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As a new mom, I’ve been excited to experience new things with my baby.
All of her firsts like rolling over (which she did herself on Monday! So proud of her!), trying food, crawling, walking, talking, the list of firsts goes on!
Well, I was told at her 4-month checkup recently that if I wanted to, I could start introducing stage 1 baby foods to her.
Starting with cereals and vegetables such as rice cereal, oatmeal, multi-grain baby cereals, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.
So this morning, I went online to see which was the best food to start with and saw many news articles written within the week that talked about heavy metals such as inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium, and/or mercury being in 95% of all baby foods tested.
These metals were the highest in rice, carrots, sweet potatoes, and juice.
This concerned me and made me want to say no to feeding my daughter baby food altogether and continue breastfeeding!
Upon doing more research, I found that the FDA runs these tests frequently and the levels of heavy metal found in these foods have actually decreased since previous years.
A slightly more comforting thought is, these foods have not been recalled. Therefore, it is deemed okay to eat.
We just need to educate ourselves on the best way to go about feeding it to our children and even to ourselves (because we eat fruits, vegetables, and rice all the time too).
I had so many questions about this subject and I’m sure you do too. Here are a few answers to help you better understand.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or healthcare provider. I’m just a mom that cares about the well-being of my baby and others. I want to bring these recent concerns to your attention. Please consult your doctor to see what they recommend for you and your baby.
Why should I care about how much heavy metal my baby consumes?
There are a few reasons why you should care.
Babies’ bodies are smaller than adults, therefore, even a small amount of these heavy metals have a higher impact on their bodies, brain, and other organs.
According to the FDA, the main concern is the effect these heavy metals have on baby’s neurological development.
Where is the heavy metal coming from?
I think one of the most important things to know here is that these heavy metals are found in not only the fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains that our babies eat, but also what adults eat as well.
Also, these baby food companies are NOT purposely putting these metals in the foods.
Yes, I’ve been hearing some social media influencers claiming these baby food companies are putting toxic metals in the food on purpose…
My message to these social media influencers: Do your research before you go blaming someone for a wrongdoing.
These heavy metals are found naturally in the air, dirt, and water that our food is grown in. The plant inevitably absorbs heavy metals as they are grown.
Do organic foods have fewer heavy metals?
You may be thinking “I’ll make my babies food myself so I know exactly what I’m giving them”.
Well sorry to tell you, but that food you are going to puree yourself is still going to be putting heavy metals in your babies’ little body.
Organic food is grown the same way. In the ground. Soaking up the same amount of heavy metals as what’s in packaged baby foods.
How can I reduce the amount of heavy metals I’m feeding my baby?
To reduce the amount of heavy metals you feed your baby (and yourself) you’ll need to feed a variety of foods.
Don’t just feed carrots to your baby every day because they love them.
That will cause a build-up of certain heavy metals and can be harmful.
Instead, maybe feed (for example):
- Breakfast: oatmeal
- Lunch: sweet potato
- Dinner: green beans
Then the next day try:
- Breakfast: Banana
- Lunch: Avocado
- Dinner: Butternut squash
I know, you’re probably thinking “with all those food jars open, my baby will never finish all the food before it goes bad”.
Here’s your solution. When it’s meal-time for your baby, scoop out a small amount you think they will eat from the jar into a bowl for feeding (so you’re not putting germs into the fresh jar of food).
You can put the remaining jar into the freezer to keep longer (make sure it’s in a glass container).
Add the date it was opened on the jar so you know how old it is.
What foods should I avoid feeding my baby?
Foods with the highest levels of heavy metals are rice (in baby rice cereal), carrots, sweet potatoes, and juice.
Rice absorbs about 10 times more arsenic than other grains.
You don’t have to stay away from rice completely, but do limit the amount of foods containing rice that is fed to your child.
You don’t have to avoid these foods completely though. Just rotate them through your baby’s diet.
Don’t let them be the sole source of nutrients for your baby, or there could potentially be adverse effects.
Is it better to make my own baby food?
Either way, your baby will be ingesting heavy metals into their bodies.
But there are a few perks about making your own baby food.
Saving Money
Kate from House Mix found that it costs about $8.30 to feed her baby each week if she made her food from organic produce.
She calculated that it would cost $16.66 if she bought organic food jars.
That is a savings of 50 percent. (Prices from 2015…I’m sure they’ve gone up slightly since then).
If you multiply these for just 6 months of making homemade baby food rather than buying it packaged from the store, it is a potential savings of $200.64.
That’s money you could be saving or spending on things like developmental toys and activities for your baby!
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Know exactly what you’re feeding your baby
If the food you’re feeding your baby is processed elsewhere and prepackaged, how are you to know what went into them? Were they properly washed to get all the pesticide and fertilizer off?
If you make your own baby food, at least you know exactly what you’re putting in your child and that it fits your standards of clean and sanitary.
I hope this helped clear a few things up for you about heavy metals in baby food and makes you feel a little more comfortable knowing that it is okay to feed your child.
You now know how to prevent a build-up of the toxic metals in your baby (and yourself).
Also, knowing that heavy metal levels in foods have been dramatically decreased in past years, meaning we aren’t taking in as much as we used to is another comforting factor.
No need to freak out about it now that you have the information to help keep your family healthy.
Check out the sites I learned all of this information from and find out even more from the FDA, Consumer Reports, Clean Label Project, and CNN Health.
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