya makanan 7mo biasa saje macam makanan 6mo, cuma yang bezanya, 7mo dah boleh introduce bijirin macam nasi, oat, barley. Buahan dan sayuran kebanyakkan sama saja macam 6mo. 

         7mo masih makan puree, cuma kita boleh campurkan puree dalam bubur nasi, oat ataupun barley tu. Ataupun kita boleh campur 2-3jenis puree, nak bagi baby rasa pelbagai rasa. 6-7mo ni adalah masa yang senang untuk kita, sebab tak perlu masak banyak-banyak dan -susah, cuma buatkan stok puree buahan atau sayuran yang anak dah pass 4 days rule, dan masak bubur. Masak bubur paling senang, kalau ada slow cooker boleh guna slow cooker. Sebelum tido, masak, esok  pagi bangun, bubur dah kembang cantik. Kalau betul sukatan air, tak perlu nak blend pun bubur nasi tu or oat tu. Barley mungkin masih perlu blend. Kemudian just masukkan puree yang kita buat frozen tu. nanti bubur yang panas tu akan cairkan puree tu.

          Enjoy la masa yang macam ni, sebab nanti dah masuk 8mo, macam macam yang kita rasa nak masak and it will take some time dari buat puree and bubur hehehe... Anyway, happy cooking, semoga apa yang kita buat ni, menjadi ibadat dan pahala buat kita dan membentuk anak-anak yang baik.

Nyum Nyum Fish Pie

Dah lama nak buat fish pie kat Mirza, tapi tak pernah nak terbuat.. hari ni dah tak tau nak masak apa untuk dinner Mirza, so last-last Mak buat je laa fish pie, senang je, prep time dalam 15mins gitu, cooking time dalam 45mins.


Fish Pie (suitable for 10mo and above)

Bahan-bahan
Potato (rebus sampai empuk)
Ikan (sepatutnya guna ikan isi putih, tapi kat rumah ni sekarang cuma ada salmon, so saya guna salmon je) 
Carrot - dadu kecil
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Mushroom
Celery - hiris halus
Bawang merah - hiris halus
Bawang putih - hiris halus
Fresh Milk - saya guna susu kambing
Unsalted Butter
Cheese


Cara-cara
1) Panaskan periuk, masukkan butter, tumiskan bawang merah, bawang putih, celery sampai wangi dan layu.
2) Masukkan mushroom, kacau-kacau masak sampai mushroom layu.
3) Masukkan sayuran, kemudian masukkan ikan yang di potong kecil/dadu. kacau sebentar.
4) Masukkan susu. biarkan sehingga mendidih. kemudian masukkan 1sudu besar tepung gandum, kacau kacau sebentar sampai kuah nampak pekat. Tutup api.
5) kentang dah yang siap direbus, dijadikan mashed potato. Lenyek kentang dengan unsalted butter dan
 grated cheese.
6) Dalam ramekin or bekas cupcake, lapiskan mashed potato di bahagian bawah, tekan padat-padat, then lapiskan pulak dengan kuah ikan, atas tu lapiskan dengan mashed potato.
7) Bakar 180c untuk 45mins

ps: kalau nak masak untuk 10mo, gantikan fresh milk dengan ebm or formula milk.

Bekal Mirza (Nasi Lemak and Udang Goreng)

Nasi Lemak baby version (suitable for 8mo and above)

Bahan-Bahan
Beras (saya guna organic cambodian brown rice)
Santan
Bawang merah seulas - hiris halus
Bawang putih seulas - hiris halus
Halia 1/2inci (saya suka guna halia muda sebab wangi)
Halba 3-4biji
Daun Pandan (saya tak letak sbb takde)
Air
Santan

Cara-cara
1) Basuh beras bersih-bersih.
2) Masukkan semua bahan. 
3) Masak macam biasa.

ps: Saya tak letak sukatan sebab masing-masing anak ada preference masing-masing kan. ada anak nak nasi lembik, ada anak makan nasi keras. Kemudian ada yang guna beras putih, ada yang guna mixed grain. So pandai pandai kita alter. Dalam masakan ni saya guna 1/4cup beras, air 1 cup dan santan dalam 1/4cup jugak kot.



Udang Goreng Bersayur (suitable for 1yo and above)

Bahan-bahan
Udang
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Carrot
Snap Peas
Bawang merah seulas - hiris halus
Bawang putih seulas - hiris halus
Halia 1/2 inci - hiris halus
Celery - hiris halus
Virgin Coconut Oil

Cara-cara
1) Panaskan minyak (vco), tumiskan bawang merah, bawang putih, halia dan celery sampai wangi.
2) Masukkan sayur, goreng sampai sayur nak empuk, then masukkan udang. Goreng sampai masak.

ps: nak goreng dengan unsalted butter boleh, dengan minyak biasa pun boleh.

Lunch anak beranak

Pada satu hari cuti yang biasa, seperti biasa, bangun-bangun tido, mummy akan memikirkan apa la nak masak untuk harini especially kalau bangun-bangun dah rasa malas nak masak, tapi teringin nak makan macam macam  heee... so fikir punya fikir, godek-godek peti ais apa yang ada. last-last masak ni je...

Steamed Fish and Roasted Vegetables (suitable for 10mo and above)

Bahan-bahan
Fish ( i used white flesh fish, contoh ikan isi putih, Dory, Cod)
Mixed Herbs (i used Herbs de Provance)

Cara-cara
1) Basuh ikan bersih-bersih, kemudian lap kering.
2) Taburkan mixed herbs,lumurkan di ikan.
3) Steam dalam 15mins or sampai ikan masak,

Roasted Vegetables (suitable for 10mo and above)

Bahan-bahan
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Carrot
Potato (boleh ganti dengan sweet potato)
Bawang Besar
Cheese - grated
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
mixed herbs (i used italian mixed herbs)
black pepper

Cara-cara
1) Sayuran di potong cube or potong ikut preference masing-masing.  
2) Broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, potato rebus dalam 5minit
3) Masukkan sayuran dan bawang dalam satu mangkuk besar, tuangkan evoo, mixed herbs, black pepper. Kacau sebati. Masukkan grated cheese.
4) Bakar 180c untuk 45-60mins. 

ps: bila dah siap masak boleh nak letak sikit unsalted butter dan cheese dan gaul sebati dan hidangkan.

Yummy Vege Patties @ Bergedil Sayuran

Yummy Vege Patties atau dalam bahasa melayunya Bergedil Sayuran (suitable for 10mo and above)

Bahan-bahan

Ketang 

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Cheese

Fresh breadcrumbs (breadcrumb yang buat dari roti putih tanpa bakar)

Telur

Cara-cara

1) Rebuskan semua sayuran sehingga empuk.

2) Lenyek semua sayuran, campurkan keju yang disagat. Kalau nak campur dengan unsalted butter pun boleh, tapi saya tak letak.

3) Masukkan breadcrumbs, gaul sehingga sebati dan tak melekat di tangan.

4) Bentukkan. Celur dalam telur dan goreng (pan fry).

PS: kalau nak guna sayuran lain pun boleh, nak masukkan ayam, ikan or daging pun boleh.

saya guna sayuran ni je sebab mula-mula ingatkan nak buat mashed potato untuk Mirza, tapi tengok-tengok dia tak nak makan pulak, dari membazir buang, saya olah jadikan begedil ni. Makan jugak akhirnya. 

Dari adunan yang saya buat dapat la dalam 12 -13 bijik kot. so saya frozenkan saje yang lebih tak bergoreng. So bila nak makan nanti just celup dalam telur and goreng.

Lunch untuk Dragon Baby

Assalamualaikum and Hi all.

Even though hari ni hari Ahad, tapi Mummy and Mirza duduk rumah saje sebab hari ni Abi keje. So bermalasan la kami dua beranak di rumah. Walaupun bermalasan di rumah, masak untuk Mirza wajib. Masak untuk Mummy je tak wajib hehe. So bila malas ni je la yang mummy masak untuk Mirza.


Tomyam Udang Bersayur. (suitable for 1yo and above sebab ada udang, if tak letak udang 10mo and above)

Bahan-bahan
Udang (saya guna 4 ekor-buang kulit sebab nak senang makan)
Serai - sebatang
Lengkuas
Halia
Bawang merah
Bawang putih
Celery
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Baby Corn
Carrot
daun limau purut
tomato (saya guna tomato ceri, guna tomato biasa pun ok)
air (kalau ada air rebusan kulit udang lagi sedap)

portion barang ni untuk dua kali makan.

Cara-cara
1. Rebus semua bahan kecuali udang, daun limau and tomato. Rebus sampai sayur empuk.
2. Bila sayur dah empuk, masukkan udang, tomato dan daun limau. Masak sehingga udang masak.

ps: kalau nak tumis dulu bebawang, lengkuas, halia, serai dulu pun boleh.


Tadaaa ni lunch Mirza harini.. organic cambodian mix grain rice, tomyam and ikan bawal putih goreng. Semua licin.

Easy 2 ingredients Pancake

Good Morning and Asssalamualaikum. Semua dah sarapan? Mesti kita yang ibu ibu ni bila bangun je dah mula fikir nak masak apa kan untuk breakfast. Paling senang beli or makan kat luar je. Tapi kadang-kadang bosan jugak kan. so today I would like to share a very simple recipe. Guna dua bahan yang senang kita jumpa.Gluten free.


2 Ingredients Pancake (suitable for 8mo and above yang dah pass egg test)

Bahan Bahan
Pisang (kalau guna cavendish or pisang yang bersize besar, 1 pun dah cukup. kalau guna pisang mas, guna dalam 3-4 biji)
1 biji telur

kalau guna 2 bijik pisang macam ni, nanti mixture cair, so better guna 4-5biji

Cara-cara
1. Lenyekkan pisang.
2. Masukkan telur dalam pisang yang dah mashed. Kacau sampai berbuih.
3. Masak macam masak pancake or lempeng. (saya tak guna minyak sbb guna nonstick pan, kalau tak boleh lenser sikit minyak kat kuali. jangan banyak-banyak)
4. Tadaa siap dihidangkan.. boleh letak butter or honey.. makan saje pun sedap

ps: boleh jugak, tambah grated cheese, kismis or kurma yang dipotong halus...

Mushroom Soup

Mushroom Soup (suitable for 1yo and above sebab guna fresh milk)

Bahan bahan
200gram button mushroom - guna yang fresh, satu kotak cukup. (saya guna brown button mushroom)
500ml fresh milk 
500ml chicken stock
bawang besar sebijik - dadu halus
bawang putih 2-3ulas - hiris halus
butter
1teaspoon serbuk blackpepper (tumbuk sendiri seeloknya, sbb yang serbuk tu kadang-kadang dah bercampur)
1 table spoon tepung gandum (saya guna unbleached plain flour)


Cara-cara
1. Panaskan periuk masukkan butter, kemudian tumiskan bawang besar and bawang putih. 
2. Bila dah naik wangi and bawang layu, masukkan mushroom. kacau dan biarkan sampai mushroom layu.
3. Masukkan tepung gandum kacau sampai sebati, kemudian terus masukkan chicken stock. Masak sehingga mendidih, baru masukkan susu dan black pepper. Masak sehingga mendidih and pekat.

ps: tak jumpa pulak gambar mushroom soup ni. nanti dah ada gambar baru i upload gambar ye..

Easy Baked Pasta

Easy Baked Pasta (suitable for 1yo and above sebab guna fresh milk, if tak guna fresh milk 10mo and above)

Bahan-bahan
Pasta yang siap rebus (saya guna pasta alphabets)
Mushroom soup (saya guna lebihan yang saya buat sendiri) resepi di sini
Potato (rebus dalam susu sampai empuk and mashkan dengan unsalted butter and cheese)

Cara-cara
Campurkan pasta yang dah siap rebus dengan mushroom soup. Kemudian masukkan dalam ramekin. Then letakkan mashed potato atas adunan pasta and soup tu. Bakar 180c untuk 30minutes or sampai nampak mashed potato warna brown yang cantik.

Food For Mirza

Harini letak gambar gambar je la dulu.. Ni antara gambar makanan Mirza sepanjang mummy busy dan tak sempat nak upload di sini.. nanti ada masa i'll upload the resepi. Tengok gambar je la dulu ekk..

Nasi Lemak, Steam Vege and Sambal Version baby

Nasi, Sup Sayur and Cheesy and Toast

Mee Suah with homemade chicken ball

Nasi, Kurma Vege and Grill Salmon

Nasi, Sup Sayur and Sambal Ikan baby version

Sup Tulang with white rice

Homemade Chicken Fingers, Golden Kiwi and Roti dengan cream cheese

Chicken Ball Soup with Vege

Pasta ABC with bone broth (sup tulang)

PROMO TUPPERWARE CATALOGUE 6 (19 August 2013 till 30 September 2013)

Assalamualaikum and Good Morning.. Mak tumpang promo tupperware ye.. Sesiapa yang berminat untuk mendapatkan tupperware boleh PM kat FB or email me (ayu_safarina@Yahoo.com). Untuk yang berminat nak jadi ahli pun boleh PM. Promo baik dengan harga yang menarik menanti anda. COD untuk yang berada sekitar Pasir Gudang, Seri Alam dan kawasan sekitarnya. Pos untuk kawasan yang lain-lain

Boleh view catalogue di album ni --> https://www.facebook.com/ayu.safarina/media_set?set=a.10151820623949507.1073741831.654129506&type=3

Steam Egg, Nyum Nyum sedap

Steam Egg with Vege and Pasta (suitable for 1yo and above sebab ada fresh milk, kalau tak letak fresh milk suitable for 10mo and above yang dah pass egg test)

Bahan bahan
Telur 1 biji
Fresh Milk - agak agak (saya guna susu kambing sebab my DS minum susu kambing)
Asparagus - hiris halus
Cauliflower - hiris halus
Broccoli - hiris halus
Carrot - shredded
Mushroom - hiris halus (saya guna brown button mushroom) (pastikan guna mushroom fresh bukan dalam tin)
Cheese - shredded
Pasta yang dah siap rebus - dalam 3table spoon (saya guna pasta ABC so sizenya kecil, 3tablespoon tu pun dah cukup banyak) -- pasta ni optional nak letak boleh tak nak letak pun boleh

Cara-cara
Pecahkan telur dalam mangkuk, kemudian kacau sampai kembang. Then masukkan sayuran yang dah dihiris halus, pasta yang dah siap direbus. Kacau sebati. Masukkan susu dan grated cheese. Kacau sebati. Masukkan adunan kedalam bekas yang tahan untuk disteam. (saya guna ramekin beli kat daiso. Murah je RM5 sebiji) then steamkan selama 5-10minit. (sini saya guna steamer Tupperware, senang. Promo catalogue (19/8 till 30/9/2013) Beli satu set steamer tupperware boleh dapat free satu tingkat. Berminat boleh PM saya di FB ataupun email. PM me for best price. 

Selamat Hari Raya

Assalamualaikum and Hi deariess..

Sorry for the long hiatus.. Mummy is a bit busy with school's work. Maklum la pecutan terakhir sebelum UPSR, so agak busy sikit untuk duduk diam depan laptop and upload post. Banyak resepi yang nak di share kan tapi disebabkan masa tidak mengizinkan saya, semua peram peram dulu. After UPSR insha allah saya akan kembali aktif up kan post post mengenai makanan untuk anak.

Sebelum terlambat saya ingin mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir dan Batin

Ramadhan Day 4 -- Nasi Minyak and Kurma Ayam Baby Version

Assalamualaikum

Lagi sekali mak post pada hari yang sama, Maklumla bila ada masa ni, baru la boleh post segala draft-draft before this.

Hari ni, hari yang ke 4 umat Islam di Malaysia berpuasa. Alhamdullilah, Allah masih memberi saya peluang untuk merasai Ramadhan pada tahun ini. Walaupun kita berpuasa, makanan untuk anak yang tidak berpuasa harus kita masak jugak. Mencabar jugak ye, masak untuk lunch ni hehe.. wanginyaa menusuk-nusuk, sampai perut pun dah start kruk kruk ..


Nasi Minyak (suitable for 8-10mo above)
Beras
4 sekawan
Bawang merah
Bawang putih 
Halia 
Chicken Stock (optional)
Minyak Sapi
Air
Daun pandan (saya takde, so tak letak)

Panaskan minyak sapi, kemudian tumiskan 4 sekawan, dah wangi, masukkan bebawang and halia yang dah dihiris halus. Bila dah wangi and layu masukkan beras, gaul-gaul then masukkan chicken stock and air. (beras, air, chicken stock ikut preference masing-masing).  Then masak macam masak nasi.


Kurma Ayam (suitable for 10mo and above)
Ayam
Potato
Carrot
Tomato
Bawang merah, bawang putih, halia. (blend or tumbuk)
1 tablespoon rempah kurma
Santan

Campurkan bahan blend dengan rempah kurma, kalau pekat sangat campur air sikit. Then tumiskan bahan tersebut sampai wangi and naik minyak. Kemudian masukkan ayam, potato, carrot. Gaulakn sebati sampai ayam kecut sikit, masukkan air sehingga menutupi bahan. then biarkan didih, baru masuk santan dan tomato. Masak sampai didih dan pekat.

Vege Roast

Assalamualaikum and Hi.

It's been a while since I post anything here. Nak buat macam mana busy sangat dengan kerja-kerja luar. UPSR is less than 2 months, semestinya most of my time dah diambil untuk budak-budak nak exam ni. Doakan kecemerlangan untuk anak-anak saya di sekolah ni :)

Disebabkab mak dah terlampau busy dekat sekolah, balik rumah dah jadi macam overtired. So makanan untuk DS adalah makanan yang senang di masak. Mak malas ok sekarang ni. Semua nak senang and cepat. 

Disebabkab DS sekarang ni makan nak suap sendiri. (He's a big boy now! T_T )I have to cook something that is easy for him to feed himself. So kebanyakkan makanan dia sekarang mesti kena ada something yang dia boleh suap sendiri. (Nasi, Pasta, Mee masih saya suapkan)


Vege Roast (suitable for 10 monts and above)
Potato (potong bentuk wedges or ikut preference masing masing then rebus sehingga separuh masak)
Pumpkin
Apple (saya guna granny smith sbb tu je yang ada kat rumah-- lebihan group buy buah)
Cherry Tomato
Olive Oil
Mixed herbs (i used herbs de provance)
Grated Cheese 
Lada hitam (saya guna yang freshly grated)



Potong semua buah/sayur ikut citarasa masing-masing.Saya cadangkan potong lebih kurang sama size semuanya. Potato tu rebus sampai separuh masak. Bila dah siap, masukkan semua sayur dalam mangkuk, tuangkan olive oil, serbuk lada hitam, mixed herbs. Kacau sampai minyak menyaluti semua sayur. Masukkan grated cheese. Gaulkan. Bakar dalam oven 180c for 45 minit. Saya tabur grated cheese lagi sekali before hidang.

Nasi Goreng Ikan

Nasi Goreng Ikan (suitable for 10mo and above) 

Nasi lembik or nasi biasa ikut preference anak
Salmon goreng or grill (saya guna salmon, nak guna ikan lain pun boleh asalkan bersesuaian dengan umur anak)
Bawang merah, bawang putih (tumbuk halus)
Lada hitam (tumbuk halus)
Sayuran pilihan (sini saya guna broccoli and carrot)- sayur ni boleh steam dulu separuh masak untuk cepat masak
Grated cheese. (optional)


Tumiskan bawang merah and bawang putih sampai wangi, then masukkan ikan yang dah dicarik-carik. Kacau sebati, kemudian masukkan sayuran, kacau sebati. Then masukkan nasik dan lada hitam. Masak macam masak nasi goreng :P. Akhir sekali boleh di masukkan grated cheese before dihidangkan.

Mac and Cheese.

Anak ada masalah kurang berat badan? Boleh cuba menu ni untuk tambahkan berat anak. Kalau tak ada masalah berat badan pun, ok saje makan mac and cheese ni,

Macaroni and cheese with pumpkin. (Suitable for 8mo and above)
1/4 cup Macaroni (rebus sampai kembang)
1/4 cup Cheese (grated cheddar or any other cheese)
1/4 cup Grated pumpkin (kalau guna butternut squash lagi sedap)
Unsalted  butter
1/2 tablespoon tepung gandum (saya guna unbleached flour)
Formula milk or fresh milk (1tahun ke atas)

Panaskan periuk dan masukkan unsalted butter, tunggu sampai cair but jangan biarkan, nanti hangit, then masukkan tepung kacau-kacau sampai pekat. Then masukkan susu kacau-kacau sampai pekat then masukkan labu, sentiasa kacau then last sekali masukkan cheese, kacau sampai semua cheese melted, last sekali gaulkan macaroni dalam mixture tersebut.

Ps: boleh tambah sayur ikut pilihan.

Homemade Teething Rusk

Assalamualaikum and Hi dearie readers. Weekend saje la masa for me untuk upload post-post dalam blog ni, ampun jikalau rasa bosan tengok satu hari upload banyak-banyak post. Mungkin lepas UPSR nanti, free la sikit saya untuk buat post :) UPSR is less than 100 days, actually less dah 80days dah..uishh takutnya (cikgu je yang takut, anak murid sikit pon tak heran). and Mirza is teething again, gigi number 9. Bila time teething, Mirza will bite almost on everything including me. So untuk kurangkan rasa gatal gusi tu, I will bake some teething rusk for him. Easy homemade teething rusk



Teething Rusk (suitable for 8mo and above)

Roti (digelek)
Unsalted Butter
Kurma or Kismis Puree or any sweet puree
Roti buang kulit, then gelek guna rolling pin, kalau tak ada rolling pin, guna botol air boleh, gelas boleh. Asalkan bersih dan boleh menggelek. Kalau ada cookie cutter, boleh guna cookie cutter untuk terap pattern yang comel comel. Kalau tak. guna cara biasa je, potong or gulung. 


Bila roti dah leper, sapu unsalted butter, then sapu puree yang manis. Bakar dalam oven 180c untuk 30mins. Boleh di simpan untuk 3-4hari.

Sebelum masuk oven

Selepas masuk oven :)

Aksi budak gatal gusi.. makan sendiri (baby led weaning)

Begedil Ikan Salmon

Begedil @ Pegedil Ikan Salmon (10mo and above)

Kentang (rebus or steam then lenyekkan)
Isi Ikan Salmon (rebus or steam then hancurkan)
Carrot (shredded)
Celery (dadu halus)
Daun bawang (hiris halus)
Cheese (grated)
Telur (2/3 masuk dalam bahan. 1/3 untuk celup)

Masukkan semua bahan, gaulkan sebati. Then bentukkan ikut preference masing-masing. Celup dalam telur. Goreng@Pan Fry. Nak bakar pun boleh.

Mashed Potato with Pumpkin Gravy

Assalamualaikum and Hi. It's been awhile since I update the blog, akibat tuntutan kerja di sekolah dan di rumah. Anyway Mirza is having a food strike (again!) so saya tak banyak memasak, sebab bila Mirza food strike dia hanya nak makan buah saje. 


Mashed Potato and Pumpkin Gravy (10mo and above)

Potato (saya guna Russet so guna sebelah je)
Fresh Milk (saya guna susu kambing, kalau anak bawah 1 tahun guna susu ibu or susu fm)
Cheese (saya guna cream cheese)
Pumpkin

Rebus kentang sampai lembut, kemudian lenyekkan ataupun blend dengan susu, sampai halus. Kemudian masukkan cheese, kacau sebati.

Labu rebus sampai lembut, blendkan dengan susu plus air. 

Basic Question / Soalan Lazim Pemberian Makanan Si Manja Setelah 6 bulan

Basic Question / Soalan Lazim Pemberian Makanan Si Manja Setelah 6 bulan

1. Anak sudah 6 bulan. Mahu beri makan apa?

Beri makan puri buah/sayur dahulu. Setiap satu jenis makanan beri selama 4 hari berturut-turut sebelum intro yang baru. Boleh rujuk carta ni :

(credit to hssfyb fb page)

2. Sehari berapa kali makan?

Mula-mula 1 kali dahulu. Terpulang mahu beri bila - pagi, tengah hari atau petang/malam. Sebabnya perut bayi baru nak sesuaikan dengan benda baru.


3. Berapa banyak kuantiti makanan yang boleh diberi?
2,3 sudu sudah memadai sekali makan. Tak perlu beri banyak. Nanti perut anak terkejut. Kalau anak makan kurang dari itu, tidak mengapa. Anak baru nak belajar makan, tak boleh harap dia makan macam anak yang dah 4,5 bulan makan.


4. Kenapa tak boleh beri bubur nasi seawal 6 bulan? Bila boleh beri bubur? 

Selama 6 bulan anak minum susu semata-mata. Jadi, afdal beri semi-solid seperti puri epal, pear, labu etc (rujuk carta) supaya perut anak tidak terkejut. Nasi sumber karbohidrat. Boleh menyebabkan sembelit. Seeloknya mula beri bijirin seperti nasi pada usia 7 bulan.



5. Puri boleh tahan berapa lama di dalam chiller dan freezer?
Puri di chiller 48 jam. Di freezer, 4 bulan.


6. Cara pengendalian puri apabila hantar ke pengasuh/taska?
Cara pengendalian puri sama seperti cara pengendalian susu ibu.


7. Betik, pisang, avocado perlu dikukus sebelum dibuat puri?
Tidak perlu. Lenyek/hancurkan dan terus beri anak makan. Makanan yang sesuai untuk travel.


8. Bagaimana mahu buat puri?
Cara membuat puri : Buah yang sudah lembik seperti pisang masak, avokado masak terus blend dan tapis. Buah atau sayur yang agak kasar/keras perlu steam, blend dan tapis.

Boleh baca sini mengenai cara membuat puree --> All About Puree


9. Bila beri anak makan, mesti beri air kosong?
Ya.


10. Anak 5 bulan lebih. Nampak macam lapar. Semua benda masuk mulut. Boleh beri makan? 
Anak pada usia ini memang suka masukkan segala-galanya dalam mulut, termasuk kakinya. Seeloknya tunggu 6 bulan. Biar anak puas menyusu susu ibu sampai usianya 6 bulan. Anak ada seumur hidupnya untuk makan macam-macam.


11. Beri anak makan, tapi anak macam tak suka dan tak mahu makan. Beri air kosong pun tak nak minum.
Benda baru, jadi ambil masa untuk anak biasakan diri dengan rasa dan benda baru. Sabar. Beri sedikit demi sedikit. Lama-lama anak akan terima. Jangan paksa. Nanti anak terus tak mahu makan atau minum air kosong.


12. Anak sembelit/cirit birit. Nak beri makan apa?
- Sembelit : Give 'P' (Prune, Papaya, Plum, Pear, Pumpkin). Stop 'BRAT'.
- Cirit-birit : Feed 'BRAT' (Bread, Banana, Rice, Apple sauce, Toast). Stop 'P'.


13. Bila boleh beri ikan? 
Disarankan 10 bulan ke atas. Sebabnya kandungan merkuri dalam makanan laut susah diproses perut anak.

Makanan laut lain seperti udang, sotong etc - 1 tahun ke atas.


14. Bagaimana nak naikkan berat badan anak?
Renjiskan minyak zaiton dalam makanan. Beri avocado. 8 bulan ke atas, sudah boleh menumis dengan menggunakan unsalted butter, ghee.
-Namun, jika anak berselera makan, sihat, aktif, cerdas dan cergas tapi berat badan masih tidak naik, tidak perlu risau. Berikan terus makanan berkhasiat dan seimbang, ambil vitamin daripada makanan semulajadi sahaja, tidak perlu vitamin sintetik.


15. Tepung apa sesuai untuk anak bawah 1 tahun?
Tepung atta, wholewheat unbleached flour.


16. Kenapa perlu rendam bijirin (beras perang, rolled oats, barli etc)?
Baca, faham dan khatamkan blog Puan Farah Rahim ini :
http://rendambijirin.blogspot.com/

17. Ribena, calciyum, vitagen, nutrigen dan yang sewaktu dengannya, boleh beri pada anak?
Tak boleh. Tak sesuai. Banyak gula, pengawet, perasa tiruan sudah tidak berkhasiat.


18. Bila boleh beri telur? Bagaimana caranya?
Boleh baca sini -->Macam mana nak buat egg test untuk baby


19. Boleh beri Ribena, jus buah dan yang sewaktu dengannya?
Tidak perlu. Beri susu dan air kosong sahaja. Kalau mahu beri juga jus buatan sendiri, beri pada usia 1 tahun ke atas. Cairkan. 30% jus + 70% air. Big no to ribena.


20. Apakah 4-day-rule? Kenapa perlu amalkan kaedah ini?
4-day-rule adalah kaedah memperkenalkan satu-satu jenis makanan baharu kepada anak selama 4 hari berturut-turut. Kaedah ini bagi memastikan makanan itu tidak memberi sebarang masalah kepada anak seperti alahan, sembelit, cirit-birit dan sebagainya. Selepas 4 hari, jika anak tiada sebarang masalah menerima makanan tersebut, boleh perkenalkan makanan lain pula. Begitulah rutin tiap kali mahu perkenalkan makanan baru kepada anak.


21. Kenapa tak boleh letak gula dan garam dlm mknan anak berumur 2 tahun ke bawah.. 
Menurut pakar pemakanan, buah pinggang anak belum mampu memproses kandungan mineral dalam gula dan garam (buah pinggang belum matang, jika anda beri juga, buah pinggang anak perlu bekerja keras memprosesnya dan boleh membahayakan kesihatan samada kesan jangka panjang atau pendek. 

-Setiap makanan sudah Allah jadikan masin, masam, manis, pahit semulajadi di dalamnya. Contoh rasa masin (celery), manis (keledek, labu), masam (tomato, oren) dan pahit (peria). Alangkah hebatnya Allah.

Deria rasa orang dewasa seperti kita tidak sepeka anak kecil sebab macam-macam sudah kita makan dan rasa. Anak kecil/bayi deria rasanya sangat sensitif. Sedikit sahaja rasa masin/manis sudah dapat mereka rasai.
Kalau tidak percaya, cuba sekali Puan makan nasi sahaja dahulu sebelum tambah apa-apa kuah/lauk. Bukankan rasa nasi itu lemak manis, terutama nasi panas.


22. Anak sudah 6 bulan, diberi puri, tapi menangis mahu lagi seperti lapar.
Berikan susu. Umur 6 bulan diberi makan untuk memperkenalkan sahaja bukan untuk betul-betul kenyang. Susu ibu masih paling penting sebagai makanan.

Nota daripada Hasnita Shaari :
Beri anak 6 bulan makan bukan untuk kenyang ya puan-puan. Susu ibu tetap sumber kenyang dan nutrien yang utama bagi anak bawah 1 tahun. Makanan diperkenalkan pada usia 6 bulan adalah untuk pengenalan. Untuk ajar benda baru. Jadi tak kenyang pun tidak apa. Kalau anak kenyang makan, kurang menyusu sedangkan anak bawah 1 tahun memerlukan susu ibu untuk membesar dan membina sistem imun badan.

Kemudian, bila perkenal makanan, beri yang berkhasiat. Jadi walaupun anak makan sedikit, dia masih menerima khasiat yang maksimum. Nasi, kentang adalah sumber karbo kosong. Tidak banyak khasiatnya. Apatah lagi air nasi. Maka sebab itu disarankan puri buah/sayur terlebih dahulu supaya perut anak tidak terbeban dengan makanan yang berat untuk diproses.

Sunnah Nabi pun sebelum makan makanan berat, elok makan buah dahulu untuk memudahkan pelawasan. Pendekatan yang sama kepada anak. Buah dahulu, sayur. Kemudian baru perkenal yang lebih berat seperti bubur nasi yang dikisar, oats, bijirin lain. Kemudian baru protein sebab protein lebih sukar dihadam. Sebab itu diperkenalkan agak lewat.

Step by step. 4 day rule.

Lepas ini saya mohon sangat tiada lagi yang beri saranan air nasi dan seumpamanya untuk anak yang baru mahu mula solid. Mahu beri pada anak sendiri, terpulang tapi usahlah mencadangkan kepada anak orang lain. Anak kita semua tidak sama. Apa yang anak kita makan ok, tidak semestinya ok pada anak orang lain. .

23. Selalunya sekali mkn puri tu agak2 banyak mana?
2,3 auns sekali makan dulu. Tambah kuantiti dari masa ke semasa.


24. Oats yang direndam kena masak terus semua atau boleh disimpan selebihnya? Dan jika sudah di masak boleh tak simpan dalam freezer dan berapa lama boleh tahan? Apakah sama seperti puri lain?Saya tak pernah simpan. Saya buat untuk sekali makan. Kalau untuk breakfast, saya rendam malam, esoknya bilas dan masak. Kalau untuk dinner, saya rendam pagi. Tapi puan boleh cuba kalau mahu simpan di freezer.


25. Orang kata labu, keledek angin. Bolehkah beri anak makan?Ikut anak. Macam kita juga. Ada yang bila makan labu, kobis, angin. Ada yang elok boleh terima, tak angin. Macam tu juga dengan anak. Nak elak dari angin, masa kukus/rebus, letak halia muda sikit. Bila kisar, buang halia tu. Tak cuba tak tau. Jangan terlalu paranoid hingga semuanya takut untuk dicuba.


26. Boleh perkenalkan makanan sebelum anak 6 bulan?
- Seeloknya tunggu 6 bulan. WHO menyarankan 6 bulan juga. Sebabnya sebelum 6 bulan, perut anak belum cukup matang untuk memproses solid. Jika beri terlalu awal, perut akan bekerja keras. Kasihan perut anak. Beri anak makan terlalu awal juga salah satu punca obese di kalangan kanak-kanak.


27. Bolehkah beri buah-buahan kering seperti aprikot, kismis yang warna kuning/asal?

- Beri buah-buahan kering yang warnanya hitam dan gelap seperti warna buah kurma.

- Kurma atau kismis hitam elok beri umur 7 bulan ke atas kerana buah ini telah dikeringkan dan rasanya agak manis, lambatkan sikit pemberiannya bagi mengelakkan anak terbiasa dengan rasa manis sahaja, kecuali jika anda mampu cari kurma yang fresh

Isu buah kering yang bewarna warni :

Aprikot/kismis warna kuning ada sulfur dioksida yang boleh mencetuskan serangan asma dan boleh membawa maut pada bayi yang mudah terpengaruh.

Sulfur dioksida digunakan sebagai antioksidan di dalam proses pengeringan beberapa buah-buahan kering untuk mengekalkan warna kulit dan rasa.

Sebagai contoh, dalam kismis kuning, peach kering, epal kering dan aprikot kering, sulfur dioksida digunakan untuk buah-buahan ini tidak kehilangan warna dengan menyekat tindak-balas "browning" yang menyebabkan warna buah-buahan itu menjadi gelap dan mengubah rasa mereka.

28. Jenis-jenis minyak zaitun dan bagaimanakah cara penggunaannya?
- Puan Fiza Eliaza menjawab:

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) adalah hasil perahan minyak pertama dari buah zaitun. Khasiatnya memang tinggi dan tidak perlu di masak. Perlu dititik atau direnjis begitu sahaja ke dalam bubur bayi.

Virgin olive oil (VOO) pula hasil perahan kedua. Yang ini pun elok digunakan untuk dititik atau direnjis dalam makanan/bubur bayi.

Pure olive oil (POO) atau olive oil pula boleh digunakan untuk menumis makanan sama ada untuk bayi atau ibu bayi.


29. Anak sudah 8 bulan. Menu apa lagi yang boleh diberi kepada anak? 
- Puan Sarah Aliesa Shaharudin menjawab
Sudah boleh intro lebih sikit grains seperti millet,quinoa,red rice,cous cous dan pasta. Sayuran seperti capsicum, cendawan, sayur daun hijau(kecuali bayam), beetroot. Protein seperti ayam, daging dan kuning telur. Sudah boleh mula menumis, tambah sedikit rempah, santan. Jangan lupa 4 days rules. Rempah pun kena intro satu- persatu untuk 4 hari.


30. Bila anak sudah boleh diberi finger foods?
Setelah habis intro puri dan setelah anak sudah ada kebolehan mengunyah dengan baik, mulakan beri finger foods yang lembik, mudah dikunyah dengan gusi anak serta tidak mengakibatkan tercekik, kemudian baru kepada yang lebih keras.


31. Perlu beri anak minum sebelum, selepas atau semasa makan? Orang dulu2 lepas suap anak makan mesti suap air juga. Bolehkah begitu?Salah satu sebab orang dulu beri air selepas setiap kali suap adalah untuk 'memaksa' makanan masuk ke dalam perut dengan mudah. Pandangan saya, itu seperti memaksa anak makan. Jadi dia tak menggunakan fungsi lidah/mulut untuk menolak makan masuk ke dalam tekak dan tekak tidak berfungsi untuk belajar menelan makanan. Sebab itu saya cadangkan beri minum sebelum dan selepas makan (ikut sunnah). Air hanya diberi jika anak tercekik.


*DILARANG KERAS SHARE INFO INI UNTUK TUJUAN KOMERSIL ATAU MEMPROMOSIKAN PENJUALAN BARANGAN ATAU PRODUK SUPPLEMENT ANDA..SILA PASTIKAN PERKONGSIAN DI WALL ANDA HANYA UNTUK MENYEBARKAN MAKLUMAT / ILMU SAHAJA. BUKAN UNTUK ANDA MEMPROMOSIKAN PRODUK, VITAMIN SINTETIK ATAU SUPPLEMENT YANG SUDAH TERPROSES MENJADI SERBUK (SHAKLEE TERUTAMANYA), FAN PAGE INI HANYA UNTUK MEMPROMOSIKAN MAKANAN SEMULAJADI YANG SEBENAR 'REAL FOODS'. BUAT PENIAGA, SILA JANGAN AMBIL KESEMPATAN, SILA BUAT RESEARCH SENDIRI, UNTUK BUAT PROMOSI-Admin

Credit to : https://www.facebook.com/HSFFYB ( Terima kasih admin anda semua banyak memberi ilmu kepada saya)

Kenapa saya hanya beri home made food kepada anak saya??

Ramai juga yang tanya saya, kenapa rajin sangat masak untuk anak, bukan ke banyak makanan baby yang di jual di pasaran, organic baby food pon ada. Saya tak la rajin sangat dan bukan la ada banyak masa terluang, tapi bila saya fikirkan perut anak masih muda, perlu makanan berkhasiat, bersih dan halal saya, saya dan suami membuat keputusan untuk memberi makanan rumah yang dimasak sendiri kepada anak. Dengan cara ini saya boleh check apa yang masuk dalam perut anak dan jugak tahu anak makan makanan dari sumber yang bersih, dan halal. Bukan ke lagi elok anak makan air tangan ibu, sambil memasak, kita boleh berzikir dan berdoa ke atas anak, moga-moga anak menjadi seorang yang soleh, lembut hati dan dengar kata.Insha Allah. 

Do read this blog post, ni jugak antara sebab kenapa saya tak beri makanan komersial kepada anak.

The Truth About Baby Food Jars (credit to http://www.thealphaparent.com/2013/02/the-truth-about-baby-food-jars.html?m=1)

American babies consume an average of 600 jars of baby food by the time they are a year old (Chasing Green 2011). Four out of five British babies rely on tinned and jarred products (Rees 2007). Yet, the U.S. Government lists the vast majority of commercial baby food as “not creditable infant foods” on its WIC program (2011), and the U.K. Government maintains that, “Home cooking should always be encouraged over using commercial baby foods” (Infant and Child Feeding Guidelines 2010).

In a triumph of marketing over corporate responsibility, baby food companies, including the so-called ‘organic’ brands, sabotage the health of babies in their quest for profits - and parents facilitate it. Here’s how:

THE COST:

The global baby food market is worth more than £6 billion. Baby food manufacturers have found a goldmine in gullible parents. When parents buy commercial baby food they are paying, not only for all the ingredients, but also for the processing, packaging, storage, transportation, advertising and marketing. Consequently, commercial baby foods are very highly priced compared to similar regular foods.

Let’s take bananas for example. A pouch of “Ella’s Kitchen Bananas” costs 69p (about $1.09). An organic fair-trade banana costs 23p (about 35 cents). You'd need to buy six and a half commercial pouches to equal one pound of bananas (source: tesco.com). This is an example of commercial baby food featuring one ingredient: bananas. The cost escalates further when other ingredients are included. Commercial baby foods featuring several ingredients can cost as much as £1 per jar, particularly if you’re going organic, meaning you can spend around £5 a day, if you’re using them for breakfast and pudding too. That’s £35 a week, £140 a month and £840 from six months until your baby’s first birthday. Annabel Karmel and her shareholders are laughing their way to the bank. Her Organic Baby Purees cost a staggering £1.49 ($2.34) per pouch! (To add further insult to parents, the largest ingredient is water – yup, bog standard tap water).

At first blush, £1 for a jar or pouch of baby food doesn't seem like much, but as your baby grows, he or she will eat more solid food at each feeding. The baby food jars get bigger and up to three times more expensive. Remember the statistic I quoted above? - By the time U.S. infants reach 12 months of age, they've consumed about 600 jars of baby food. That's a minimum cost of $300. By comparison, you can prepare a wide variety of fresh baby food at home for around $55 total (Tallman and Ahlers 2013). The numbers speak for themselves.

THE BULKING:

Numbers (aka profits) are the most important consideration in the eyes of baby food manufacturers. Consequently, the pictures of fresh produce adorning jars don't tell you the whole story of what's inside. To cut costs manufacturers replace real food with water and thickening agents/starches. Most often, the starches are refined rice, refined corn and refined wheat. These substances are devoid of the outer layers of the grain, with preservatives and bleach commonly added during processing. The refining of any grain reduces its vitamins, proteins and roughage (Spock 2004). What's more, refined starches play a significant role in causing dental caries, as they form a sticky paste around the teeth.

Bulking food in this way dilutes its nutrient density (bad for baby) whilst adding volume (good for manufacturers). This means the company can sell what is basically water along with a small amount of poor quality supermarket-rejected vegetables. For instance, check out this jar of Cow & Gate ‘Pureed Carrot, Potato and Lamb Hotpot’ (found stocked on a major UK supermarket shelf, January 2013). The largest ingredient is water. Then there are some ‘baby-grade’ vegetables (more on these below) and also ‘millet flour’ and ‘wheat starch’. The use of these starchy thickening agents adds no nutritional value whilst masking the fact that the majority of the product you’re paying for is water. As any cook knows, a little bit of flour or starch can thicken a lot of liquid.

Here’s a jar of Cow & Gate “Sweet Potato and Beef”. Again, the largest ingredient is water, along with the thickening agents cornflour and Tapioca Starch, and another EIGHT ingredients that weren’t mentioned on the front!

It’s not just Cow & Gate that use bulking techniques. This jar of Heinz “Cheesy Tomato Pasta Stars” has water as the largest ingredient, along with the thickening agent cornflour.

Heinz apply the same water and cornflour combo in their “Spaghetti Bolognaise”:

And again in their “Banana yogurt” - water is the largest ingredient, and cornflour and rice starch are used as thickening agents. Interestingly, banana accounts for only 20% of the product, and there is a lot of added sugar (again, not mentioned on the front).

Heinz “Cheesy Pasta with Ham” is the same story. Water is the largest ingredient and cornflour is used as a thickener. Noticeably it contains only 5% ham (some of which is starch and salt!) This product is nothing more than a cocktail of empty calories in the form of starches and processed fat devoid of essential fatty acids.

These are just some examples. The list goes on.

When we do the math, we can see why manufacturers do this: The maximum amount of starch required to thicken a 4-ounce jar of food is 0.3 ounces, which costs about 1 cent per jar. By contrast, to replace the water and starch in a 4-ounce jar with carrots, for instance, would require an additional two ounces of carrots, at a cost of 7 to 10 cents. In this instance, doing what’s best for babies would mean sacrificing profits.

Aside from diluting the nutrition content and reducing value for money, another problem with bulking is that several of the most common fillers are potential allergens. Most of baby food jars for example, contain significant amounts of gluten. The fact that many of these jars have “suitable from 4 months” on the label is even more worrisome. Corn and Wheat can both potentially cause allergic reactions in babies and small children, and some recent scientific studies suggest that long term allergies, such as the allergy to wheat (Celiac disease), may be reduced by avoiding contact with those foods before babies are one year old (Erin 2009). So by feeding their babies commercially prepared baby foods loaded with fillers, parents may be inadvertently exposing their infants to large quantities of potential allergens.

Furthermore, with all this bulking going on, there isn’t much room left for credible ingredients. The bulking agents (carbohydrates) are replacing proteins and fats which are essential for adequate health and growth. A baby's growing muscles, bones, brain, and all other structures are built from the protein and fat he consumes.

For example, if we look back at the jar of Heinz “Cheesy Pasta with Ham”, we notice that it contains only 5 percent ham. Parents purchasing such ‘complete meals’ will be forgiven for assuming them to be a good source of protein, after all, a protein is listed prominently on the jar’s main title (‘ham’). However these dinners are a very poor source of protein given the small percentage of meat/meat alternate required to be in them.

On the topic of requirements, manufacturers tread right on the edge of the law in order to maximise profits. For instance, EU legislation states that if a protein is named first in the title of the product - as, for example, in "chicken and vegetable dinner" - the protein must make up at least 10 percent of the product. So if we look at Cow & Gate’s “Chicken Sunday Lunch” pictured below, we see that just 10 percent is chicken, the bare minimum required by law. Also notice the massive chicken adorning the lid of the jar – misleading.

Even more misleading is their “Beef Casserole”. “Beef” is named first, yet the beef content is only 8 percent! This is below the legal limit. The lid of the jar is decorated with a massive beef joint.

Heinz “Fruity Chicken Casserole” was blasted by consumer watchdogs back in 2006 because it contains only 8% chicken despite arguably having chicken named first (see the news article here). Yet seven years later the jars remain unchanged and Heinz continue to stock them in stores.

Heinz “Chicken and Parsnip Bake” features “Chicken” named first on the title, yet the chicken content is only 8 percent!

Legislation also states that if a protein is the only ingredient in the product's name, then legally at least 40 per cent of the food should be that protein. Here’s where the manufacturers get even sneakier. Cow & Gate’s “Orchard Chicken” contains only 10 percent chicken. Presumably they would argue that “Orchard” is another ingredient - apple maybe? But the apple content is even less at only 8 percent!

Cow & Gate’s “Yummy Harvest Chicken” contains, yup you guessed it, just 10 percent chicken. Presumably “yummy harvest” is another ingredient but this is far from clear.

THE NUTRIENTS (lack of):

As bulking dilutes the nutrient density of foods, the contents of this next topic should come as no surprise.

Recent research has confirmed the fears of lazy parents - that commercial baby food contains hardly any nutrients. Many of the most popular brands contain less than a fifth of a baby’s recommended daily supply of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and other crucial minerals (University of Greenwich 2012). If a baby consumed one meat jar, one vegetable jar and 600ml of formula milk it still would not be enough calcium, magnesium, copper and selenium. The levels of these three together are less than 20% of the recommended daily supply. Thus, babies fed solely on store-bought jars and formula milk are being deprived of nutrients crucial for growth, development and to protect against illness.

In fact, using processed baby food is akin to feeding your baby junk food for every meal. You wouldn’t feed your baby a Big Mac would you? Well that’s exactly what parents are doing when feeding their baby some of the most popular brands on the market. Research has proven that some of the main brands, including Heinz and Cow & Gate, are less nutritious than a cheeseburger! (The Guardian 2009). What’s more, eating this sub-standard nutrition is more damaging to babies than to adults. That's because babies don't need many calories, but they do need lots of nutrients. It's easy for them to fill up quickly on junk food's empty calories.

And it gets worse. Ever wondered how a jar of baby food can be older than the baby itself – and still remain nutritious? Answer: it can’t. The priority of baby food manufacturers is not your baby’s health, rather their main concern is profits. This is basic company law. “The purpose of a company is to generate profits for its shareholders” (Companies Act 2006). The longer a product can remain on the store shelves, the more chance it has of being purchased, and the lower the costs for the manufacturer and the retailer (less restocking, more bulk batches, cheaper wholesale purchase of ingredients). Consequently manufacturers have made it so their baby food products have a very long shelf-life (up to several years in some cases!)

So how do baby food manufacturers achieve this malicious lifespan when a tub of homemade food can only stay edible for a few weeks when frozen? The answer is in the preparation. In order to remain edible for so long the product must be heated to a very high temperature for a sustained length of time so that chronic bacteria are killed. However whilst this process destroys most of the contaminating micro-organisms, the few that are left multiply faster because the resistance of the food to bacteria and moulds is lowered by the heating process. The heating process also destroys naturally occurring commensal or ‘friendly’ micro-organisms. The reduced populations cannot build up quickly enough afterwards to counter the spread of the ‘baddies’. 

Moreover during this process most of the beneficial nutrients are also killed. So even if the jar states “organic”, the nutrative value is not even close to non-organic food that you would prepare yourself at home. This is why so many commercial baby foods are ‘fortified’. The food has been cooked to death – literally! So the manufacturer has to add synthetic vitamins and minerals to get the food value back up. This provides an illusion of meeting benchmark standards.

But vitamins are vitamins right? It doesn’t matter whether they’re inherent in the food itself or added afterwards. Wrong! The problem with synthetic vitamins is that they are not as bioavailable as naturally occurring vitamins. In other words, they are less easily absorbed by your baby's body. Also, many of the nutrients and vitamins counteract each other, therefore not doing any good (International Baby Food Action Network 2012).

THE QUALITY (lack of):

Increasing shelf life by bulking foods is just one of the tactics used by manufacturers to maximise profits. They are also prepared to sacrifice the quality of even their non-bulking ingredients. For instance, if you look at a lot of commercial baby food, the label will say 'baby grade' veg/fruit etc. This means that although it is 'real' fruit/veg (and may well be organic if stated on the jar), it’s pretty much the poorer quality damaged and malformed ‘scraps’ that don't make it onto the supermarket shelves. These scraps are then boiled to death and pureed to disguise their inherent imperfection.

As an illustration, take a look at the photo below. On the left are home-made green beans. On the right are jarred baby food green beans. Both only have 2 ingredients – green beans and water.

You see, commercial baby foods are designed to be homogenised in taste and texture. One particular brand of green bean puree will always taste the same. However, if you make your own green bean puree, the variety of the bean, the amount of water added and the extent to which it is mashed will vary each time. This variation gives babies an important lesson in the tastes of food; small variations are acceptable.

Variation is imperative when we consider that research shows there is a window of opportunity for introducing tastes and textures to young infants, before the age of 12 months. During that precious first year, “it takes an average of 6 to 10 exposures for 85% of babies to imprint on a flavour and texture” (Green 2010). After 12 months, infants become much more difficult to feed, and often become wary of new foods. So it is important they are given foods that vary in taste and texture, and ultimately represent the foods that the family eat (Coulthard 2011). Studies have also shown that if babies consume commercial baby food before 24 months, they are likely to acquire a lower IQ (Smithers et al 2012). This is because diet supplies the nutrients needed for the development of brain tissues most actively in the first two years of life.

As the quality is so poor, the taste of commercial baby foods falls way below the standard that adults would accept (try some yourself). I often question the integrity of adults who reject substandard food for themselves yet happily feed it to their infants.

In an attempt to hide the poor quality of their product and salvage some of the taste, the manufacturer adds extra ingredients. Ironically, this practice reduces the quality further. At best, these extra ingredients are nutritionally empty, and at worst, they are nutritionally dangerous, particularly when consumed by infants. For instance, many commercial baby foods (including organic brands), are high in sodium, sugar, or both (Bennett  et al 2012; Chait 2010; Children’s Food Campaign 2009). Every calorie taken up by these ingredients is a lost opportunity for baby to eat a nutrient rich food that will facilitate proper growth and development. What’s more, the implications can last a lifetime. Take, for example, extra salt; Children can develop a liking for excessively salty foods in infancy, leading them to perceive unsalted foods as being flavourless (The Food Commission 2000).

Ironically, when comparing commercial baby foods to similar adult versions, they don’t prove healthier, and are sometimes even worse. In one study, baby yogurts, for example, contained about 63 mg of sodium, while the adult sample only contained 50 mg (Giovinazzo 2010). Another study revealed the same conclusion (Journal of Public Health 2010). Again, this is a case of adults giving babies the nutritional debris that they themselves would reject.

Moreover, a lot of these extra ingredients aren’t even declared on the label. Studies have found a significant amount of commercial baby food contains undeclared additives; for instance, sweeteners (Cizkova 2009).

Another undesirable ingredient commonly found in commercial baby food yet not declared on the label, is trans fat. Manufacturers use trans fat instead of oil because it improves flavour and texture, reduces cost, and extends the storage life of products. Each of these are tickets to greater profit. Unfortunately trans fat is known to increase LDL, also known as "bad" cholesterol, while lowering levels of HDL, or "good" cholesterol. Trans fats are a particularly unhealthy type of fat for anyone to consume, adults, children and babies alike, as it can cause clogging of arteries, type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, and can increase the risk of heart disease.

By law, trans fats do not have to be included in the nutritional information provided on a food label unless a specific trans fats claim has been made (for example, 'low in trans fats'), and they do not have to be listed in the ingredients. Cow & Gate, have exploited this loophole to their advantage. They have used trans fats in their baby food products and then justified it by saying:

“Trans fats are no worse than saturated fats and that it is the whole diet that matters.  Tiny amounts of trans fats do not cause a health risk.”

These assertions are grossly inaccurate. Cow & Gate also repeated several times that they are “very tightly regulated” (not true) and added that:

“if there was any concrete evidence that the trans fats were dangerous, they would not be allowed” (Cow & Gate 2009).

This is a particularly disingenuous assertion. As you will discover below when we come to examine legal regulation, the food industry is not dictated to by Government, rather, it is merely courted. The Government’s Food Standards Agency tries to steer the food industry in the right direction, making recommendations and offering incentives. However it does not impose rigid commands for fear of interfering with economy. Manufacturers are able to exploit loopholes, mislead consumers, and even blatantly lie, sometimes with tragic consequences, all because piecemeal legal regulation has no teeth.

This deception is equally applicable to organic brands. Many parents make the common assumption that organic is synonyms with quality. However studies have found that despite being on average 30 percent more expensive, “there is little overall difference in quality” (Stiftung Warentest 2010), and organic food is no more nutritious than conventional food (Stanford University 2012).

THE CONTAMINANTS: 

Aside from the poor quality and uniform taste, when parents use commercial baby food, they’re also giving their baby a varied diet – of contaminants. Recently, scientists at the Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested 190 samples of commercial baby food. The samples tested positive for five pesticides, among them, the organophosphate methamidiphos, which was found on 9.4 percent of samples and the organophosphate acephate, on 7.8 percent of samples. Based on the scientists’ calculations, a 22-pound child eating just one four-ounce serving of green beans sold as baby food with the maximum methamidiphos level found would consume a massive 50 percent of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s acute risk value, a measure of allowable risk. Lighter babies, those fed more than four ounces per meal or those fed commercial baby food daily would be at still greater risk (EWC 2012).

The EWG also analyzed baby food samples back in 1995 and found the two organophosphates in surprisingly similar concentrations. So nothing has changed. The illusion that baby food manufacturers are continuously improving their products to make them safer for babies, is mere wishful thinking unincentivised by legislation.

In the 2012 study, pears prepared as commercial baby food showed significant and widespread contamination. 92 percent of the pear samples tested positive for at least one pesticide residue. Some 26 percent of the samples were tainted with 5 or more pesticides. Disturbingly, the pesticide iprodione, which EPA has categorized as a probable human carcinogen (cancer causing agent), was detected on three baby food pear samples. Iprodione is not registered with EPA for use on pears. Its presence on this popular baby food constitutes a violation of FDA regulations and the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Other research has shown that feeding babies twice a day on commercial baby foods such as rice porridge can increase their exposure to arsenic by up to 50 times! (Gray 2011; The Local 2013). In the same studies, exposure to other toxic metals such as cadmium, which is known to cause neurological and kidney damage, increased by up to 150 times! While lead increased by up to eight times.

A quick nod to so-called ‘baby ready meals’ now. These are frozen or chilled processed meals that you re-heat yourself. One of the many problems with these is that they consistently contain heat-induced contaminant ‘furan’, a toxic compound linked to cancer (Bakhiya and Appel 2010; Lachenmeier 2009).

On the topic of cancer, many commercial baby foods, particularly jarred varieties, contain benzene, a colorless, flammable liquid with a sweet odor. It is also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke. Benzene is known to cause cancer, based on evidence from studies in both people and laboratory animals. The link between benzene and cancer has largely focused on leukemia and cancers of other blood cells (American Cancer Society 2013). In one study, the highest levels were found in jarred baby foods containing carrots and carrot juices specifically intended for infants. In contrast, freshly home-prepared carrot juices and baby foods were all benzene-free (Lachenmeier et al 2010).

The cancer link doesn't end there. All types of processed baby food, whether jarred, frozen or pouched, have a significant likelihood of being contaminated with fumonisin - a toxin linked to esophageal cancer (Sedova and Tutel 2006), Cadmium - an extremely toxic metal (Eklund and Oskarsson 1999), Acrylamide – a toxic chemical compound (Mojska et al 2012), and noxious animal DNA which has been linked to diabetes and various types of cancer (Surh et al 2007).

Exposure to such toxins in infancy can cause problems that will wreak havoc for the rest of a child’s life. This is because babies’ bodies are different. They are growing and vulnerable. It’s important to know what’s in the foods you’re feeding your baby at this age. But you won’t find out this information from the baby food manufacturers. When a leading UK newspaper recently contacted each of the major baby food manufacturers, most refused to reveal the levels of toxic contaminants found in their products! (The Telegraph 2011).

THE REGULATION (lack of):

One of the reasons that contaminants are still rife in commercial baby foods is due to weak legislation. Leading baby food manufacturers such as Heinz, Gerber, and Cow and Gate do not face as tough regulations as the makers of adult foods (University of Greenwich 2012). The current maximum limits enshrined in law are not low enough to act as an incentive for baby food manufacturers to cut levels of the contaminants in their products (Pesticide and Chemical Policy 2013). Even when baby food manufacturers stick within the legal guidelines for permitted levels of toxic contaminants, there’s a major problem - the guidelines are based on adult, rather than infant, exposure. Adult tolerance levels are much higher than infants’. Babies are particularly vulnerable to toxic substances because their immune systems are immature and their bodies are going through rapid development. A five year study by the National Academy of Sciences has concluded that Government standards for pesticides in food do not specifically account for the special vulnerability of infants or account for the fact that infants and children eat and drink more relative to their size than adults.

Unsurprisingly, more and more research is calling for a radical review of the safety limits. So much so, that the World Health Organisation decided to scrap its daily safe intake limit for arsenic amid growing evidence that arsenic can cause cancer - even at low levels (World Health Organisation 2010). The limits for lead have also been suspended for the same reason.

Sadly, the failure of legislation to protect babies stretches through many other areas of baby food regulation. Take labelling for example. What's in the container is not always the same as what's printed on the label. Some ingredients are not mentioned, for example, sweeteners and trans fat. At present, regulations require just 15% of the reference values for each nutrient to be provided for labeling purposes.

The situation becomes even more acute when potential allergens are present in the food. A lot of baby food manufacturing plants also process allergens such as nuts, dairy and soya. To address this, there is a legal threshold of how much of an allergen has to be in a food product in order for it to be required to be labelled. Sounds good right? However this threshold is based on generaladult tolerance levels which are irrelevant to babies.

THE WASTE:

Commercial baby food is commonly packed in glass jars. However new demands for convenience have given away to trends involving plastic, sealed containers and pouches. Valuable natural resources are needed to manufacturer these items. Eventually all this packaging ends up dumped in landfill.

There is also the pertinent issue of food waste. Initially babies will take only one or two spoonfuls per meal, yet the jars are far, far bigger. As they can’t be re-sealed, the remaining contents must be disposed of. Alternatively, parents eager to get their money’s worth over-feed their babies, stretching their stomachs and contributing to future weight problems.

THE PACKAGING:

Aside from the waste element, the packaging of commercial baby food has been found to be dangerous in itself. For instance, several studies have found the lids of baby food jars contain the hormone disrupter Bisphenol-A (BPA) which has been linked to infertility and cancer, even at extremely low levels of exposure (Health Canada 2009). BPA leaches from the baby food containers into their contents.

When this was announced in the press, a few manufacturers changed their packaging, opting to use a substitute (bisphenol S). Many ceased this as a marketing opportunity, boasting “BPA-free” on their packaging. However unbeknown to consumers, bisphenol S also disrupts hormone activity. In fact, it is a stronger risk to babies than BPA (Medical Express 2013).

Commercial baby food packaging is also responsible for exposing babies to a carcinogenic toxin called semicarbazide (SEM). The toxin, which has been linked to cancer in animals, gets into the baby food through the plastic gaskets used to seal glass jars with metal twist-off lids (Roberts 2009).

Pouches are also not without their risks. The caps pose a serious choking hazard to babies and toddlers (the product's target age range).

THE MARKETING:

All the defects inherent in commercial baby food discussed mean that persuading parents to purchase these products is not easy. However the baby food companies have literally millions of dollars to pay marketing executives to execute sophisticated deception techniques.

A key strategy in baby food marketing is to utilise the latest buzz words. When the new food guide pyramid touted the importance of whole grains for example, suddenly words and logos for "whole grains" were plastered on the fronts of baby cereal boxes, crackers, breads and even cookies! Now with the media's attention on the potentially harmful nature of genetically modified ingredients, many baby food manufacturers are re-marketing themselves as ‘organic’. No matter what the fad is—low-sugar, fat-free, organic, or heart-healthy—manufacturers will try to lure parents into buying their product.

Here's a list of the most popular baby food marketing claims used by manufacturers—and what they really mean for your baby’s health.

“Natural”

Ironically, products that call themselves natural can contain pesticides, genetically modified ingredients, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), or ingredients you’ve never heard of. The Food and Drug Administration says that it has not developed a formal definition for the term, noting that, "From a food science perspective, it is difficult to define a food product that is 'natural' because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth." The agency goes on to explain that added color, artificial flavors or synthetic substances would disqualify food from being called "natural." But beyond that, seemingly anything goes. A company can use the word to mean just about anything. Parents often assume it implies ‘organic’, but that's not the case. Whilst ‘natural’ brings to mind thoughts of fresh, minimally processed and healthy food, it indicates nothing about a food's nutritional content, ingredients, safety, or health effects (Jolliffe 2011). According to the USDA, food is natural if it doesn't contain artificial ingredients or added color and is 'minimally processed.' It doesn't say anything about how the food was raised.  Almost all packaged foods today are processed in some way.

Also consider that ‘natural’ is not always synonymous with ‘healthy’. Natural fruit puree may be sweetened with cane juice (instead of white sugar), but it can still contribute to health issues when eaten regularly. Quaker Oats boast that their children’s range of cereals are 100% natural however they contain 13.7g of sugar per 100g!

“Made with Real Vegetables”

You see “made with real vegetables” frequently on baby food marketing, particularly those products advertised as ‘organic’. Since there is no law that requires how much real vegetable has to be included in a food that uses this claim, the jar could contain just a few peas or one brussel sprout to be accurate. Also ‘baby grade vegetables’ (i.e. scraps) are still ‘real vegetables’, albeit not ones that adults are prepared to consume.

“Healthy” 

While food claimed as 'healthy' must meet specific guidelines for fat, cholesterol, sodium, and certain nutrients, it can still contain large amounts of sugar, preservatives, and artificial ingredients.

“Lightly Sweetened”

This term is not regulated by the FDA, so the product could contain any amount of sugar or artificial sweeteners.

“Green”

Green is not regulated and has no real meaning as it relates to food and often seems to be used in an effort to convey some sense of sustainability or environmental responsibility, whether that's real or not.

“Made with whole wheat”

If the label does not say 100 percent whole wheat or 100 percent whole grain, then be wary: the product is likely to contain only a trivial amount of whole grain.

“Multigrain”

According to the USDA, the only label that means a product is made with 100% whole grains is one that states “100% Whole Grain”. Products with labels declaring “multigrain” simply means that there are multiple types of grains, but that is not a guarantee that any of the grains included are whole grains. For example, Heinz Baby ‘Banana Multigrain Cereal’ contains hydrolysed wheat and no whole grains.

“A source of”

This is a purposely vague, loose term that insinuates that the food contains the latest sought-after vitamin or mineral. The recent trend is a lack of Vitamin D, because of concerns that a deficiency in Vitamin D may play a role in autism. If a food says it is an "excellent source of Vitamin D," it may only mean: As a part of a normal diet, in which you get vitamins and minerals, this food will provide a minute amount of Vitamin D. For instance, Heinz “Creamed Porridge” declares prominently on the front of the label that it is a ‘source of iron’, however one serving only contains 1mg of iron. A baby’s recommended daily allowance is 11mg!

“Simple”

This is a very popular buzzword used in the contemporary food industry to suggest the product is just like homemade food (which obviously it’s not because it’s a processed food). "Simple" foods are packaged in boxes, pouches and jars with uncluttered design and, often, cursive logos and a lot of green. Organix Ltd are a prime example. They market their Apple And Blueberry puree as ‘simple and smooth’. However look at the label. Things aren't really that simple. The product contains several ingredients including Ascorbic Acid. Likewise, Gerber ‘simply peach’ yogurt contains 13 separate ingredients! - including Tapioca Starch, Gelatin, and Citric Acid. It even contains more added sugar than it does peaches (quite rich for a product called ‘simply peach’!)

Unfortunately, ‘simple’ is becoming a highly saturated word in the baby food sector. Let’s play a game of Spot the Simple!

Click for a larger view

“Hearty”

Another unregulated word, 'hearty' gives the illusion of wholesome food that is substantial in portion and quality. The dictionary definition of hearty is: "providing abundant nourishment". Yet Cow & Gate's 'Hearty Shepherd's Pie' contains only 9% meat. Gerber's 'Hearty Chicken & Rice Dinner' is high in sugar and it's largest ingredient is water. NurturMe 'Hearty Sweet Potato' contains a triple whammy of fillers - maltodextrin, corn starch and lecithin. This is hardly 'abundant nourishment'.

“No Added Sugar”

A product can say ‘no added sugar’ on the front of the packet, and still contain enough fruit syrup to take the total sugar level to over 50% of the product by weight. In fact, fifty three percent of food products specifically targeted to babies and toddlers have an excessive proportion - more than 20 per cent - of calories coming from sugar (Science Daily 2010). Yet dietary recommendations suggest that sugar should not contribute more than 10% of energy.

“No Added Salt”

In a similar vein to the ‘no added sugar’ claim, when a product claims to have ‘no added salt’ it can still ironically be high in salt. For example, when you a buy a meal containing cheese, it is allowed to say on the packet "no added salt" when in fact the meal contains a significant amount of salt, which is contained in the cheese itself. A 100g of cheese can contain 1.5g to 3.5g of salt (more than a child’s recommended daily intake). Also, a lot of manufacturers use the word “Sodium” on their nutritional information label instead of salt because this enables them to disguise the true salt content of the product (Hint: to convert sodium levels per 100g into salt, multiply the figure by 2.5).

“No Artificial Sweeteners”

This is a derivative of the ‘No Added Sugar’ claim, yet even more insidious. Products with no artificial sweeteners simply use real sugar to improve taste, and sometimes far above recommended doses. Take this jar of Cow & Gate ‘Banana and Cookie Crumble’ aimed at 7 month olds for example. The label proudly declares that the product has “no artificial sweeteners” and this is part of Cow & Gate’s promise of ‘Complete Care’ towards babies. Yet the contents of the jar are 19% sugar! However as the sugar is not artificial, they can get away with it.

This jar of Hipp Organic 'Banana Yogurt Breakfast' is aimed at even younger babies - 4 months old - and is packed with added sugar. It contains 11.2g of sugar per 100g!

“No Artificial Preservatives”

Alongside boiling the food to death, part of the strategy used by manufacturers to increase shelf life is to add natural acid, which acts as a preservative (Koufman 2010), and because it’s ‘natural’ it enables the company to flaunt the ‘no artificial preservatives’ buzzwords. Organic brands are particularly fond of this technique as it allows them to add a preservative whilst at the same time retaining their 100% organic claim. Acids commonly added to these foods include citric acid, ascorbic acid and even folic acid. Citric acid is commonly used to remove limescale from boilers and evaporators. Ascorbic acid is used to remove dissolved metal stains, such as iron, from fiberglass swimming pool surfaces. When added to food, these acids increase the acidity in your baby’s diet and thus result in increased incidents of baby reflux.

Heinz ‘Banana Delight’ contains just 16% banana! The label touts the claim “absolutely no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives” in large bold font on the front. The product contains citric acid as a preservative and added sugar, which also acts as a preservative. Both of these ingredients erode babies’ teeth as well as triggering reflux and increasing other health risks.

“No Artificial Flavours”

Manufacturers love the term “no artificial flavours” as it exploits a giant loophole allowing them to conceal the truth about the laundry list of synthetic, laboratory-concocted food agents. The fact is, both natural and artificial flavours are laboratory concoctions. Flavours are extracted from artificial or natural sources, heavily processed with chemicals, and ‘improved upon’ to make them stimulating and addictive to consumers. Neither is healthy. Natural flavours and artificial flavours could contain exactly the same chemicals although consumers can't tell what's in them because of the secrecy permitted to manufacturers to guard their flavour formulas. Take one of those chemicals - amyl acetate - for example. It can be claimed as natural on a label. But it’s been linked to nervous-system problems, depression, indigestion, chest pain, headaches, fatigue and irritation of mucous membranes. As author Eric Schlosser says in his bestselling book Fast Food Nation: “Natural and artificial flavours are now manufactured at the same chemical plants, places that few people would associate with Mother Nature. Calling any of these flavours “natural” requires a flexible attitude toward the English language and a fair amount of irony.”

Here’s an example from Heinz. The ingredients list for their 'Banana Multigrain' cereal features the item ‘Natural Flavouring’. No further detail is given as to what the actual components of this natural flavouring are. The packaging also features the buzzwords:  ‘no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives’. However the product contains ‘Maltodextrin’, an artificial sweetener! Maltodextrin is harmful to teeth, has a high glycemic index and can trigger allergic reactions. However as sweeteners aren’t technically a ‘flavour’ they fall outside the guidelines. Notice also that the product contains only 29 percent banana and there’s a massive 24g of added sugar per 100g!

Annabel Karmel's ‘Mini Biscotti Biscuits’ aimed at babies from 12 months have “100% Natural Flavours” touted prominently on the label. They are packed with Vegetable Oil, Cane Sugar, Starch, Golden Syrup, and Honey – all of which can be interpreted as ‘natural’ but are not desirable for babies, particularly honey which can cause infant botulism, a life threatening condition.

“No Added Nasties”

I’m not joking. This is a genuine food claim on Annabel Karmel’s range of toddler ready meals. The product has ‘no added nasties’, so presumably it only contains ‘nasties’ inherent in the food? It does, after all, contain Wheat Flour and Corn Flour as thickeners.

In fact, this product is a particularly potent example of a manufacturer exploiting marketing buzz words. Notice that the packaging claims “no added salt” and “no added sugar”. Yet the product contains worcester sauce, which the small print admits contains added salt and added sugar! Here Annabel Karmel is abusing a legal loop hole where a product is permitted to claim "no added salt" when in fact the meal contains a significant amount of salt, which is contained within one of the ingredients!

In a nutshell, health claims such as those discussed above act as a marketing smokescreen. In their study, the Children’s Food Campaign discovered that almost all the baby food products found to contain high levels of sugar and/or saturated fat also carry health claims such as “Added vitamins”, “No added salt” or “No added preservatives”.   While such claims may be factually true, they are simply a ploy to distract parents’ attention from less healthy attributes of the product.  This gives a misleading impression of the overall healthiness of a product, making it more difficult for parents to choose healthy products.

In 2006, legislation was introduced (Regulation (EC) 1924/2006) to ensure that health claims cannot be made about less healthy products so that consumers are not misled and can make informed choices. However baby foods are excluded from this legislation because babies and young children have different nutritional requirements than adults. Yet no comparative regulation was introduced for babies!

THE ‘ADDITIONAL’ INGREDIENTS:

As well as everything the manufacturers planned to include in the product, there is a significant risk of unplanned ingredients slipping in during the industrial process. Due to the nature of manufacturing – the sheer quantity of product produced, the capacity for corrupt employees, lengthy transportation and packaging chains – foreign objects are par for the course.

Here’s a timeline detailing the recent history of undesirable (to put it mildly!) objects found in commercial baby food.

2004:

Safety pin - read the news story here.

Poison - read the news story here. 

Ransom note - read the news story here.

2006:

Glass - read the news story here.

2008:

Worms - read the news story here.

2010:

Staples - read the news story here.

Rust - read the news story here.

Plastic pieces - read the news story here.

2011:

More plastic pieces - read the news stories here and here.

Slug - read the news story here.

More glass - read the news story here.

2012:

Plastic tube - read the news story here.

Dead grasshopper - read the news story here.

Dead rat pups - read the news story here.

Veterinary drugs - read the news story here.

Human finger nail - read the news story here.

2013:

Pieces of wood - read the news story here.

More glass - read the news story here.

I know what you’re thinking, I must have chosen the most ‘extreme’ examples. Sadly, this isn't the case. 'Non-food' items such as bug parts, rodent hair and rodent droppings are in fact, deemed an acceptable standard in the food processing industry. The Food and Drug Administration has produced guidelines detailing acceptable levels of food contamination from sources such as maggots, thrips, insect fragments, "foreign matter", mold, rodent hairs, and insect and mammalian feces. Yum.

For instance, tomato paste, pizza sauce or other sauces can legally include 30 or more fly eggs per 100 grams. Alternatively, you can have 15 or more fly eggs and one or more maggots. As another example, wheat flour, a common ingredient in baby food, can include an average of 150 or more insect fragments per 100 grams! (FDA 2011). Bon appetit!

To Conclude

It is a child’s birthright to be provided with healthy and wholesome food to aid their optimum growth and development. Yet parents who assume that the food industry share this view are naive wishful thinkers. Jarred baby foods exploit parents' trust in terms of cost, value, nutrition, quality and safety. Pouched, potted and boxed baby foods are not immune either.

Reliance on baby food manufacturers to show social responsibility is ineffective because companies are legally obliged to act the best interest of their shareholders, not consumers. Asking baby food manufacturers to change merely serves as a distraction from perusing more effective initiatives. For instance, there is an urgent need for adequate Government regulation of the baby food industry. There's no need to vainly rely on manufacturers’ good will when Government has the power to enforce effective regulation.

In the meantime, what’s the best way to improve the nutritional value of your baby's foods? The answer is surprisingly simple! Just puree the vegetables and fruits or meats in a blender yourself and store them overnight in the refrigerator. Ta-dah! Or hell, why not go the easy, and frankly common sense route – baby led weaning.