After sharing the (ugly) truth about shelf-stable baby food in this instagram post I was inundated with questions asking me what I thought about other recommended baby foods like rice cereals.
Babies are born with enough iron stores to last through to six months of age. The low drop off in iron stores at six months has previously been the main reason for the recommendation to introduce an iron fortified baby rice cereal as one of baby’s foods because breast milk has very low amounts of iron.
However, after researching further, here’s are 8 key reasons why I don't recommend them;
PROCESSING
Let’s first take a look at what baby cereal really is… because it’s not just plain rice. Firstly they start with the grain, take everything out of it – like the bran and the germ where all the goodness is and highly process it until it’s converted into light flakes, which are instantly ready for consumption. This is done to make it a true convenience food that’s really easy to stir into milk or formula. However, because there really isn’t any nutrition left in it, it’s fortified with synthetically produced vitamins, like ferrous sulfate (iron), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vegetable or sunflower oil, rosemary extract (there’s nothing rosemary about that additive) to name a few of the additives and, presto, charge $$$ for as little food as possible.
ORGANIC DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN HEALTHY
Some manufacturers are offering organic rice baby cereal, but it’s not much better. Don’t get me wrong, I think that most of the organic foods and the people bringing them to you have the best interests of people, animals and the planet at heart. But because organic can mean big money, there are others who have no idea and don’t care, but know the loopholes and enter the market purely for financial gain. It’s up to you as a consumer to become educated and aware that the term ‘certified organic’ does not necessarily mean completely organic, nor does it automatically make the product healthy. Even some of the ‘organic’ baby food products contain questionable additives.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE INGREDIENTS
I have chosen to exclude the brand names of these popular baby cereal brands as this post is not about defaming, so much as raising awareness. If we use harsher criteria overall, it won’t matter about knowing what brands to buy or not buy. With a quick scan of the ingredients list, we’ll know pretty quickly if the convenience is worth it or not. Here’s a closer look at the ingredients of some popular baby rice cereal brands. I have bolded the ingredients I would personally question.
Baby Food Rice Cereal (4 months)
Ground Rice (97%), Sunflower Oil, Vitamin C, Antioxidant (Herb Extract), Mineral (Iron), Traces of Milk, Wheat & Soy.
Rice Cereal (4 months)
Rice Flour (Contains Soy), Vegetable Oils, Maltodextrin, Vitamin C, Mineral (Iron), Culture (Bifidus), Antioxidants (Mixed Tocopherols Concentrate, Ascorbyl Palmitate).
Organic Baby Porridge (5 months)
Organic grains (oats, corn) (83.2%), organic pear juice (16.6%), mineral (iron), vitamin C, herb. Total organic ingredient = 99.8%
Organic Milk & Vanilla Baby Rice (6 months)
Organic rice flour (42%), Organic skim milk powder (26%), Organic full cream milk powder (14%), Organic apple puree, Organic maize starch, Organic oat flour, Natural vanilla, Mineral iron, Vitamin C
Organic Soft Cereal (6 months)
Organic Wholegrain Oat Flour 28%, Organic Apple Juice 24%, Organic Wholegrain Wheat Flour 16%, Organic Rice Flour 14%, Organic Sunflower Oil 9%, Organic Cocoa Butter 5%, Organic Skimmed Milk Powder 2%, Baking Powder 1%, Organic Vanilla 1%
Baby Cereal Banana & Apple (8 months)
Oats (contains Soy), Wheat Flour, Banana Flakes (10%), Corn Flakes, Rice Semolina, Dried Apple (5%), Wheat Bran, Maize Maltodextrin, Mineral (Iron), Vitamins [C, Niacin, Thiamin (B1), B6], Culture (Bifidus).
I don’t know about you, but highly refined vegetable oils, maltodextrin (which can be derived from GMO corn or wheat), corn starch, wheat flour (both of which would cause blood sugar issues), processed skim milk powder and synthetic antioxidants and vitamins would not be on the top of my list to give to my babies as their first food. Wheat is sadly not the wheat of our great grandparent’s time. It’s a hybrid and super difficult for our bodies to digest and has been found to damage the lining of the gut. This not something I would recommend giving to a 4-6 month old baby’s immature digestive system. I was also curious about the the mixed tocopherols concentrate & ascorbyl palmitate (Antioxidants) one of the brands used, and I found out that they are derived directly from vegetable oils and used as a preservative to prevent fats from going rancid.
While these dubious ingredients may only make up less than 5% of the total product, I take the stance that there’s no minimum safety on toxic stuff and we don’t know the what long term effects they have on our health yet. I regularly share evidence based information on the many different additives used in processed foods in my instagram stories, you can follow along if this interests you. I’ve also written an in depth instagram post on why I don’t recommend or personally consume vegetable oils and sunflower oil.
THEY’RE FULL OF SYNTHETIC VITAMINS
As you can see from the ingredients lists above, all of these baby rice cereals are high in synthetic vitamins. Some studies have shown that certain synthetic vitamins give 50% or less of the biological activity in comparison to whole vitamins that come directly from vegetables. So why do companies use synthetic vitamins if they’re not as effective as whole vitamins? Because synthetic vitamins cost far less to manufacture and they can make a huge profit while doing so.
When I found out that most foods fortified with iron, and some iron supplements were magnetic (you can remove them with a magnet) I began to question every fortification and every laboratory based supplement. Many rice cereals are fortified with iron because paediatricians and dietitians argue that a baby’s diet is too low in iron. It’s true that breast milk is low in iron, but some believe that it’s for a reason. According to Nourishing Traditions, if all babies had delayed cord clamping at birth, they would get enough iron stores until they were ready to eat red meats, an excellent source of iron.
Laboratory made isolated vitamins and minerals can never have the intelligence of nature based vitamins and minerals because they all require other enzymes, co-factors, coenzymes, minerals and other macronutrients that work together to be absorbed and utilised. Let’s take a look at synthetic Vitamin C also known as ascorbic acid - it’s usually derived from GMO-corn and is a synthetic isolate that can cause imbalances elsewhere in the body. In one study I read, synthetic Vitamin A was given to 22,000 pregnant women however, the study was halted because birth defects increased 400%. This is why I am such an advocate of food first and foremost.
Just as medicine has its place in emergency health situations, so do synthetic vitamins and minerals so I’m not totally against them. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t question them and find food based sources first.
IT’S NOT TRADITIONAL
Traditional cultures didn’t (and don’t) feed their babies processed baby cereal. Among the few cultures who fed their babies a gruel of grains they would make the grains more digestible for their baby and easier on their immature digestive systems by either pre-chewing the gruel or soaking the grains for 24 hours and fermenting them. Additionally they introduced the gruel after the baby was over one year old.
BABIES CAN’T DIGEST GRAINS
Babies only a few months old have immature digestive systems that don’t produce sufficient amylase (the enzyme required for digestion of carbohydrates). The fact that rice cereal is gluten-free makes no difference because rice is still a carbohydrate and therefore very difficult for babies to handle digestively. Undigested grains can wreak havoc on your baby’s intestinal lining. It can throw off the balance of bacteria in their gut and lead to complications as they age including: gut issues, nutritional deficiencies, food allergies, behavioural problems, mood issues, and more.
HEAVY METALS
A nonprofit group called Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF), tested nearly 170 baby foods for heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury (please note this was done in the US). The testing involved checking 168 containers of 61 brands of 13 different types of baby food including; teething biscuits, infant rice cereal, snacks, infant multi and non-rice grain cereal, fruit, vegetables, mixed fruits and veggies, jars of meat, apple juice, 100% fruit juice, infant formula, other drinks, and meals (veggies, grains, pasta, meat combos).
Arsenic was found in 73% of the baby foods tested, cadmium in 75%, mercury in 32%, and lead in a whopping 94%. 26% of baby foods tested had all four of these heavy metals, and 40% had three of them. Of all the baby foods analysed, rice-based foods were found to have the highest concentrations of heavy metals.
This is particularly concerning since babies’ metabolic pathways haven’t built up immunity to environmental hazards. They also weigh less, so they can be more vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals. In the body of a growing child, such heavy metals may interfere with normal brain and body development. Even low levels have been shown to affect IQ, concentration and academic achievement.
Why are these heavy metals even in baby foods? Some of the metals are from the environment, additionally, machines used to chop, grind, package, and otherwise process baby food could be introducing various substances into the food. This is yet another reason to be wary of processed foods. The bottom line is that heavy metal and babies should not mix.
FEEDING YOUR BABY GRAINS CAN DISPLACE MORE IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS
Unlike vegetables and meat, baby cereals lack in overall nutrients (another reason why synthetic vitamins are added in). They provide high energy but not the vitamins and minerals that babies require like vitamin A, folate, zinc and calcium are not in baby cereals. When it’s time to introduce solids (when your baby’s 6-10 months old and expressing an interest in feeding themselves) rather than opting for convenience, opt for nutrient-density especially as babies don’t consume huge amounts of food over the first few months. For example, according to WHO, just one tablespoon of carrots give enough Vitamin A for the whole day for a baby 6-10 months old.
NUTRITIOUS FOOD IDEAS FOR BABY
So now that we’ve covered why rice baby cereal isn’t the best first food for baby, what is? I’m not going to go too in depth here as I think this deserves a blog post of it’s own, however, here are some food options that will nourish your baby’s brain, nervous system and development.
BONE BROTH
Broth is incredibly nutritious for babies (and mums!). The gelatin in the homemade broth is protective against any intestinal bugs, boosts immunity and soothes the digestive tract. It also aids digestion allowing your baby to absorb as many nutrients as possible. Because breast milk and formula are sweet so offering your baby savoury broth helps to diversify your baby’s palate. There are many different ways you can introduce bone broth depending on if you are baby led weaning or spoon feeding, but here’s a few ideas. You can thin veggie purees with homemade broth or for baby led weaning you can cook veggies or meat in broth, give them a small amount in a sippy cup or on hot days you can freeze broth into small ice cubes and pop them into baby mesh bags for them to suck/ chew on.
AVOCADO
Contains lots of healthy fats, as well as the almighty mineral magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium, folate and fibre. If you’re baby led weaning you can peel and cut the avocado into long slices so your baby can self-feed. You can also mash and spoon-feed.
LIVER + EGG YOLKS
The reason egg yolks are highly recommended for baby is because they supply critical brain-building choline, cholesterol and fatty acids. They’re also rich in fat soluble Vitamins A, D, E, K. At about 6 months of age, you can grate ½ tsp of liver that has been frozen for at least 14 days (to kill any pathogens) and mash/ mix it into an egg yolk and feed it to your baby. This actually mimics the traditional practice of African mothers who would chew raw liver and then give small amounts to their babies as a first food (source).
A final note for you. My aim is to provide eduction so you can make informed decisions when it comes to your own food choices and what you feed your baby. I’m all for looking at the research, appreciating the quality of the food we eat, ditching fake processed foods full of harmful additives, choosing organic food as much as possible, helping you to raise children who love real food and inspiring that through delicious and nourishing recipes I create and share, as well as yummy desserts and sweets when we fancy a treat. I always advocate listening to your body and your own personal preferences in terms of what you end up implementing for yourself and your family. I want this space to be free of judgment, about positive can-do change and helping each other along the way.