There are many things that might hurt babies’ organisms or cause problems with digestion–and because of that, it’s important to build a proper diet for your child that would consist of only beneficial and non-toxic products. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to do, especially during the early stages of life, when your baby consumes baby formula and other alternatives to “adult” food. In this article, you will learn what ingredients to look for in an ingredients list and avoid. Make sure to save this article or note it down to always have such important info near you!
8 ingredients to avoid in baby’s food
Table of Contents
Down below, you can find a list of the most harmful ingredients that many baby foods contain. Of course, some of these can be given to your baby in small quantities, but it is better to consult your doctor before doing so.
Cow’s milk
First of all, cow’s milk is not always bad, and whether you should give it to your baby or not depends on how well your baby’s organism responds to lactose, especially in big amounts. Still, before letting your child drink and eat anything with cow’s milk, it’s best to talk to your doctor and find out if your baby has lactose intolerance or a cow’s milk allergy.
Peanut butter and anything that contains peanuts and other types of nuts
Various sorts of nuts can be a great source of nutrients and very useful for your child, but they can also cause some allergies that can be very difficult to deal with. This is why it’s best not to rush with introducing this type of food to kids before they are age 4 and older.
Gluten
Again, gluten itself is not always the best. However, babies have much more sensitive stomachs, and consumption of gluten can increase the risks of diarrhea and other health problems. This is why it’s best to take things slow and not introduce gluten until your child is ready.
Carcinogens
These words look scary and even surreal, but the truth is that these ingredients are too often found in commercial foods for babies, especially in products containing rice. Arsenic is the type of carcinogen that’s commonly found in rice cereals and other rice products. In some baby foods, the amount of it was at least five times higher than the amount of arsenic found in other cereal products such as oatmeal. Instead of rice cereal, you can use organic baby cereal, as well as other alternatives to rice products.
To avoid all possible carcinogens, you can do two things: research what products contain the highest levels of carcinogens and find brands that offer products with ingredients that are all healthy and non-harmful.
Pesticides
Pesticides are chemicals used to protect crops from insects, as well as for other purposes. Pesticides are very dangerous even for adults, but the harm can be doubled and tripled when it comes to babies. These chemicals are very dangerous by themselves, but what also makes them bad is the fact that some of the used pesticides contain carcinogens. The best way to avoid foods where pesticides are used is to opt for organic baby food since those brands that are organic use crops and other ingredients that were grown without pesticides.
Preservatives
Most companies claim that preservatives used in the formulas they make are natural, but this is far from the truth. Indeed, most preservatives can be found in nature, but the ones used in the production of baby formula are usually synthetic. Moreover, these preservatives are extracted with the help of hexane and many other solvents that are very harmful to a baby’s organism. Here are some of the preservatives it’s best to avoid:
- Lutein
- Taurine
- Lycopene
- Beta carotene
- Nucleotides
- Ascorbyl palmitate
Soy Lecithin
Soy is something that it’s best to avoid, especially when your child is still very young. Lecithin is not bad on its own; soy is what might be the source of some problems. First of all, many humans are allergic to soy, so it’s possible that your baby could be allergic to it, especially if someone in your family has a soy allergy. Also, phytoestrogens that can be found in soy can result in some changes in reproductive tissues, which has been proven by some studies done in the past. It’s best to consult your doctor before adding any soy products to your baby’s diet.
Processed sugars
These come in different forms, such as corn syrup, rice syrup, fructose, glucose, etc… And most of them can be very harmful. Possible risks include obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, addiction to sweets, and many other health problems. Unfortunately, the amount of sugar in most baby formulas goes through the roof, so it’s best to always check and compare different formulas to find the one that contains fewer processed sugars and more natural sweeteners such as lactose. Another option is to go for organic formulas since most of them use only the natural sweeteners mentioned above.
A few more tips
The goal of quality organic baby formula is to ensure that its taste is as close to human milk as it can be. And in order to achieve that, some manufacturers add ingredients that might give the right taste but are definitely not very good for your baby’s health. To ensure your baby’s safety, do your research, take some time, and book an appointment with your doctor to discuss this problem and decide what foods can be given to your baby. Good luck to you!
