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FROM FAKE FLAKES TO REAL FOOD

Meeting Nutrient Needs with First Foods

(6 TO 8 MONTHS)

Many parents are eager for their babies to try new foods as soon as they’re able. But we urge you not to rush it. It’s important that your baby is ready—developmentally, physically, and digestively—before you begin feeding him first foods. By waiting, you’ll be ensuring better digestion and intestinal health.

Developing Digestion

If you feed your baby solid foods before he can digest them, he won’t benefit from their nutrients. In the early months of life, his pancreas doesn’t make many of its own digestive enzymes. Also, he is still building up friendly flora (probiotics) along his intestinal wall, which will eventually make digestive enzymes too. He relies on mom’s milk (or formula) as a source of “predigested” food and digestive enzymes.

Enzymes are the “keys” that unlock the bonds in food molecules, allowing them to be broken down into their building blocks for digestion. It is the building blocks that are usable by his body for growth, biochemical processes, and energy. If foods aren’t fully digested into their elemental building blocks, they simply aren’t useful in growth and development, and undigested or partially digested foods are the impetus for food-allergy development.

Even worse, undigested foods can cause health troubles, including food allergies, digestive distress (pain and irregular bowel movements), autoimmune conditions (like diabetes and celiac disease), toxic overload, overstimulation of the immune system, nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, cognitive complications resulting from neurotoxicity, and other health problems.

Critical Nutrients at 6 Months

At around 6 months, your baby will have some very particular nutrient needs that are best met by introducing solid foods, though his digestive system isn’t yet fully developed (a feat reached around 2 years of age). His caloric intake needs are growing, too. He needs to supplement mom’s milk or formula, which should remain his primary source of nutrition.

Babies accumulate plenty of iron and zinc while in utero, but by 6 months old, much of these stores has been used up. Mom’s milk offers absorbable iron and zinc, but often not enough to meet the monumental nutrient demands of rapid growth between 6 and 12 months.

IRONCLAD BLOOD AND BRAIN ARE BEST. Babies need iron for normal neurologic development. In babies who don’t get enough, doctors find irreversible cognitive and motor damage. The scariest part is that even if iron is replenished, the damage may be permanent and irreversible. Iron-deficiency anemia is tragically common; your best course of action is to include foods rich in absorbable iron—that is, animal foods—in your baby’s diet on a regular basis. Note that while pediatricians check for anemia through bloodwork, studies show damage to the brain can occur before low iron shows up on such tests.

DEEP DIVE INTO AVOIDING FOOD ALLERGIES

Each year there are 30,000 emergency room visits and 150 deaths for allergy-related anaphylaxis to food allergens in the United States. One in 12 children in America have food allergies (a 50% increase between 1997 and 2011), and of this food-allergic population, 1 in 6 have experienced anaphylaxis (life-threatening symptom of allergen exposure).

For some time, it was believed that these allergies were developing due to early introduction of allergenic foods. This has been refuted and in 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) (with the help of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology [AAAAI] and 24 other organizations) stated that early peanut introduction (between 4 and 6 months) for “high risk” infants is recommended. (High risk was defined as infants with severe eczema, egg allergy, or both; the second highest risk group was characterized by mild to moderate eczema, with the lowest risk group showing no signs of eczema.) Any introduction of allergenic foods to high-risk babies should be done under a doctor’s supervision.

We caution that legume proteins, such as soy and peanut, are hard to digest at such a young age, and, rather, we believe that nourishment, development, and maintenance of the gut along with choosing and ensuring the digestibility of foods will prevent food allergies, along with other specific aspects of our Super Nutrition program.

In fact, food allergies come from 1) undigested protein and 2) “open,” or “leaky,” gut walls. In the early months, your baby has openings in his intestinal lining—a normal state called “open” gut. This allows antibodies (protective proteins produced by the immune system) from mom’s milk to pass through his gut wall easily into his bloodstream, where they can protect him. Later, these openings in the gut wall will close to keep whole and partial proteins from crossing his gut lining into his blood-stream. When this happens, his immune system is maturing, and doesn’t require as much help from mom’s antibodies. This is when solid foods can be added, between 6 and 9 months of age.

However, if food proteins are introduced while the gut lining is still “open,” undigested foods/proteins can get into the bloodstream through the gut wall’s openings, where the immune system views them as invaders and attacks. The food is then put into the immune “memory bank,” so the next time that undigested food makes it into the bloodstream, the immune system will attack again, but with more force. This is a food allergy. Common symptoms of food allergies in babies are colic, abdominal distention, gas, spitting up, rash/eczema/hives, congestion, swollen mouth, cough, and/or difficulty breathing.

Food intolerances exist when a food’s corresponding digestive enzyme isn’t made by the body. For example, lactose intolerance exists in people who do not make lactase, the enzyme that breaks down milk sugar (lactose). Children make lactase up to an average age between 4 and 7, and many continue to produce lactase as adults. (Raw milk contains lactase, which is why it is digestible even by those with a lactase-enzyme deficiency.) Babies can develop both food allergies and food intolerances when solid foods are introduced too soon.

Eight foods are required by law in the United States (Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004) to be specifically labeled for allergy awareness. They are: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. Note: The FDA does not regulate poultry, most meat, certain egg products, and most alcoholic beverages, but does regulate food labeling for all other food. These 8 account for 90% of allergic reaction.

Introduce new foods one at a time. If you notice or sense your baby is reacting, stop any new food. It may by that your baby’s digestive system is not yet ready for it. Try it again in a month or two; if he reacts again it might be a food allergy and you’ll want to avoid that food until his gut can further mature. Ensure you are serving him the most digestible form of each food to avoid development of long-lasting food allergies. If there is any sign of difficulty in breathing or swelling of the tongue, call 911 for emergency aid immediately.

Prevention of allergies, in short, stems from introducing foods when digestive and immune capabilities are mature enough to handle solid foods, introducing foods that are packed with enzymes (naturally occurring in very specific raw foods or through fermentation), including sources of gut-protective probiotics, and avoiding highly allergenic foods (soy, pasteurized casein, gluten in grains, etc.).

Additional protection is provided by raw dairy. As published in Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, “Maternal and infant consumption of unprocessed cow’s milk has repeatedly been associated with protection from childhood asthma and allergies.” And, studies have shown that children raised on raw milk have half the risk of developing hay fever. In September 2011, Reuters Health reported on a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, announcing: “Kids who drink raw milk have less asthma, allergies.” The GABRIELA study of more than 8,000 children showed that raw milk consumption was inversely related to asthma, atopy (allergies), and hay fever! (No such benefit is conferred by pasteurized dairy.)

ZINC IS THE LINK FOR IMMUNITY, GROWTH, AND LEARNING. Zinc contributes to the health of your baby’s immune system, digestive capabilities and intestinal mucosal lining, skin health, bone health, physical activity, growth, and cognitive development. If levels of zinc are too low, growth will slow, acid reflux and diarrheal disease can be more common, immune function will be impaired, and eczema may develop.

According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, zinc stimulates healthier bones, and low zinc is shown to stunt growth. Animal foods have the highest zinc content in the most absorbable form; therefore, it is no surprise that vegan children, especially boys, tend to be shorter. In fact, according to current research, having enough zinc from birth through age 5 can metabolically program your child’s height.

Higher zinc levels might also lead to improved cognitive development. In a randomized, controlled study, cited by the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, researchers compared introducing meat or iron-fortified cereal for exclusively breastfed infants. Results showed the meat-fed infants had substantially higher zinc levels than did cereal-fed infants, had a higher rate of brain growth, and demonstrated likely trends “toward other developmental advantages.”

WATCH FOR BLOCKERS. Some foods contain iron and zinc blockers, which decrease the availability of these minerals. Blocker-containing foods include soy, grains, legumes, tea, and antacids (given for reflux).

DON’T RELY ON PLANT OR “FORTIFIED” FOODS. “Fortified” foods and plant sources have a form of iron called non-heme, which has a very low absorption rate—so even if you eat plenty, your body can use only a small fraction (about 4%) of it, and plant-based zinc absorption is also poor. Plus, when an inorganic-form iron is added as a means to “fortify” certain foods, it further blocks zinc absorption! (However, natural forms of animal-based iron do not block zinc.)

ANIMAL FOODS ARE THE BETTER CHOICE TO ENSURE CRITICAL NUTRIENT NEEDS ARE MET. The highly absorbable form of iron, called heme iron, is absorbed at 37% to 40%, and it is only found in animal foods. Easily absorbable zinc, too, is found only in animal foods. The animal foods’ versions of these nutrients are so well absorbed that even if they are consumed with blockers, much can still be absorbed.

A HIGH-FAT DIET IS CRITICAL FOR BABIES

Saturated fat and cholesterol are absolutely necessary in a baby’s diet! In fact, mom’s milk has a caloric makeup of 50% to 60% fat, over half of which is saturated fat, with hefty doses of cholesterol. One of the early enzymes your baby produces is lipase, which enables him to absorb critical fats. Additionally, your mammary glands secrete a substance that ensures your baby best absorbs cholesterol from your milk. It might interest you to know that your baby’s rapidly growing brain is 60% fat—being built by fats in his diet.

Science supports that babies need most of their calories from fats in the first year, and U.S. governing agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agree that babies should not be on any kind of fat-restrictive diet for at least the first 2 years. (In fact, experts in the United Kingdom recommend higher-fat diets for the first 5 years, during which time 80% of brain growth occurs.)

THE TRUTH ABOUT SATURATED FAT AND CHOLESTEROL. Eating cholesterol doesn’t clog arteries; rather, it serves to help your body by covering damaged areas, such as inflamed arteries. Arterial damage isn’t from the Band-Aid (cholesterol) but stems from root causes of inflammation (such as dietary sugar and rancid, inflammatory fats) that actually cause the damage to arteries. A low-cholesterol diet forces your body to work harder to make more.

Cholesterol is necessary to aid in important metabolic functions, and is also:

An antioxidant that fights lipid peroxidation (brain tissue degradation)

Important for cellular, nervous system, and brain communication

Needed to make hormones and for vitamin D metabolism

Necessary to protect the nervous system and brain

Critical for proper digestive health, intestinal wall integrity, and leaky gut prevention

Fats, meanwhile, have also been falsely blamed for poor health. Four main classes of fats exist: saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats. The first three each serve natural health benefits and offer unique fatty acids required for optimal health. Thus, it is good to include each in your diet, including saturated fats. Trans fats, however, have a man-altered molecular structure that is harmful to health and must be avoided.

Saturated fat is necessary for, among other things:

Cell structure and integrity of all the cell walls that make up your baby’s body

Absorption and use of fat-soluble nutrients (vitamins E and K1, beta-carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthin, lutein, CoQ10, etc.)

Ensuring mineral activators (vitamins A, D3, K2) get assimilated and therefore minerals are absorbed

Proper brain development

Building nervous system communication components

Absorption, conversion, and use of key nutrients

Unique source of short-, medium-, and long-chain fatty acids (including MCTs)

Feeding the heart

Supporting health of lung tissue

Ensuring bone strength and health

As a source of antimicrobial and antiviral agents in the digestive tract

Reducing your need for as many omega-3s to do important inflammatory work because saturated fats make omega-3s more efficient

Contemporary First Foods Challenge Your Baby’s Health

Most pediatricians, family members, and friends recommend first foods to be rice cereal, yellow then green vegetables, then fruits and other grains, like oatmeal. Yet, these common “baby” foods don’t contain enough of the specific nutrients that babies at this age absolutely require. Furthermore, they don’t provide adequate energy and are rough on babies’ still-developing digestive systems.

BABIES ARE FUNCTIONALLY GRAIN INTOLERANT

Your baby’s body is not ready to digest grains. He doesn’t yet make enzymes to digest the necessary carbohydrates. Between 8 months and 1 year of age, babies begin making useful amounts of amylase (and until then, mom’s milk supplies some, but a more complete set of carbohydrate enzymes won’t be present until approximately 3 years of age). Some carbohydrates (like fiber) can never be digested by humans, since we don’t ever produce the right enzymes; thus, we must rely on our friendly intestinal flora (probiotics) to digest them for us.

So babies (prior to toddlerhood) are functionally grain intolerant. They don’t effectively make starch-digesting enzymes. As they have not yet built up sufficient beneficial bacterial colonies, babies are also fiber intolerant.

RICE CEREAL ISN’T RIGHT

Rice cereal flakes are a refined grain, stripped of natural nutrients. Such cereal is hardly more than sugar to your baby’s body. Iron-fortified cereal offers only a 4% absorption rate for iron, and that form of iron makes zinc absorption worse. Rice flakes don’t provide the critical nutrients and calories your baby needs.

In general, whole grains are better than refined. But in addition to being very hard to digest, they block critical mineral absorption. According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, low levels of zinc are most often found in diets that have a lot of whole grains (wheat, corn, rice, oatmeal) and legumes, like soy. Such foods contain an antinutrient called phytic acid, which blocks not only zinc but also calcium, magnesium, and iron from being absorbed.

FRUITS AND VEGGIES ALONE WON’T DO

The other common choice for initial feeding is fruits and veggies. Although these foods do have antioxidants and other nutrients, they contain significantly fewer amino acids, vitamins, and critical minerals than do animal-based foods and therefore shouldn’t be relied on solely to provide optimal, protective nutrition for babies. Also, as low-calorie foods, they’re a poor choice for the increasing caloric demands of growing babies.

Traditional First Foods Offer Super Nutrition

Ideally, your baby’s first foods will contain protein, fat, cholesterol, and plenty of absorbable iron and zinc—just like mom’s milk! Such nutrients are found all together in only one type of food: animal-sourced. Nutrition in Pediatrics: Basic Science, Clinical Applications states, “Incorporating animal source foods … is often the only way to supply … [adequate] nutrients through natural foods.” The AAP likewise recommends animal foods as first foods and suggests “puréed meats as good first foods because they contain ample protein, iron, and zinc.”

But despite research and the AAP’s recommendations, parents are still most often instructed to feed their babies rice cereal, fruits, and veggies as first foods.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF ANIMAL FOODS AS FIRST FOODS

Animal foods are higher in age-critical minerals than are grains, fruits, and veggies. Research from the Journal of Nutrition confirms, “Animal source foods can provide a variety of micronutrients that are difficult to obtain in adequate quantities from plant source foods alone.” Animal foods are so nutrient dense, they require fewer calories to provide rich nutrition compared to plant foods. In addition, they contain the following.

Proteins and amino acids.

Proteins are chains of amino acids. These structures can be denatured (damaged) by heat, such as pasteurization. Nine amino acids are considered essential to humans because the human body cannot synthesize them. Foods that have these nine, in the right levels and amounts for optimal absorption and use, are called “complete” proteins.

Essential amino acids.

Your baby needs not only these 9 essential amino acids from his diet but also an additional 3, because babies and children can’t synthesize cysteine, tyrosine, and arginine well. These are necessary in making heart, lung, and intestinal tissue, other muscles, antibodies, hormones, neurotransmitters, enzymes, bones, ligaments, tendons, cell membranes, and more! All 12 are found together in ideal proportions in animal foods, but not in plant foods. The quantity and variety of non-animal foods required to make sure all amino acids are available at the levels required by your baby’s accelerated growth would exceed his capacity to eat and digest them (in terms of quantity of food required).

Unique nutrients not found elsewhere.

Animal foods, not plants, supply taurine, carnitine, CoQ10, vitamin A (retinol), B12, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), butyric acid, carnosine, long-chain super-unsaturated fatty acids (AA, EPA, and DHA), cholesterol, and vitamin D3. A plant-based diet has none of these health-giving nutrients, and has less of most amino acids.

Bioavailable form of nutrients.

Animal foods also offer nutrients, like B6, iron, zinc, magnesium, copper, and calcium, in a way that is most easily absorbed and used by your baby, as opposed to the plant-based versions that lack sufficient bioavailability and therefore require conversion (resulting in much less of that nutrient being available to the body for benefit and use than what was consumed).

Antioxidants.

Animal foods supply powerful antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase, alpha-lipoic acid, carnosine, carnitine, glutathione, arginine, selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, and CoQ10. Antioxidants serve to stop the damage to cells and organs throughout the body caused by free radicals, and can also protect against environmental toxins, pollution, radiation, medication, and cigarette smoke. Oxidative stress occurs when too many damaging toxins accumulate, and the body doesn’t have sufficient antioxidants to combat them. Reducing oxidative stress can prevent, lessen, or improve disease conditions.

ANIMAL FOODS ALLOW FOR LOWER CALORIES TO MEET NUTRIENT NEEDS. Animal foods provide more nutrition in fewer calories and significantly smaller quantities. Per calorie, animal foods (particularly organ meats) are more nutrient dense than plant foods, so much so that to compete nutritionally, you’d have to spend all day eating plant-based foods. Your baby may only take a few bites per meal; therefore, packing a powerhouse of nutrient richness in each bite is important.

ANIMAL FOODS ARE BETTER DIGESTED. The first readily available digestive enzymes your baby makes are those for digesting protein, fat, and cholesterol. Meanwhile, your baby is missing the enzyme amylase, which digests starch.

MAKE IT A LIVER AND SWISS; HOLD THE SUPERSIZED BROWN RICE AND BROCCOLI

To meet the RDA for calcium (1,000 mg) you can eat 50 cups (9.8 kg) of brown rice (10,800 calories), 100 ounces (2.8 kg) of tofu (1,500 calories), 3 cups (435 g) of almonds (2,225 calories), or just under 4 ounces (112 g) of Swiss cheese (482 calories).

The RDA for iron (8 mg for men, higher for women) can be met by 20 cups (600 g) of spinach (140 calories), 25 cups (1.8 kg) of broccoli (775 calories), 5 cups (775 g) of edamame (945 calories), or only 5 ounces (140 g) of liver (240 calories).

Feed Animal Foods for Strong, Smart, and Social Children

Numerous studies reveal that animal-source foods are integral to adequate growth, musculature, activity levels, and cognitive development in growing children. Specifically, a study reported in the Journal of Nutrition found that children eating meat had 80% greater increase in upper-arm muscle. The meat-eating group also scored higher on intelligence tests, which has been corroborated by several studies to date. The meat eaters were also “more active on the playground, more talkative and playful, and showed more leadership skills.”

Further research demonstrates that children eating animal foods also grow stronger bones and are taller and even leaner. Milk and meat significantly increase height, making children grow faster, and can even correct stunted growth.

Comparing Nutrient Richness of Produce to Animal Foods
NUTRIENT	APPLE (100 G)	CARROTS (100 G)	RED MEAT (100 G)	BEEF LIVER (100 G)
Calcium	3.0 mg	3.3 mg	11.0 mg	11.0 mg
Phosphorus	6.0 mg	31.0 mg	140.0 mg	476.0 mg
Magnesium	4.8 mg	6.2 mg	15.0 mg	18.0 mg
Potassium	139.0 mg	222.0 mg	370.0 mg	380.0 mg
Iron	0.1 mg	0.6 mg	3.3 mg	8.8 mg
Zinc	0.05 mg	0.3 mg	4.4 mg	4.0 mg
Copper	0.04 mg	0.08 mg	0.18 mg	12.0 mg
Vitamin A	None	None	40 IU	53,400 IU
Vitamin D	None	None	Trace	19 IU
Vitamin E	0.37 mg	0.11 mg	1.7 mg	0.63 mg
Vitamin C	7.0 mg	6.0 mg	None	27.0 mg
Thiamine	0.03 mg	0.05 mg	0.05 mg	0.26 mg
Riboflavin	0.02 mg	0.05 mg	0.20 mg	4.19 mg
Niacin	0.10 mg	0.60 mg	4.0 mg	16.5 mg
Pantothenic acid	0.11 mg	0.19 mg	0.42 mg	8.8 mg
Vitamin B6	0.03 mg	0.10 mg	0.07 mg	0.73 mg
Folic acid	8.0 mcg	24.0 mcg	4.0 mcg	145.0 mcg
Biotin	None	0.42 mcg	2.8 mcg	96.0 mcg
Vitamin B12	None	None	1.84 mcg	111.3 mcg

Reprinted with permission from Chris Kresser’s nutrition information blog, https://chriskresser.com.

Note: 100 grams is just under 1 cup of apple (1 cup = 125 grams), under a cup of carrots (1 cup = 128 grams), and is about 3.5 ounces (1 ounce = 28 grams) of ground beef or liver.

VEGETARIANISM ISN’T THE “HEALTHIEST”

But aren’t diets based on plant foods the best? The answer is emphatically no! A vegetarian diet is not nutritionally adequate for your growing baby. This being said, vegetables do play a significant role in your child’s diet and we strongly recommend they be given at every meal.

Plant-based diets have mineral blockers, enzyme inhibitors, protein digestion blockers, poorly absorbed minerals, and digestive irritants; are often inflammatory; tend to be high in sugars; and are nearly always deficient in nutrients critical for healthy growth and development.

Diets free of animal foods have low levels of, or less available, nutrients, including:

Vitamin A and D (fat-soluble activators), resulting in poor mineral usage

Body-ready essential fatty acids (AA, EPA, and DHA, necessary for brain and cognitive development, immune support, and anti-inflammation)

CoQ10 (necessary for fighting free radicals; aids the cardiovascular system)

Cholesterol (necessary for brain development and cellular communication)

Body-ready B6 (necessary for several conversions of happiness neurotransmitters and aids in detoxification pathways; also helps B12 and folic acid convert harmful homocysteine—a risk factor in cardiovascular disease)

B12 (soy consumption further increases the need for B12)

Body-ready zinc and iron

Amino acids carnitine and carnosine and taurine (an amino sulphonic acid, necessary for fighting free radicals and inflammation; helpful for cardiovascular health, fat metabolism, treating depression, and cellular energy production; and protective of the eyes and the brain)

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “Iron and zinc are … minerals of greatest concern when considering the nutritional value of vegetarian diets. With elimination of meat and increased intake of phytate-containing legumes (the nutrient-blocking effects of phytates are discussed here) and whole grains, the absorption of both iron and zinc is lower with vegetarian than with nonvegetarian diets.”

Several researchers have found that animal foods are so important in ensuring proper growth and height, strength, and intelligence, they argue that it is unhealthy not to include animal foods in children’s diets. After extensive research on the criticality of animal foods in children’s health, Lindsay Allen, Ph.D., professor at the University of California, Davis, states, “There’s absolutely no question that it’s unethical for parents to bring up their children as strict vegans.” Consequently, for vegan or vegetarian nursing mothers, we strongly recommend supplementation and beginning your baby on animal-based foods between 4 and 6 months old.

We respect the beliefs of many vegetarians and are certainly appalled by the cruel and unjust treatment of factory-farmed animals. By procuring animal foods from pastured farms, you will both be supporting animal breeding and raising that is humane, healthiest, and least stressful for the animals and be providing foods with superior nutritional content.

BRAIN-BUILDING OMEGA 3S: ANIMAL FOODS GIVE THE GIFT OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Omega-3s are well known for their critical anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities; they are the good guys in the fight against inflammation and toxins. In The Omega-3 Connection, Andrew M. Stoll, M.D. says, “Without large amounts of DHA, the long-chain omega-3 commonly found in fish, we might not have evolved [as a species, from primate] at all.” Further, DHA deficiency causes significant negative impact on brain development in infants, beginning in the last trimester and first year of life, most critically. Both DHA and EPA are omega-3s, and are found only in animal foods.

Consuming plant-based sources of omega-3s does not produce best brain development for two reasons: 1) plant-based omega-3s are difficult for the human body to convert to the bioavailable brain-building forms: DHA and EPA, and 2) the amount of fats in plants is so low you wouldn’t be able to eat the quantity of plant foods you’d need for adequate brain building. See the table below for details.

CHOOSE PASTURED ANIMAL FOODS

We strongly advocate procuring animal foods for your baby from pastured sources, where the animals are not confined, but free to roam, get sunlight (activating their vitamin D), and eat their natural diet (grass, clover, bark, foliage, bugs, small animals, etc.) based on their instincts. Pastured animal foods have a higher EPA and DHA content than do animal foods fed soy and corn, not to mention an overall higher nutrient profile, including minerals, vitamin E, and beta-carotene.

FOOD	TYPE	TYPICAL SERVING SIZE	IN GRAMS	ALA	DHA
Salmon	ALA/EPA/DHA	3.5 ounces	99 grams	0.867 gram	1.5 grams
Cod liver oil	EPA/DHA	1 tablespoon	13.5 grams	negligible	1.5 grams
Walnuts	ALA	1 ounce	28 grams	2.5 grams	0.1 gram (converted)
Flaxseed	ALA	1 tablespoon	13.5 grams	6 grams	0.24 gram (converted)
Grape leaves	ALA	1 cup	14 grams	0.12 gram	0.005 gram (converted)

To get the same amount of DHA in 3.5 ounces of salmon (206 calories) or 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil (135 calories), one would have to consume:

• 15 ounces of walnuts (2,775 calories, ~210 walnut halves)

• 6.25 tablespoons of flaxseed (750 calories)

• 300 cups of grape leaves (3,900 calories)

(Note: Per Weston A. Price Foundation, children 3 months to 12 years are best served with a dose of cod liver oil that provides DHA and EPA omega-3s.)

Real Foods Offer Super Nutrition

Real foods are in whole form, grown naturally, preferably local and seasonal, vine ripened, recently harvested, raw and not pasteurized, pastured and not factory farmed, and without additional chemicals. With the recipes that follow, we’ll take you far from fake flakes to real, nourishing, digestible foods for your baby.

PRACTICAL FEEDING TIPS AT THIS AGE

Most medical and scientific experts recommend feeding babies only mom’s milk, or formula, until age 6 months. The World Health Organization and the AAP state not to introduce any solids before 4 months of age.

Before 6 months your baby:

Doesn’t make enzymes needed to digest first foods

Has underdeveloped kidneys, not yet ready to handle waste from solids

Is lacking sufficient beneficial bacteria required for digestion

Has an “open” gut (see here)

Super Nutrition Food Categorizations for 6 to 8 Months
SUPER POWER	PURE
• Mom’s milk • Grated frozen liver • Soft-boiled egg yolks (warm but runny) from organic, pasture-raised hens • Marrow, from grass-fed organic bones • Souper Stock, from pasture-raised organic animals • High-quality cod liver oil	• Soft-boiled, organic egg yolks • Organic soup stock–braised vegetables • Organic peeled, stewed, puréed fruits with fat • Organic banana • Store-bought, organic bone broth • Organic avocado • Grass-fed, organic meats
OKAY	CRAP
• Organic baby food jars (stage 1 to 2) • Nonorganic avocado • Nonorganic banana • Nonorganic vegetables (washed, prepared in stock)	• Teething biscuits • Rice flakes • Brown rice flakes • Oatmeal or other grains • Soy anything • Nonorganic baby food • Juice (organic and nonorganic)

For these reasons, it is best to wait until at least 6 months of age and until your baby shows all the below signs that he’s ready for solids.

Sits unassisted or with minimal support

Opens his mouth when something comes toward it

Can indicate disinterest in further feeding by turning his head away

Closes lips around a spoon when introduced to mouth

Seems interested when others are eating, watching food travel from plate to mouth

Continuing to nurse provides additional digestive support as he begins to digest solids.

Very first meals. First meals can simply be offered between regular feeding times or after a shortened nursing session or a smaller bottle. You don’t want your baby to be starving and frustrated, nor too full, to be interested.

Consistency and texture. “Solid” foods shouldn’t be solid. Use mom’s milk, formula (chapter 3), or Souper Stock to thin foods to the right consistency for your child. Adjust the thickness and texture as your baby seems ready.

Water? Extra water to drink isn’t necessary during 6 to 8 months of age, as your baby should get enough fluid from mom’s milk or formula. If it is hot and others are thirsty, 1 or 2 ounces (28 to 60 ml) of water can be offered from a cup or bottle. Your baby should be nursing about 6 to 8 times a day or drinking 28 to 32 ounces (805 to 950 ml) a day of homemade or enriched formula to ensure adequate hydration.

What’s enough? Let your baby be the guide in what and how much he wants to eat. When he turns away or is no longer interested, the meal is over.

Slow introduction. Introduce new foods every 3 to 4 days and give new foods earlier in the day (rather than before bedtime) so that you can observe any possible allergic reactions.

Pattern, not schedule. Establish a repeatable pattern, such as nursing upon waking, mid-morning meal, nursing before afternoon nap, dinner with the family, and nursing before bed. Following a pattern, as opposed to randomly feeding or being on a strict, clock-based schedule, will give your baby a critical sense of meal reliability, while still allowing some flexibility in your day. This also allows for adaptability as your baby changes and grows.

Recipes for Real Foods Offering Optimal Nourishment

For the initial foods, we present “very first foods” that adequately aid digestion, provide optimal nutrition, and should not cause intestinal distress. After a few weeks of these foods, you can introduce additional “first foods.”

FEEDING VERY-FIRST FOODS AT 6 MONTHS

As you begin your baby on food, continue nursing or feeding homemade or enriched formula (see chapter 3). Provide regular feedings, as before, with a shortened session at the new “meal” times. In the first few weeks of feeding, you can introduce soft-boiled egg yolk, puréed liver, Souper Stock, and some minimal cooked, puréed meat with the stock. For a complete list of acceptable foods at this age, see the Food Introduction Timeline.

And don’t worry, babies instinctually love uber-nutritious liver.

PATTERN	FIRST HALF OF 6TH MONTH
Early AM	Mom’s milk/homemade formula (upon waking)
Midmorning	Very first foods
Midday	Mom’s milk
Afternoon	Mom’s milk (before nap)
Evening	Mom’s milk
Nighttime	Mom’s milk (before bed)

FEEDING FIRST FOODS AT 61/2 MONTHS

In the second few weeks of feeding, you can introduce avocado, banana, and poultry-based Souper Stock. Continue the already-introduced foods from the previous two weeks, possibly adding some small amounts of additional braised meat with the Souper Stock.

FEEDING FIRST FOODS AT AROUND 7 MONTHS

After about 4 weeks of feeding (around 7 months old), tropical fruits and lacto-fermented and braised or baked vegetables with healthy fats can be added to the menu. For super-digestive nutrition, sweet potatoes and taro can be lacto-fermented (see here).

PATTERN	SECOND HALF OF 6TH MONTH
Early AM	Mom’s milk/homemade formula
Midmorning	New foods (every 3 to 4 days) + already-introduced food
Midday	Mom’s milk/homemade formula
Afternoon	Mom’s milk/homemade formula (before nap)
Evening	Already-introduced food
Nighttime	Mom’s milk/homemade formula (before bed)

◁ VERY FIRST FOOD: LIVER

Vegetarianism and veganism are popular diets these days. Babies, however, are designed to consume animal foods, from mom’s milk to other easy-to-digest, body-ready, and bioavailable nutrient-supplying animal foods.

That being said, we only support the highest quality animal foods, where animals were pasture raised, able to forage, follow their instincts, and live a natural, low-stress, low-pain life. Factory farming and the industrialization of agricultural farming stands in stark opposition of this. It is for these reasons that many conscientious individuals embrace vegetarianism or veganism, to take a stand against the mistreatment of farm and food animals. We agree with this. However, avoiding animal foods doesn’t make the same impact as does only eating pasture-raised animal foods and never eating animal foods that aren’t supporting the humane animal treatment desired.

LIVER

Grated liver from a trusted, grass-fed, organic source, is a great first food. Grated liver should be frozen for at least 14 days.

2 ounces (55 g) raw liver (grated if frozen, or finely minced if refrigerated)

Very little liver is needed for a super nutrition boost—start with just 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. Serve liver raw (most nutritious) or cooked in Souper Stock.

YIELD: 1 serving

If you’re headed over to a friend’s house for dinner, bring frozen, puréed meat in a glass container with a few frozen Souper Stock cubes. Heat up a pan of water and place the container inside. When liquefied, taste for temperature, and you’ve got your baby’s dinner.

LIVER PATE

Providing a small taste of coconut oil or lard with previously introduced foods is prudent, as is providing liver and egg yolk (shown here) separately a few times. When all ingredients have been sampled and well tolerated by your baby, you can create this great and healthful pâté.

2 ounces (55 g) raw liver (grated if frozen, or finely minced if refrigerated)

1 tablespoon (14 g) coconut oil or (13 g) lard

2 tablespoon (28 g) soft-boiled egg yolk (see here)

2 tablespoons (28 ml) Souper Stock

Sauté the liver in coconut oil over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes—the liver should be a pinkish brown when done. Take off the heat and mash the liver into the egg yolk and thin with the stock to the desired consistency. Bullet blenders or the chopper attachment that come with some hand blenders work great for puréeing these small amounts.

Serving Options: Mix the liver into mom’s milk (or with other foods as you add them) for a fortifying, nutritionally superior meal. For more early baby-feeding information, including using grated liver for your baby, visit www.westonaprice.org and enter “Nourishing a Growing Baby” in the search engine.

YIELD: 1 serving

NOTES

Due to the high quantity of vitamin A found in liver, limit your baby to either 1 chicken liver or 1 ounce (28 g) of beef/calf liver every other day; or 10 to 15 grams of liver (1/3 to 1/2 ounce) per day on average, particularly if you’re providing cod liver oil.

Contrary to commonly held beliefs, healthy liver does not store toxins but rather processes and converts toxins so they can be excreted. A fatty liver from a sick animal, however, will contain toxins, since toxins are stored in fatty tissue, whereas healthy livers are lean.

As noted on the Weston Price Foundation website, we should consume liver from healthy animals—cattle, lamb, buffalo, hogs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. The best choice is liver from animals that spend their lives outdoors and on pasture. If such a premier food is not available, the next choice is organic liver.

If you can’t get clean liver, another option is to add powdered, desiccated liver to your baby’s meals or mix with mom’s milk or formula. Find grass-fed, desiccated liver capsules at www.radiantlifecatalog.com. Six capsules is equivalent to 1 ounce (28 g) of liver.

Regenetarians, a term coined by David Bronner, a long-term vegetarian turned regenetarian, are vegans or vegetarians who never eat factory-farmed meat or dairy products, but will consume strictly only grass-fed beef, grass-fed dairy, and other grass-fed or pastured products. As Lierre Keith instructs in The Vegetarian Myth, life of any kind cannot survive without the loss of other life; she refers to the circle of life, in which plants grow in soil, which feed herbivores, herbivores feed omnivores and carnivores, and those animals then die, and their bones and blood feed the soil, which feeds the plants.… Such is the food chain and circle of life.

VERY FIRST FOOD: SOFT-BOILED EGG YOLK

Mom’s milk and egg yolks provide the “perfect protein” for babies, containing an ideal suite of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, along with the enzymes to help break them down.

Why serve egg yolks soft-boiled? Animal foods are very rich in heat-sensitive enzymes, but overcooking destroys them, reducing their digestibility and making the food more allergenic. Also, cooking the yolk until firm makes it dry and chalky, and your baby won’t swallow it as easily as a warm, runny yolk.

1 farm-fresh, organic, pastured egg

Pinch (less than 1/8 teaspoon) of Celtic sea salt

In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Using a spoon, slip the egg into the boiling water. Cook the egg for 31/2 to 4 minutes.

Remove the egg from the water with a spoon and drop it into a bowl to crack it. When the egg is open, peel away some white, which is semihard. The yolk should slip out in a malleable ball. Scoop up the yolk with a spoon and put it into a different small bowl, leaving all the white behind.

The yolk should be warm and soft, not firm or “dry.” Add sea salt to supply additional trace minerals and improve the taste (see discussion of salt in chapter 6). Spoon-feed it to your baby.

YIELD: 1 egg yolk

NOTE

Eggs are one of the more allergenic foods. If your baby develops a rash around his/her mouth or vomits after eating egg yolk, your baby is not ready for eggs. Reintroduce egg yolk in a month. For most, a little more maturity is all that is needed. But for some, true allergies persist. See Deep Dive into Avoiding Food Allergies. If your baby reacts to any food with mouth/tongue swelling or difficulty breathing, call 911 immediately.

DOES THE KIND OF EGG MATTER?

Eggs from pastured chickens on a local farm have as much inflammation-fighting omega-3s as wild-caught salmon, and more vitamin A, more beta-carotene, and more brain-building long-chain fatty acids that support mental development and sharp vision. On the contrary, soy- and corn-fed hens in captivity (the source of most eggs) are high in un-heart-healthy omega-6 fats.

Choosing the highest-quality, organic, pasture-raised, freshest eggs will substantially decrease the already-low chances of salmonella contamination and provide 30% to 40% higher DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid recognized for its benefits in infant cognitive development and functioning.

◁ MASHED AVOCADO

Avocados are a fabulous source of monounsaturated fats and contain the enzyme lipase, which predigests the avocado’s fat as it ripens—great for your baby’s developing digestive system. Choose a soft avocado with dark brown skin.

1 avocado

Mom’s milk or homemade formula, optional

Slice the avocado in half all the way around; then, holding each half in your hands, twist the halves apart. Cut away any brown spots.

Place a peeled quarter (or less) in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add mom’s milk or homemade formula (see chapter 3) to thin, if necessary.

Store the part that “held on” to the pit—it will keep better with the pit in. Cut the remaining half in another half and peel it. Store the other quarter.

YIELD: 1/2 to 3/4 cup (115 to 172 g)

VARIATION: MASHED BANANA

Bananas’ high enzyme content means that they can digest themselves; thus, there’s less work for your baby’s digestive system to do. Bananas also contain fructooligosaccharides, which are food for the good bacteria in your gut. Choose organic, brown-spotted bananas—they taste the sweetest and are the easiest to digest.

1/4 banana

Mom’s milk or homemade formula, optional

Mash 1/4 peeled banana with a fork and thin with mom’s milk or homemade formula (see chapter 3), if necessary.

YIELD: 1 serving

VARIATION: TROPICAL FRUITS

At 7 to 8 months, tropical fruits such as passion fruit, guava, papaya, pineapple, kiwi, and cantaloupe can be introduced (you should wait until at least 8 months for mangoes). They are enzyme rich and when ripe are close to predigested for your baby. Predigested foods tax the pancreas less, allowing certain enzymes to serve the immune cells better and faster.

Assorted tropical fruit

Mom’s milk or homemade formula, optional

Peel and mash the fruit, leaving more soft lumps depending on your baby’s readiness to spoon feed, or chop these fresh, ripe fruits into small pieces for finger food.

YIELD: 1/2 to 1 cup (75 to 150 g)

NOTES

Pineapple is very sweet and should not be given too often or in large quantities.

When giving your baby kiwi, cut out the white central core.

For day care, thaw frozen cubes of puréed meats and broth overnight in the refrigerator. Day cares can reheat them or other individual servings of food you prepare, but insist that they do not put them in the microwave! Avocado and banana can also be served at day care from frozen after at-home preparation, or fresh.

IRON-RICH ORGAN PURÉE

Organ meats have a wide range of health benefits, including high concentrations of bioavailable forms of vital nutrients such as zinc, iron, and B vitamins, alongside specialty nutrients that are difficult to obtain from other foods: Heart, for example, is the best food source of B vitamins, heme iron, copper, CoQ10, phosphorus, and selenium; kidney contains an incredible amount of vitamin B12, folate (vitamin B9), retinol (vitamin A), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), and zinc; and liver provides more nutrients bite for bite than any other food and is particularly rich in choline, vitamin B12, folate (vitamin B9), and retinol (vitamin A).

4 ounces (113 g) kidney from grass-fed animals

4 ounces (113 g) liver from grass-fed animals

4 ounces (113 g) heart from grass-fed animals

1 tablespoon (14 g) lard or coconut oil (for browning meat)

1/2 to 1 cup (120 to 235 ml) Souper Stock

To prepare the kidneys, slice in half and cut out the fatty white cores. For the liver and heart, remove any membranes. Finely slice the organ meats.

Heat 1 tablespoon (14 g) of fat in a skillet over low heat, add the meat, and brown it. The inside can be slightly pink.

Alternatively, simmer for 5 to 8 minutes in Souper Stock until the meat is tender.

After using either method to cook the meat, cool it completely.

For babies 6 to 7 months: Purée to a smooth consistency, adding Souper Stock or mom’s milk for the right consistency. As your baby ages, gradually reduce the amount of liquid to allow more texture and thickness over time.

For babies 8 to 9 months: Serve chopped as a finger food.

YIELD: 11/4 cups (300 g) purée, or 13/4 (200 g) chopped

NOTES

Your baby will only need a few teaspoons (20 g) a day for all the benefits this Super Nutrition POWER food provides. Also, this purée can be added to other foods.

Freeze the organ purée in an ice cube tray for perfect size meals. Purée can be added to other recipes that use ground beef or other ground meats.

Serve with Radiant Roots or other vegetables for a balanced baby meal.

COD LIVER OIL

In 2011, the AAP journal, Pediatrics, reported on the importance of DHA (an essential omega-3 fatty acid as found in cod liver oil) for infants and its critical role in reducing infant morbidity (deaths)! Cod liver oil (CLO) not only provides DHA, but also has a super combination of the special fat-soluble vitamins A (retinol) and D3 (necessary for utilizing minerals), as well as inflammation-fighting fatty acids. DHA supports the nervous system and cellular communication, as well as assisting in the colonization of probiotics in the gut.

Vitamin K2, critical for bone and dental health, can also be found in butter or ghee from grass-fed animals or supplemented as drops. Dr. Weston Price found the combination of fat-soluble vitamins A (retinol, not beta-carotene), D3, and K2 were a remarkable blend of healing nutrients that restored health in sick children.

DOSING

1/2 to 1 teaspoon high-quality cod liver oil, starting with smaller doses and graduating to 1 teaspoon

Administration: It is of the utmost importance that you either mix it in pumped breast milk or formula or give gently by spoon. Never squirt oil into your baby’s mouth since oil aspiration is very dangerous. Unless mixed in breast milk or formula, don’t give CLO before sleep; never give oil to a child who is screaming or fighting; and avoid giving oil to a baby who frequently spits up. Keep babies upright for 15 to 30 minutes after giving them oil.

NOTES

Give CLO particularly on days your baby is not consuming liver or fish roe.

If you are breastfeeding and taking CLO yourself, your baby will not need supplemental CLO. However, if your baby already has a 3C condition, such as eczema, then giving additional to your baby is recommended.

If you are making homemade formula (see chapter 3), the correct amount of CLO is already within the formula.

◁ RADIANT ROOTS

Starchy root vegetables are a great way to obtain fiber and nutrients along with some complex carbs important for growing children and are known for being “slower-burning carbs.” According to many large studies, like one that appeared in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2012, higher root vegetable intake is even associated with a reduced risk for diabetes. We presume this is because root vegetables contain fiber and nutrients and hopefully displace simpler starches such as refined flour, chips, and fast food.

3/4 to 1 pound (340 to 455 g) taro or sweet potato

1/2 tablespoon Celtic sea salt

1 tablespoon (28 ml) whey (see here)

Mom’s milk or homemade formula, marrow, and coconut oil, optional, for serving

Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C, gas mark 3).

Puncture the taro or sweet potato with a fork and bake for 11/2 hours (or until soft). Once cool, peel. Add the salt and whey to the sweet potato or taro and mash.

Place the mashed tuber in a glass bowl and cover. Leave for 24 hours on the counter and then move to a glass container and store in the refrigerator.

Thin to the appropriate consistency with mom’s milk or homemade formula (see chapter 3) and then mix with marrow or coconut oil.

YIELD: 4 to 6 baby servings

NOTES

Lacto-fermented root vegetables will last at least 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Carrot, radish, or beet can be substituted for sweet potato or taro.

INGREDIENT SPOTLIGHT: TARO

Along with sweet potatoes, taro is a great option for introducing lacto-fermented foods (see Mom-to-Mom sidebar at right) into your baby’s diet because it is soft and starchy.

Hawaiian poi is a staple and common baby food made from fermented taro corms. According to the USDA, “Taro is good for people allergic to milk or cereals and can be consumed by children who are sensitive to milk (Roth and et.al., 1967) … taro flour and other products have been used for infant formulae in the United States and have formed an important constituent of proprietary canned baby foods.” Compared to grains, taro is lower in phytic acid, but higher in oxalates (which are higher in taro roots that remain in the ground for longer periods of time). Taro can be cooked well (to combat the acridity, which can cause itchiness in the mouth and throat if not cooked well) and served without being lacto-fermented, though introduction to lacto-fermentation is important relative to digestibility and nutritional enhancement.

MOM-TO-MOM

Lacto-fermented foods aid digestion, provide enzymes, and offer increased nutrients, in addition to being a natural source of probiotics. Fermented or cultured food often needs a “starter” or catalyst for the fermentation process. Lacto-fermentation typically uses whey as the starter.

Sometimes called pickling, lacto-fermentation provides many nutritionally beneficial factors all at once. Fermentation is the process of good bacteria breaking down natural sugars in foods. This amazing process neutralizes antinutrients, increases enzymes, greatly increases nutrient content, produces even more good bacteria, and literally predigests food. For centuries, foods were preserved via fermentation.

Lactobacillus, the bacteria that causes pickling, is the most pervasive and ubiquitous good bacteria known. It is in the air we breathe, the surfaces we touch, and the foods we eat. It is a common probiotic supplement—you’ll see several strains that begin with L. (such as L. acidophilus). The L. stands for Lactobacillus.

Second to pickles, sauerkraut is probably the best known lacto-fermented food, though in some Asian cultures, kimchi is common. Cabbage, water, and salt, along with the lactobacteria, can “create” sauerkraut through the lacto-fermentation process.

CURDS AND WHEY: THE MOMMY WAY

Whey is a wonderful constituent of milk, its quality based on the bovine diet (grass-fed, ideally) and living conditions (pasture-raised, hopefully), and contains three amino acids that are uniquely used by the body to make glutathione, a master detoxifier and powerful antioxidant, critical for good health. Cysteine, glycine, and glutamate are rarely found in such perfect combination and condition (they are damaged by pasteurization and heat treatment), making whey from raw milk the perfect recipe for fighting inflammation, toxins, cancer, oxidative stress, and much more.

HOMEMADE MOM’S MILK WHEY

Mom’s-milk whey is actually the best option for making lacto-fermented foods for your baby. If you express your milk (even just 3 ounces [90 ml]) and allow it to sit at room temperature (or optionally in the refrigerator) for approximately 1 to 2 days in a clean, sealed container, the milk will separate into a cream layer with yellow liquid beneath (whey). Cool in the refrigerator so the cream “firms up” and remove the cream layer (which can be mixed with fruits as a custom “dessert” for your baby). The remaining yellow liquid is whey and can be used to lacto-ferment vegetables for your baby. It’s just another way to provide the natural goodness of your milk! Homemade whey can last 2 to 3 months in the refrigerator.

Not much is needed, just a few teaspoons (10 ml) of whey to lacto-ferment the small servings of root vegetables. For example, if you have only 2 teaspoons of whey, just use 1/2 to 3/4 cup (5 1/2 ounces or 152 g) of cooked root. (You can use your milk in other recipes, too, as it is definitely a super food for your baby!)

NOTE

While your milk is best to create custom whey for your baby, you can elect to use bovine, sheep, goat, or camel milk that is raw, organic, pasture-fed, and from a trusted dairy to create whey for its health and digestive benefits.

HOMEMADE RAW DAIRY WHEY

Aside from mom’s milk for your baby, generally, the best lacto-fermentation “starter” is whey from grass-fed, raw (unpasteurized) cow’s milk or yogurt. Otherwise, you can procure whey directly from a pasture-based farm cooperative. In most cases, if raw milk products are not available, whey can be made from organic whole-milk yogurt in a process similar to what follows.

Whey is rich in calcium, phosphorus, and potassium (a blood pressure–regulating nutrient), and is a good source of zinc, magnesium, and selenium, as well as vitamins B2, B5, and B6.

1 pint (475 ml) raw milk or raw yogurt

Curds and whey can be made from raw milk or raw yogurt that has separated. Raw milk can be used up to one month and raw yogurt up to 3 months. Allow the sealed container of milk or yogurt to sit out at room temperature for a few days. It will separate into whey (the yellow liquid you often see on top of yogurt) and milk solids (curds).

Pour the separated dairy through several layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter lining a mesh strainer. The whey will filter through, and the curds will be captured over the course of 16 to 24 hours.

Curds will peel easily off the cheesecloth or filter and will vary in color from white to pale yellow.

Whey lasts 6 months in the refrigerator, sealed in a clean container. It can also be frozen and thawed for use.

Curds can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 month. Curds can be used in recipes as a much healthier substitute for store-bought cream cheese or to mix with fruit for a treat. See Raw Cheese Blintzes. It even makes super creamy cheese cake. Spoon curds into date halves for a great finger food dessert or snack.

YIELD: 11/4 cups (295 ml) whey and 3/4 cup (165 g) curd

NOTES

Other options for lacto-fermentation starters are:

» Homemade Mom’s Milk Whey (see opposite)

» Pasteurized dairy

» Celtic sea salt (1 tablespoon or 15 g)

» Culture starter (see Resources).

» If your family has a history of 3C conditions, Homemade Mom’s Milk Whey is the best option.

Do not feed raw yogurt or cow’s milk (raw or pasteurized) to your baby until 9 months, but the whey from raw dairy can be used to lacto-ferment foods that your baby can eat now.

ALLAYING COMMON FEARS. When raw dairy (human, cow, or goat) “sits out” at room temperature, wonderful and healthy things happen. Its probiotics and enzymes set to work. Enzymes predigest the sugars in the milk, probiotics multiply (making the cultured dairy or lacto-fermented end-product richer in enzymes and probiotics), and they increase the overall antioxidant and nutrient content. Lactic acid, which helps digestion, is also produced. Different than pasteurized dairy, which sours if left out of the refrigerator for too long, raw dairy’s nutrition is enhanced by a day or two at room temperature. (And don’t worry about making whey during the warmer months—hotter temps actually speed up the process.) We do caution, however, that when preparing whey, ensure that your hands, containers, and surfaces are clean so as to avoid pathogenic bacterial contamination.

MARROW AND MASH

Marrow has long been a delicacy, even for early Paleolithic man, according to anthropological and archaeological evidence. More recently, it has fallen out of favor, as have other organ and offal dishes, despite their nutrition benefits. You can still find marrow at upscale restaurants, including French and Middle Eastern eateries. Theories abound about the benefits of marrow, from postulating that its absence in modern diets may contribute to blood and marrow diseases such as leukemia to brain-oxidation protection capabilities—though more tests are needed to be conclusive. Marrow is particularly delicious and usually more palatable for those unused to organ meats as staples, providing unique benefits coveted by humans for millennia.

1/2 pound (225 g) marrow bones

1 to 2 tablespoons (14 to 28 g) coconut oil (or other cooking fat, see Fabulous Fats)

1/2 pound (225 g) dark meat poultry

1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

1/4 cup (28 g) finely chopped cooked carrots

1/4 cup (56 g) mashed cooked sweet potato

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C, or gas mark 7).

Place the marrow bones on a stainless steel cookie sheet (if oblong, the cut side goes up).

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges bubble and the marrow easily separates from the bone. Note: If the bones are frozen, this will likely take 45 minutes.

Carefully scoop the marrow from the hot bones either with a spoon or a small butter knife.

While the marrow bones are cooking, heat the coconut oil in a cast-iron or stainless skillet over medium heat. Add the dark meat poultry and sea salt, cooking through for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Mix the marrow, poultry, carrots, and sweet potato into a delicious and nutritious marrow and mash.

Optionally, add other age-appropriate herbs and spices for more flavor and antioxidant benefits. See the Allowable Foods list.

YIELD: 11/2 cups (338 g)

INGREDIENT SPOTLIGHT: BONE MARROW

Some culinary experts in gourmet cuisine suggest that bones with intact marrow (sliced in circle or oblong half-cylinders) be soaked in cold water with a teaspoon of vinegar or sea salt for several hours, frequently replacing the water. You can do this before baking in the oven, or the Weston A. Price Foundation suggests covering the bones with water and slowly bringing to a boil, simmering for 20 minutes. Carefully scoop the marrow out of the hot bones. Alternatively, when using marrow bones to make Souper Stock, when cooked, marrow can be scooped from the bones or stock (sometimes it escapes the bones and is floating in the liquid). Mix the marrow with soft, cooked vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, or sweet potatoes.

DEEP DIVE INTO FARM COOPERATIVES AND CONSUMER-SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA)

While health food stores or even your local grocery store can provide grass-fed animal foods, often a better place to get your animal foods is from a local, trusted, pasture-based farm.

Farm co-ops are available in most areas, where simply emailing in a weekly or monthly order allows you to meet at the drop spot, cut a check, and take home your nutritious, fresh food. You can find local, pastured, organic animal foods, as well as trusted raw dairy farmers, near you by contacting your local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation (www.westonaprice.org) or by searching “buy fresh buy local” with your location on the Internet.

For produce, we recommend joining a CSA (visit www.localharvest.org to find one near you). Getting fresh, local, seasonal, and organic produce from a CSA saves money, supports your local economy, increases variety, and provides nutritional benefits. Due to very short transportation routes, fruits and vegetables are vine ripened, enabling them to get a last infusion of nutrition from the soil (unlike foods from your grocery store, which ripen on the shelf). Additionally, produce is often harvested the same day that it is delivered, substantially increasing the enzyme content of the food.

◁ FIRST FRUIT SAUCES

Apples and pears are good first fruits for your baby; they are easily digestible when stewed and offer fiber and vitamins. Pears contain vitamin C, vitamin K1, potassium, and copper. Apples contain antioxidant phytonutrients, including epicatechin, which is a flavonoid (also found in dark chocolate) associated with reduced death from cardiovascular disease and improved cognitive function. Apples of a deeper red color also contain some cyanidin, an antioxidant that is stronger than vitamins C and E and resveratrol. The quercetin that apples contain is mainly in the peel. Even better sources of quercetin include capers, elderberries, juniper berries, cilantro, fennel, lovage leaves, red onion, and yellow hot peppers. Studies have shown that a higher intake of quercetin-rich foods yields lower incidences of lung and stomach cancer.

1 to 2 pounds (455 to 910 g) unpeeled apples or pears

1 to 2 teaspoons coconut oil (unrefined, virgin, organic)

Core and chop the fruit.

Cook with the coconut oil in a saucepan on the stove over low heat until the fruit is soft, about 20 minutes.

Purée the cooked fruit for a young baby; mushy lumps can be left as your baby grows older and tolerates the change in texture. For early introduction, thinning with mom’s milk or formula works well. Cool and serve.

YIELD: 2 to 4 cups (490 to 980 g)

NOTE

Adding cinnamon and nutmeg brings additional flavor to this dish for older babies (around 8 months).

PROCEED WITH CAUTION: Apples and pears are both on the Environmental Working Group’s list of foods that have the most pesticides used on them if nonorganic (see the complete list in chapter 5). So, make sure you choose organic apples and pears to avoid the pesticides, if possible.