Five Reasons to Make Your Own Baby Food
By Nancy Miller
Are you undecided whether you should prepare your own baby food or just buy it from the store? If so, then take a look at these five good reasons for doing it yourself. They may help you make up your mind.
1. It's healthier and more nutritious.
Commercial baby foods contain additional fat, salt, sugar, fillers or other ingredients that are completely unnecessary (and often inappropriate) to your baby's diet. These additives are an attempt to add flavor, texture and bulk to poor quality products. They contribute nothing at all to your baby's health or well-being. By preparing the food yourself, you can be sure that your baby is getting exactly what his/her little body needs -- and nothing that it doesn't.
2. You're in control.
By preparing your baby's food yourself, you know exactly what your baby is eating. When you prepare an applesauce, you know he is getting fresh, pure apple and all the goodness it contains. However, when you buy applesauce at the store, you'd almost need a degree in nutrition just to decipher the list of ingredients.
3. It's easy.
Once you get started cooking for your baby, you'll quickly realize just how easy it is. All you need is a food blender and some fresh ingredients to quickly prepare healthy, tasty, homemade meals for your little one. Furthermore, by making large amounts of her favorite meals in advance and then freezing them for later, you'll be able to serve up delicious, healthy meals in minutes -- every day of the week.
4. It's much cheaper.
The prices that baby food manufacturers charge for their products is nothing short of scandalous and are in no way justifiable. The reason they can charge so much is because they've conditioned most parents to believe that they have no choice but to buy from them. By preparing your baby's food yourself, you can avoid being a victim of this daylight robbery and find yourself with extra cash to spend on all those other things that a growing baby needs.
5. It's very gratifying.
Watching your baby enjoy the meal you've just prepared for him is already a very gratifying experience. On top of that, however, you have the satisfaction and pride of knowing that you're giving your child the gift of a healthy and nutritious diet -- and saving yourself money as well.
And finally ...
If all that weren't enough, here's another great reason to do it yourself: homemade baby food is much tastier than any commercial product. Delicious food is one of life's great pleasures and your baby deserves to enjoy the rich flavor and texture of real home cooking just as much as you or me. After all, none of us would enjoy eating TV dinners morning, noon and night -- and that goes for your baby, too! So, don't put it off. Get started today. Your baby will thank you for it in more ways than one.
© Nancy Miller
Nancy Miller is author of How to Make Your Own Healthy Baby Food and a full-time working mom. Visit Nancy's web site at www.healthy-baby-food.com.
