The Washington Post released a report today titled, The Organic Movement. The Post looked at current research, and interviewed organic farmers and other organic leaders for their insights. I was asked, “What are simple changes parents can make to help baby have the healthiest start possible?” Then I was given a 150 word limit. Talk about a challenge!
After much deliberation, here’s my short answer to their question: Babies are built from food. Human milk is the perfect, complex food to start. If there’s one best time in life to choose organic foods, it’s the window of early development from pregnancy through infancy, when development is fastest and most complex. Their rapidly growing bodies benefit most from excellent building blocks and are most vulnerable to environmental toxins. In the US, the most common solid food for babies is conventional white rice baby cereal – basically refined white flour. This can set the trajectory of their taste preferences and metabolisms.
One high impact simple thing to do? Let every child’s first grain be a whole grain. They won’t mind a bit. And let every baby’s first food be a real food, preferably organic. It can be as simple as mashed avocado or banana that the baby has touched and seen you eat, learning where food comes from at the start.
That was my 150 words, but for in-depth information check out my book, Feeding Baby Green. For simple tips on changing the way babies are fed, join the WhiteOut movement, or go to DrGreene.com/WhiteOut. To find out more about organics you can download the pdf of the full report.