Resources: Nourish Traditions by Sally Fallon Whole Foods for Babies & Toddlers by Margaret Kenda

 perfectly designed for baby's physical and mental development.  more robust, more intelligent and freer from allergies and other complaints, especially intestinal difficulties, than those on formula.  helps guard him against colds, flu, polio, staph infections and viruses.

 Animal products will ensure proper amounts of vitamins and minerals in her milk.  Whole milk products and stock made from bones ensure that her baby receives adequate calcium.  Organic foods of both plant and animal origin to avoid toxins and chemicals in her milk. Also provide healthy fats needed for baby's optimal development.  Avoid refined fats as these cause decreased visual acuity and learning difficulties in the infant.

Breast-feeding should ideally be continued for six months to a year. If mother's milk is not adequate or of good quality, or if the mother is unable to breast feed for whatever reason, a homemade baby formula, rather than a commercial formula, can be used.

 Commercial infant formulas composed of milk or soy powders produced by high-temperature processes damage proteins and add many carcinogens.  Contains added, refined sugars.  Milk-based formulas often cause allergies  Soy-based formulas  contain compounds that can have adverse effects on the infant’s hormonal development and ability to obtain needed nutrients from formula  devoid of cholesterol, needed for the development of the baby’s brain and nervous system.

 Resources:

 Nursing a baby is a privilege  Encourage mothers to nurse and be accepting of nursing in public places  Provide mothers support at the work place to continue nursing  Support policies that encourage women to nurse their babies (maternity leave)

 Around age 6 months, lightly-cooked egg yolk  Then very ripe, mashed banana  Around age 10 months: pureed cooked meats, vegetables and fruits, introduced one at a time.  Sweet potatoes, carrots and turnips, cooked and mashed with butter and a little sea salt  Earliest solid foods should be animal foods as baby’s digestive system, although immature, is better equipped to supply enzymes for digestion of fats and proteins rather than carbohydrates.

 Can be easily cooked and pureed at home  First cook single vegetables and meats, season with a little sea salt and puree with water to the consistency appropriate for baby

 Grains should be avoided for the first year because the baby’s digestive system lack the enzyme (amylase) necessary for digestion  Commercial juices since they are pasteurized making them only a source of sugar

 Often contains filler ingredients, flavor enhancers and sugar  Have been over-cooked which lowers their nutritional value and damages nutrients  Is much more expensive than using homemade foods from home  Quality of ingredients are unknown

 Keep infants away from process, refined foods as long as possible  Doing so will allow them to develop a taste for real foods and less likely to develop a taste for the flavor-enhanced refined foods  Starting infants on whole foods lays the foundation for a healthy life