Pureed raw veg for 5-month old?

We just snagged an industrial-style slow juicer on Craigslist and it
can puree fresh fruit and veg to a perfect consistency for baby food.

My baby is five and a half months old and I am expecting her to start
solids fairly soon now. I would like to give her exclusively home-made
meals and postpone introducing sweet foods like fruit for as long as

Clisby...

Formula *is* sweet-tasting. At least, Enfamil is, and I'd expect most
ordinary formulas would be.

Clisby

I'd really like her to start on vegetables if

Cindi - HappyMamatoThree...

I found quite a good article that directly discusses the solids feeding
needs of both formula fed and breast fed infants. As well as food
suggestions.

and on the WIC site which is used for teaching mothers who are recieving WIC
assistance learn to feed their babies, etc, there was this information about
raw versus cooked, as well as what foods are recommended not to be home
prepared.

""Is if Safe? Remember food safety! When you are preparing any food for
your baby extra care should be taken since babies are more vulnerable to
germs. Always wash your hands, appliances, and utensils well.

Always wash all fruits and vegetables well.

Peel, pit and seed as recipes direct.

Don't use leftovers.

Raw food contains bacteria. Never let cooked food come into contact with
raw food. Cook all meats thoroughly! No Pink!

Visit our Food Safety lesson by clicking to get more information.

Please Note: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, beets,
turnips, carrots, and collard greens should not be home-prepared. It was
found that in some parts of the country, these vegetables contain large
amounts of nitrates. Nitrate is a chemical that can cause an unusual type
of anemia (low blood count) in young infants. It may be safer to use these
foods commercially prepared. ""

quotation.

The following article recommends against a raw food diet for infants, though
it's reasoning is not well explained.

Last link, this is an excellent article about first foods, home prepartion
of baby foods, best ways to prepare, what to avoid, etc. I found it very
helpful when my youngest was little and was given a handout with this
article, but now it is available online. THe article is a PDF so you will
need acrobat reader.

From experience in the healthcare field and having just had a gastric bypass
and doing hours and hours of research and reeducating myself about healthy
heating as a whole, raw foods (even pureed) are harder to digest, cooking
performs part of that function for us by breaking down the food we are
eating. For example, rare meat is far more difficult for the body to digest,
than is stew beef that has been simmered for a couple of hours; raw carrots
are much harder on the stomach than cooked carrots, etc.

Raw foods also cause more gas and flatulence than cooked foods, and no one
wants to wish that on their little one.

Raw foods also fill the stomach faster than cooked.

Hope that helps, and though I had the same thoughts of trying to get
vegetables established before fruit with my first, I didn't follow the same
with my second. Both of them liked both vegetables and fruits, both still
do, neither is overweight, and neither has any symptoms or signs of diet
related problems except for the bottomless pit syndrome, and are very
active, healthy sized, kidlets.

Cindi

Ericka Kammerer...

What are you trying to accomplish by denying
her fruits? The studies I've read suggest this has no
beneficial effects. It doesn't make them eat healthier
in the long run. It doesn't make them less prone to
obesity or overweight in the long run. It doesn't
make them more adventurous eaters. It doesn't reduce
the likelihood that they'll develop diabetes.

Best wishes,
Ericka

possible.

I was wondering what veggies might be safe to start with, and if any
can be served raw (in a pureed state).

Ericka Kammerer...

I don't really know about the raw vs. cooked issue
(though I know there are some foods that are more nutritionally
available cooked, and the texture can be wonky with raw
foods even if the puree is fine). However, why would you
hold out on the fruits like that? As far as I've read,
none of the studies suggest this is at all useful in the
long run. Breastmilk is awfully sweet, you know.

Best wishes,
Ericka

loomis1...

We went with homemade baby food as well. Both DS#1&2 had sweet potato
first, avocado second (DS#2 never liked avocado). I don't recall the
whole list at the moment, but we found a great book (unfortunately in
storage at the moment), Super Baby Foods by Ruth Yaron.

To add to the debate, read the following regarding cooking and pureeing
your own carrots. This article (as well as other sites...web-search for:
carrots nitrates baby food)suggests that carrots aren't as bad once
thought, so long as the baby is at least 6 months old, and preferably 8
months old (remember that many people still start solids very early):