Take the Super Baby Food diet with a grain of salt!
Written: Jul 30 '01
Product Rating:
Pros: Good general information
Cons: too much commentary, take diet with a grain of salt
The Bottom Line: Great charts, cooking, and freezing information. But keep in mind this is written by a mom and not a nutritionist. I would recommend this book to a friend, with caveats.
I bought this book because I am vegetarian and was looking to start my son out in the healthiest way possible. I really wanted my son to develop a taste for "whole foods". I bought Super Baby Food because it is so highly recommended.
There are parts of this book I just love and reference daily - the fruit and vegetable section towards the back, the grain and legume cooking charts, some of the recipes are a good basis (I've modified most of them I actually use), the nutrition section in the back, flour enrichment ideas (I use this in everything I bake now), freezing in ice cube trays, etc.
However, I would take the actual diet with a grain of salt and discuss it in detail with your own pediatrician. A mom, not a MD or a nutritionist wrote this. My son was actually found to be severely anemic at 8 1/2 months after 2 months of "super porridge" and yogurt. My son had several risk factors for anemia (I was anemic during pregnancy, and he was just over 6 lbs. at birth). However (as explained by my pediatrician), both dairy and carbs bind with iron. This is why commercial baby cereals are iron fortified - to make up for the fact that they actually inhibit absorption of iron in formula and breastmilk. I've actually found studies that support this (see http://www.moms4milk.org/iron2.html). And after 2 weeks of exclusive breastfeeding, my son's hemoglobin was back at the low end of normal. I don't think the diet is without value. I just think it is much better suited for babies over 1 year whose digestive systems are more mature. Definitely don't believe me either - I think your pediatrician is your best source of information. I did discuss this with the pediatrician before I started solids - just not to the depth I wish I would have.
I also think that the actual daily food recommendations are not breastfeeding friendly. If my child ate as much as the charts say, he would definitely not get enough breastmilk. My child is no longer at the low end of the charts either. He is above the 50th percentile.
Another thing I don't like about it is the heavy reliance on spoon fed foods for so long. By 9 months my son decided a spoon in my hand was not going to cross those little lips of his. Since then he is eating entirely finger foods. I've invented a lot of ways for him to get his food this way (grain/bean casseroles, fruit rolled in wheat germ or flax, waffles or pancakes made with brown rice and soy flour, brown rice pasta mixed with pureed beans and veggies, whole steamed veggies, etc etc etc). I don't think this is entirely uncommon. Ruth Yaron actually quotes Touchpoints by T. Berry Brazelton MD in her book on dietary requirements for a toddler. However, Dr. Brazelton actually recommends relinquishing control of the spoon starting by 9 months and states that there are good substitutions for anything that can be fed on a spoon.
I have to admit the author's holier than tone grates on me in MANY places in this book ("For Heaven's sake, don't give your precious children the pretend maple syrup solid in supermarkets", "The Whiter the bread, the sooner your dead", dissertations on keeping your kitchen clean, etc). I also find some of her information contradictory - she goes into baby safe/environment safe cleaning products at the end, but discusses using bleach in her kitchen earlier in the book. A lot of her ideas are a bit offbeat and labor intensive.
I would not really recommend against this book. There are parts of it that I wouldn't trade for anything. I am really happy with the way my son is currently eating and this book is a lot of the basis for that I feel (who'd have thought a 10 month old would happily eat plain roasted beets, steamed broccoli, or waffles with kale baked into them?). However, be very careful and talk to your pediatrician about your child's circumstances. I know with my next child that I will not be giving my child "super porridge" until he or she is ready to have it with legumes - at which point he or she will probably be more excited about finger foods anyway. I will hold off on dairy longer too.
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