"Mmmmm... Mmmmmm... bad"

In looking for more baby food options, I learned that tofu was a great source of protein and very nutritious for babies! I was delighted the past few weeks feeding Soluna tofu. It's SO easy! She LOVES it. She feeds it to herself while saying "Mmmmm...Mmmm...MMmmm". Then, my trusted pre-natal/post-natal yoga intructor sent out this link: The Evidence Against Soy.

Research suggests that the risks associated with tofu outweigh the benefits. Tofu can lead to thyroid problems, cancer, premature puberty/developmental problems, cancer, brain damage, reproductive disorders kidney stones, weakened immune systems, food allergies... And while it seems like EVERYTHING is dangerous for us at this point, tofu seems just too risky for my little Soluna. The research might be right!

on a more practical food note...

Today I made my first batches of baby food. I had practically been preparing Soluna's food at each meal. This meant, she ended up eating a lot of avocados. Avocados, I think, are the easiest baby food because all you gotta do is wait until it's ripe, cut it open, scoop the goods out, mash/stir and serve. Avocados are especailly good for healthy baby brain development and my sister says that her Brazilian friends say that it's perfect for fattening babies up!

So anyways, I finally got Soluna's baby food cups in the mail. I made a run to Berkeley Bowl (another hippie mama thing to do) and started making batches of pear and sweet potato baby food. I mean seperately, not together. It was hella easy.

I just steamed the pears (20 minutes) and sweet potatoes (40 minutes). Peeled and cut them up. Popped them into the blender. Pureed them until they were the right consistency. The sweet potatoes needed a little bit of water. And... Tada! Homemade, Super Baby Food. I scooped out the puree into the food cups I bought and popped them into the fridge.

We kept one of the pear cups out for Soluna to try.. not her favorite! I think this might be her first food rejection. But, we're going to try it again in a few days.

gerber vs. homemade baby food

So last weekend as I was mashing avocados at a diner while eating breakfast with my in-laws, my suegra asked why we weren't feeding Soluna Gerber baby food. She said it was made especially for babies. Of course, I didn't know it at the time. Unfortunately, "No habla Espanol!" ... I know, I suck. I really wish that I hadn't made the horrible decision to learn German in high school. Now, I am at a conversational disadvantage. I am reliant on Benji's translations that often come way after the conversation is over, sometimes in the car on the way home, or don't happen at all if he doesn't feel like it or doesn't want me to know what the heck is going on.

In response to the Gerber question, that I was pretty ready to answer, Benji must have mumbled something about how it was cheaper to make homemade food. Which is true, but only part of the reason why we have chosen to make our own food. Okay, not to bust out my Super Baby Food book again, but fresh homemade baby foods will always have fresh ingredients, will not contain extra salt or preservatives and is more food and less water. I found more information on this topic right here.

The other night I dragged Benji to Manzanita Restaurant, which is literally around the corner from our home. It's a macrobiotic vegan spot and I REALLY love it. I forgot how good a plain steamed sweet carrot tasted or how mung beans can be so rich in flavor. We have become so out of touch from the simple pleasures of simple foods. It is so nice and refreshing to have a plate full of food that hasn't been overly spiced or overly processed. My point is... Why can't it be natural to eat less food from boxes and jars? Shouldn't we all be eating more "whole foods" and wouldn't it be nice to see real fruits and vegetables more often? Especially for our littlest ones, isn't it better to go more natural. I think this is how it should be for me and for Soluna... and Benji, if he wants.

Lifestyle changes. God help me, I'm becoming a brown hippie! (More about my hippie-ness later. I have some mama confessions.)

GERBER

VS.
HOMEMADE

okay, neither looks appetizing... but you gotta taste for yourself!

this kid can eat...

I was hoping to slowly transition Soluna into eating solid foods, despite grandparental pressure on both sides to give her anything she looked slighty interested in as early as 2 months. (Including Ritz Crackers, which my mama intuition thinks is way to salty for a baby.) Soluna is letting us know she wants solids. She's practically yelling "I'm ready to eat!!" She's mooching off my plate, whiny at any mealtime until we give her a taste, opening her mouth wide when we offer her a spoonful of her starter foods (rice cereal, banana, avocado and sweet potatoes), and grabs the spoon to feed herself.

I love it! Where did she get this love of food?! jajajaja..

I've been reading Super Baby Food, the book that is recommended in most every mama circle I am in. It's definitely thorough, but borderline TMI on food safety. I want to make all Soluna's baby food. But we'll have to wait and see how it goes. My mom wants to make her arroz caldo. Yum! But for some reason, these books don't cover safe baby versions of "ethnic" foods. Hah! I guess we're going to have to trust the experience of grandparents.

Here is a video of Soluna eating her first solids a few weeks ago.