Nutrition is the key - how prepared are we?
Hi everyone.. I'm back with another post today. This time it's not really a post, but the answer to a question that's been troubling me since long.

How do I know if I'm making the correct food choices for my baby?

With the brainy marketing teams of all F&B companies, it really becomes difficult for general public like us to identify what's actually good and what's just a scam. What most of us do is, either trust the brand name, and go for anything and everything the company offers. Or trust our family and friend recommendations, and go for the products they suggest. Third category involves those who do an extensive research and then make an informed decision.

The first thing, that has been marketed like the elixir from heaven for the babies is the packaged food or infant ready to eat meals. These get ready in a jiffy, just add water, and mix. Done. Give your child a wholesome meal and be assured you have done the best for him/her.

BUT

Is it really as good as it claims?

Short answer - NO

Long answer : these packaged food items that emerged as a boon for busy moms who could not prepare a full meal for their child, or as a relief to moms worried about what would the child eat during a journey, or outside home, has now been marketed as something that's essential for the baby's growth and development, full of nutrition, are actually full of sugar and preservatives to increase the shelf life. Obviously, they come in a variety of flavours, so children are exposed to artificial flavouring, preservatives and sugar when they absolutely shouldn't be.

Best to be avoided. Definitely not the best choice.

Next thing, introduction of flavoured water (read daal ka Paani, chawal ka paani, khichdi ka Paani) for the kids as baby's first food. But that's what it actually is... Water.

It has empty calories, and no nutrition what so ever. It only fills up the child's tummy without giving any benefits. I have already written a detailed post on it earlier. Much better option would be to give thin daal instead of strained water, as babies are habituated to breastmilk which is already thicker than water.

Third thing, giving biscuits, cookies, bread, sauces, ketchups, jams to children because - they won't eat anything else.

Well, they would if you don't leave an option. Children throw tantrums - they will ask for anything. Can you give everything to them? No right?

Bread, biscuits and cookies are best avoided for children as long as possible. Our momstar Sonam patel has already written a post about it giving the reason why. They are full of maida, sugar, preservatives, artificial flavouring and what not. Same goes with commercial juices, sauces ketchups and jams. They have high amounts of salt, and other preservatives best avoided for kids. If at all, you want to give these things, you can give homemade versions of these. That too, not on a daily basis.

Few things that can be done to ensure food safety are:
🍴 Avoid packaged food especially for babies. They don't need that junk if they can have fresh homemade food.

🍴Read the label. Ensure that whole grains are used in preparation of the product and not just the lucrative grain name. Example.. go for whole wheat flour instead of wheat flour check out sugar and salt content on food packages... There are many kinds of sugar and salt other than the commonly used sodium chloride, so check well before you buy.
🍴Check out the preservatives and additional additives list of the food items and know what exactly is what.

🍴While giving homemade food to the baby, ensure that the the baby is not allergic or has trouble with certain food items.
These were my points on what's being done and what should be done. What should be avoided, what should be implemented to ensure we are making the right choices for our precious little ones.

How do you ensure that you are giving your child the correct nutrition?

I would love to hear from all of you!!!

Till we meet again 😊
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