About
Hi! Thank you for stopping by our nest!
I’m Olya the founder of ThrivingNest, here you will find recipes and tips for preparing healthy food for babies, toddlers and older kids. The recipes rely on wholesome ingredients “the clean eating approach”, including dairy free, gluten free, nut free, egg free or grain free.
I believe good food is not only about how it tastes but where it comes from. Knowing where and how your food is grown and harvested can improve the way we eat and the overall health.
Therefore combining your special diet with high quality ingredients is the key to maintaining health.
Allergies And Eczema is On The Rise
More children have food allergies and eczema than ever before (about 1 in 5 kids now). And it isn’t just the rate that has increased. The range of foods and allergens to which they are allergic has also widened. The environmental, genetic, medication and dietary exposure are considered the main factors that can contribute to eczema and allergies. The good news is that some of these factors can definitely be controlled.
If we talk about food specifically it’s often tougher. Symptoms may not show up for days after your baby ate something. If you do find a trigger food, eliminating it works the best. You may not want to give it to your child for about 3 weeks and then try again and see if it makes a difference. Try one type of food at a time. And this is best done with homemade food as you have a better control of ingredients.
Our story was the same as many already have experienced: the (severe) eczema developed when my baby girl was only 2.5 months, and her primely trigger was the food. Actually the food I was eating while breastfeeding. After doing an elimination diet (in our case was dairy, gluten and additives in packaged foods), the eczema improved dramatically and disappeared completely when she was 15 months old. Later, when she was 3 years old she could even try some “triggering” foods without any flareups.
Store-bought Baby Food
Unfortunately there are more and more reports about store-bought baby food contaminated with heavy metals and other chemicals. This happens mainly due to source, food packaging and processing methods intended to extend the shelf life. Also the excessive heat is used to kill bacteria during food processing which lowers the nutrient level even more.
So if you think you can give the best food to you child, the packaged baby food is usually the worst choice.
Food Allergies When Introducing Baby Food
Moreover, most jarred baby purees and baby cereals have multiple ingredients and there is no guarantee that the food has not been cross-contaminated in the manufacturing plant. The safest way to introduce baby foods to your baby is to make your own baby food so that you have control over the production and know exactly what is in the food.
Why You Should Make The Baby Food At Home
Home-cooked baby and infant foods are far superior to store-bought varieties, as long as you are sourcing organic clean ingredients and are properly preparing it.
You do not have to worry about added sugars, salt, flavorings, thickeners, dyes and other scary ingredients.
You have complete control over over what goes into your baby’s food.
And guess what it may even be more cheaper!