By Blythe Copeland | Tue Sep 22, 2009 10:57
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Buy Green: Baby Food
It's a no-brainer: Keep the chemicals and pesticides out of what your growing baby eats.
So you stocked your nursery with organic linens, took home that sustainable-wood crib, invested in glass baby bottles, and even decided to go with cloth diapers?but once baby outgrows formula and breast milk, then what? It may be a few months away, but that time will go more quickly than a new parent can even imagine: We've rounded up five of the healthiest organic baby foods out there?and recommended some of our favorite flavors?to keep your little one happy and healthy while she's developing her palate.
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Fresh Frozen Organic Meals From Happy Baby
Why We Like It: Fresh Frozen Organic Meals from Happy Baby are just what they sound like: foods prepared while fresh and flash-frozen to preserve the nutrients and color (the team claims that in some cases, frozen foods have even higher nutrient contents than fresh). Plus they come in three levels?Simple Purees for babies older than six months, Smooth Combos for babies older than seven months, and Sorta Chunky, for babies older than nine months.
Eco-Factor: The ingredients are all organic, so you can be sure baby isn't ingesting nasty chemicals and pesticides along with his peas and carrots, and the meals are packaged in individual cubes that you defrost in your own container?so there's less packaging waste.
Baby Will Love: Gobble Gobble (turkey, sweet potato, and squash)
Where: Happy Family Shop
How Much: $5
Photo courtesy of Nurture
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Infant Foods From Earth's Best
Why We Like It: Earth's Best infant foods include formula and baby cereals alongside the jarred meals, which come in classic flavors?bananas, peas, pears?for babies as young as four months. Things get more interesting as your tot moves onto chunkier versions?think peach oatmeal with banana, sweet potato and chicken diner, sweet pea turkey wild rice, and even spaghetti.
Eco-Factor: All of the foods are made from organic meat and vegetables, and the company claims it was the first line to forgo all genetically engineered ingredients. Even the juices are organic, and the teething biscuits are free of artificial flavors and colors.
Baby Will Love: Chicken Mango Risotto
Where: Earth's Best
How Much: $0.69-1.29 per jar; $3-4 for cereal.
Photo courtesy of The Hain Celestial Group
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Fresh Food From Homemade Baby
Why We Like It: The three stages of fresh food from Homemade Baby—So Smooth, Good Mushy, and Kinda Chunky&mdasd;offer new tastes and textures for babies at every development stage, while the Meal Integrity System guarantees that the company can track down the source of any ingredient, from the farm where it was grown to the kettle it was cooked in.
Eco-Factor: Organic ingredients are the basis of each meal, but they're just the beginning: Foods are gluten-free and kosher, handmade in individual batches, and refrigerated—instead of being frozen or jarred—to retain maximum nutrition.
Baby Will Love: Baby Tex Mex (black beans, brown rice, and vegetables)
Where: Whole Foods
How Much: $1.50
Photo courtesy of Homemade Baby
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Baby Food From Plum Organics
Why We Like It: Plum Organics' baby food is found in two different places in your grocery store: Portable pouches (on the shelves) offer pureed fruits and veggies like pumpkin and banana or spinach, peas, and pear, while the flash-frozen cups (in the freezer section) serve up greens, pasta with veggies and chicken, and vegetable stew with beef.
Eco-Factor: Fruits, vegetables, and meat are completely organic, free of pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones, but the packaging also sets this brand apart: It's all BPA-free and recyclable, and the portable pouches include a resealable top so you can monitor portions and prevent waste.
Baby Will Love: Red Lentil Veggie
Where: Amazon
How Much: $4
Photo courtesy of Plum Organics
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Baby Food From Tastybaby
Why We Like It: The flash-frozen baby food from Tastybaby is a favorite of celebrities including Cindy Crawford, Pierce Brosnan, and Greg Kinnear?and it's easy to see why, with classic single-ingredient starters like corn and squash that give way to older-kid favorites like bananas and mangoes or lentils and vegetables. The site even offers adult-friendly recipes?like grilled shrimp with peach BBQ sauce?that rely on the baby foods.
Eco-Factor: In addition to using organic ingredients and recyclable packaging, Tastybaby also supports sustainable agriculture initiatives and local environmental causes while donating to children's charities and other social change projects.
Baby Will Love: Mama Mia (squash, zucchini, quinoa, and parmesan)
Where: Amazon
How Much: $40 (per case)
Photo courtesy of Tastybaby
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