Eating clean and green
Before our son was born, my hubby and I had never consumed any organic food. In fact, we use to survive on instant mee when we were too lazy to buy take out. However, once I was pregnant, all that changed.
Food for mothers after delivery
Like most concerned grandmothers, my mum made it a point to boil soup daily and cooked simple healthy meals for us to consume over those nine months. During my pregnancy, I also developed a taste for eating fruits daily, it must have been the good influence of my developing baby. So after such a healthy-detoxed nine months, it was very difficult to turn back to our former diet.
Knowledge is King
Before my son was born, I started reading up on breastfeeding. It was then that I stumbled upon an article that stated that a child’s eating habits and preferences are formed when they are in the womb through what the mother consumes during pregnancy. As I am not working full-time, I decided I would fully breastfeed him for as long as I could, therefore, it was a natural progression for me to look for organic food once he started on solids at 6 months. In additional to that, considering the amount of pollution in these modern times, as a mother, I felt I should protect and give my son the best start in life, through healthy organic food, organic toiletries and even safe wood and plastic toys. After all, we are what we eat!
It started with us buying organic body and hair care products for him when he was a newborn. Then we purchased organic cereals when weaning which progressed to organic biscuits and bottled baby food as he grew older.
I also started reading more about BPA in milk bottles, toys and eating utensils. As he was with me most of the time he seldom drank ebm, however I still decided it was better to be safe than sorry, so I threw away all his Avent bottles and switched to Pigeon PES. I also threw, gave or sold away his toys with dodgy manufacturing or known BPA and purchased wooden toys from Plan Toys and BPA-free plastic toy brands as he loved to mouth everything.
Another reason why I decided to switch to organic food is that most commercially produced baby food products contain ingredients like salt, sugar and some even have artificial flavoring and coloring. Organic food avoids these by using natural flavoring from fruit or herbs. As a treat, I also make yogurt for him from organic milk as those available in the market are either low or non-fat (babies need full fat) and full of sugar.
People Talk
Upon knowing that our son eats mainly organic, some commented that he would grow up to be a fussy eater. In fact he is the opposite and is perfectly happy with non-organic food like a slice of lemon or a piece of bitter rocket leaf when we are dining out. Others also scoffed at my idea of looking for and buying only BPA-free toys and milk bottles but Canada recently banned the use of BPA in milk bottles and the FDA in America is currently under fire for allowing BPA to be used in many products for so many years.
At the end of the day, going organic is not for everyone but I believe that it is a good option to consider. Besides offering our children the best nutrients early on to fuel their rapid growth in these early years, organic farming methods are kinder to the environment, which means that we’re helping to preserve the planet for our children and our children’s children and, i’m sure you’ll agree, there is something very satisfying about that thought.
Has being pregnant or having a baby changed your view on the organic debate at all? Share your questions, thoughts and experiences with other parents and parents-to-be on our forum.
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