The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet: Know What Goes Into Every Bite with More Than 200 of the Most Deliciously Nutritious Homemade Baby Food ... Your Baby Will Love (Best on the Planet)
The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet: Know What Goes Into Every Bite with More Than 200 of the Most Deliciously Nutritious Homemade Baby Food ... Your Baby Will Love (Best on the Planet) book cover

The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet: Know What Goes Into Every Bite with More Than 200 of the Most Deliciously Nutritious Homemade Baby Food ... Your Baby Will Love (Best on the Planet)

Paperback – November 1, 2010

by
Price
$9.77
Format
Paperback
Pages
240
Publisher
Fair Winds Press
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1592334230
Dimensions
7.5 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
Weight
1.52 pounds

Description

“Making your own delicious and nutritious baby food could not be easier as this lovely book explains. I can’t think of a better or more enjoyable way to start a baby on a lifetime of happy and healthy eating exploration than to mash and puree your way through every one of these recipes. You will want to eat these foods too!” - Marion Nestle, Ph.D., Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, and author of What to Eat “This well-written and highly attractive book surpasses the traditional expert advice on the nutritional content and preparation of healthy foods by invoking a developmental approach to infant nutrition. The reader will not only learn how simple it is to make their baby's meals at home, but also understand the developmental and physiological rationales for healthy food choices. This is anticipatory guidance on infant nutrition at its best!” - Paul H. Dworkin, M.D., Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief of the Connecticut Children's Medical Center “As the obesity epidemic spreads across the world and parents become more concerned than ever with what to put in their children’s mouths, The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet takes a lot of the guesswork and frustration out of this important parenting task. It is a must-have for parents and grandparents alike.” - Victoria McEvoy, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Medical Director and Chief of Pediatrics at Massachusetts General West Medical Group Karin Knight, R.N., and Jeannie Lumley are the authors of the best-selling classic The Baby Food Cookbook, which has been in print for more than twenty years. Tina Ruggiero, M.S., R.D., L.D., is a sought-after nutritionist, spokesperson, and author.xa0 Fondly called the “Gourmet Nutritionist,” Tina is heard on TV and radio, and her writing has appeared in magazines such as Family , Men’s Health , and First for Women . Tina is president and founder of her own nutrition consulting firm where she helps both corporations and consumers.xa0 She is also a nutrition correspondent for NBC's syndicated television show Daytime where she is seen regularly by millions of viewers around the nation. Her blog, www.voiceofreason.net, is often cited in magazines, newspapers, and on the Internet for its reliable, accurate, and inspiring content.

Features & Highlights

  • The Top of Its Class!
  • The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet
  • was nominated for the 2012 International Association of Culinary Professionals annual Cookbook Awards competition. Considered the gold standard among cookbook awards and widely lauded as the most selective in the industry, the IACP has been presenting its cookbook awards for more than 25 years to promote quality and creativity in culinary writing and publishing. Past nominees include Julia Child, Mark Bittman, and Thomas Keller, among others.
  • Food Made with Love Is Food You Can Trust!
  • Preparing simple, homemade food in the comfort of your own kitchen is one of the greatest gifts you can give your little one. Not only does it allow you to nourish your child with the most pure and wholesome ingredients, but it also gives you the peace of mind of knowing what has gone into every bite your baby takes.
  • Full of recipes to suit every age and stage—from six months all the way to twenty-three months—
  • The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet
  • shows you how simple and easy it is to prepare food your baby will go absolutely ga-ga for. From quick purées like Mighty Tasty Blueberry and Pear Mash and No-Cook Prune Purée, to new and nourishing meals like Sweet Omelet Surprise and Finger-Lickin’ Good Lentils and Potato with Cheese, you’ll find it a breeze to prepare any and all of the recipes you and your little one fancy.
  • And to make things even more easy-peasy, you’ll find each recipe also contains:
  • Two methods for preparation-stovetop or microwave-wherever applicable, so you can whip up recipes in whatever time you have. Many microwave options make it possible for meals to be made in less than 10 minutes.
  • Two methods for preparation-stovetop or microwave-wherever applicable, so you can whip up recipes in whatever time you have. Many microwave options make it possible for meals to be made in less than 10 minutes.
  • An easy-to-spot snowflake icon on all recipes suitable for freezing, so you can make baby’s meals at your convenience, or in batches, to save time and money.
  • An easy-to-spot snowflake icon on all recipes suitable for freezing, so you can make baby’s meals at your convenience, or in batches, to save time and money.
  • A complete nutritional analysis, so you can be sure you’re giving your child the best possible start.
  • A complete nutritional analysis, so you can be sure you’re giving your child the best possible start.
  • Make your own super-delicious, super-nutritious homemade baby food today—it’s guaranteed to be the best thing that’s ever crossed the high chair!

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(230)
★★★★
25%
(96)
★★★
15%
(58)
★★
7%
(27)
★
-7%
(-27)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

A decent homemade baby food book

I bought this book because it had glowing reviews here on Amazon. Our 5.5 month old daughter will be starting solids at 6 months and we plan to make all of her baby food. Her daycare center is more than willing to feed homemade baby food, so we will be ready to roll in just a few weeks.

I liked very much that the book is broken down into recipes based on age. So many parents aren't sure what to feed their babies and when, and this lays it out in a very easy-to-understand way. The "snowflake" symbol for freezer-suitable recipes is also extremely helpful for planning purposes. The recipes look and sound appetizing and fun to make, especially the toddler foods!

I disliked the lack of emphasis on breastfeeding and how best to introduce solids to the breastfed baby. In the introduction when readiness for solids is discussed, the authors state that the baby should be consuming more than 32 ounces of breast milk or formula per day. However the most recent studies indicate that the typical breastfed baby between 1-6 months of age consumes an average of 25 ounces of breast milk per day, so for many babies giving 32 ounces of breast milk would be over-feeding. A nursing mother has no idea of exactly how much milk her child is consuming at a feeding, and pumping is not a good indicator of how much milk a baby is drinking when nursing at the breast (since the baby is more efficient than a pump). A quantitative guideline like this is not good for nursing mothers. I understand that giving volumes of formula is important to ensure that formula fed babies have sufficient nutrition, but breast milk is not the same as formula and it should not be treated as such - especially by a registered dietitian!

Overall I really like the book.
27 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Fantastically Simple

I am so glad I bought this book instead of some of the others I looked at. This book is chock full of good recipes for baby, but they are all easy to make and not very time consuming. The authors are a registered dietician and a registered nurse, so it's not made by someone that just threw a bunch of recipes in a book and tried to sell it. These are well thought out recipes that are healthy, age appropriate, and sure to give your baby a great start. I'm so happy with the amount of recipes that include foods not normally found as "baby foods", such a beets and artichokes. There is a clear timetable of when to introduce certain foods, which is a feature I like. Plus, they have marked all the recipes with a snowflake for foods that freeze well, which is always great when planning ahead.

I love the tips sections that are included every few pages of the book, as most of them are quite helpful. Also, in the back, there is a couple pages with every recipe name written down and then you can rate it and leave comments in the space provided as to whether baby liked it, didn't like it, try it again later, sort of thing. There are storage tips and a lot of good information as to what nutrients baby really needs and why. As a nutrition major myself, this book has most of the information that I know as a student, so for the average parent, it is above and beyond.

Anyone that is looking for a book that has easy to make, quick recipes and is wanting to give their baby a great start to eating, this book is definitely it. And if you're concerned about some reviewers stating that the authors use butter in some of the recipes, they do. And if you know anything about babies, you should know that they need fat in their diets to keep them healthy. There is a difference between giving your kid McDonalds french fries and using butter, which is natural, in some of their foods. The authors, as well, explain this in good detail. Overall, I am thoroughly pleased that I found this book and will never have to buy the crap at the grocery store again!!
17 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Not impressed

Recipe titles are so cute, like "Zoom Zoom Zucchini" or "Wee-licious Potato" or "Orange You Cute Carrots and Sweet Potato", but the recipes themselves are not impressive at all. Boil the ingredient(s), mash it, and mix with liquid (water, breast milk, formula, or apple juice). That's it.

There are also many many fruits puree recipes, which are just peel, pit, and puree the fruits. To me, that should not be called a recipe.

Nutrition facts are hard to read. I wish they were listed vertically so that one can compare with different recipes.

Overall impression of the book is, "very sweet", both in graphic/editing and in recipes. The former is good, the latter, not so.
17 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Help for those who think they don't have time/talent to cook for baby

This book has received some comments from people who didn't feel it provided enough "recipes" for them. That may be true for some, but the vast majority of new moms I know either don't have time to fiddle with complicated recipes, or don't have the energy. For them, this book shows how easy it really is to feed your baby healthy, homemade/home-produced foods.

Not everyone has a home garden and can harvest their own organic produce, not everyone wants to take a whole pumpkin and spend hours cooking it, scooping out the flesh, pureeing it (I would imagine that canned, plain pumpkin is what most people will want to deal with/have access to), not everyone has the interest or ability or energy to devote large chunks of time to doing what some people think is the "right" thing to do for childrens' nutrition and health (i.e. get as far back to the good ol' days as humanly possible). For many people, the "right" thing to do is to do their best for their child given the time and resources they have available. We're all different, but every mom I know is doing her best for her kid/s. Even considering making homemade baby food is a step in the "right" direction, in my opinion! Just because one cannot go "whole hog" and do absolutely every little thing from scratch doesn't mean they aren't doing their child a good turn by doing SOMETHING. I applaud the authors for showing that taking some simple foods and altering their texture can indeed a valuable contribution to a baby's nutrition!

What's more, lots of folks don't have a lot of kitchen experience--let's face it. And yet, even these people can make their child nutritious, homemade baby food and feel good about themselves and what they're doing for their child. Since when does feeding a baby have to provide the child with a gourmet experience?!!! Babies like simple foods and frankly, don't need anything more than simple, nutritious foods.

I guess my bottom line comment is that, for the person who has no clue if making homemade baby food is even possible for them, this book is encouraging. It's supportive. It's entertaining and fun to read. It's also informative. Nobody needs to be intimidated when trying to feed their child.
12 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

A horrible guide to nourish your growing child

So you may disregard this review being that there is such a disparity between 5 star and 1 star reviews, but I implore you to read all the reviews and make your decision based holistically rather than just reading "stellar" reviews.

Just a few points that need to be made

1. Right in the beginning the author, who sadly is an RN makes note that breastfed babies have a greater need to eat solids once they reach six months of age because there is not sufficient iron in mom's breast milk.
***iron BEGINS to DECLINE in breast milk about when the child reaches six months of age. The child still obtains iron in the breast milk however it just starts to diminish. In fact studies have been done proving that there is higher bioavailability in human milk after the child reaches six months of age than in solid foods. That means that iron is better and more efficiently absorbed in breast milk than in another other food!!

2. Juice. It suggests to offer your child...your child who is less than a year old... Juice! Whether it is watered down or not...it's juice!! Juice offers NO nutritional value whatsoever to your child. It, sugar,confuses and seduces the appetite since sweetened foods tend to satisfy hunger and displace healthy foods. Why, why would you want to feed your child this? Funny enough in book it cautions parents to not leave juice in a bottle because your child can fall asleep with in and in turn over time have cavities because it is sugar laden... Ok so if it is sugar laden why would you want to feed this to your child!? This is unbelievable coming from an RN.

3. Lastly, which I'm sure I'd come up with other points, but I stopped reading the book once I came to this...butter. It is suggested to mix a vegetable with butter. Again butter is a fat that does not need to be introduced to your little one.

I would steer clear of this book. Honestly.
10 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Boring Recipes with LOTS of sugar..NO THANK YOU.

These recipes are boring and the ones for 12+ months ask for a TON of sugar. Some of the boring recipes in the beginning could easily just be a list of "good foods to feed your baby" I don't need a recipe for prune purée. I didn't bother making any of the recipes. I was blown away by the recipes asking for 1/4 cup of sugar!!! I don't feel like those recipes have any regards to the health of my baby. I wish I could return it but it was a gift. Don't waste your money there are a ton of other books out there that are way better.
7 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Like it

We started our baby on solids when he was a week into his 6th month of life. Now, a month later, he has tried the sweet potato, apple, pear, peas, and butternut squash purees. I like how the book is designed and organized and the recipes are straight-forward. I have cooked all the fruits like the book says but opted to bake the squash in the oven. I do not have a problem defrosting frozen portions in the microwave, though sometimes I opt to thaw them on the stovetop. The review that finds this book laughable because they use microwaving and butter in the sauteed banana recipe is a little bit dramatic, in my opinion. If your baby has a sensitivity to dairy, then um...don't use butter? That's just common sense. It doesn't make the book worthless. If you prefer to steam, then steam? It's the foods being used, when they are being introduced, and portion sizes that makes this book helpful.
4 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Pretty Good

I like this book but I question it's integrity. There is a recipe for a puree for a 6 month that uses butter! That is just crazy! Granted you are only sautéing the bananas in the butter but it is completely uncalled for! It's a 6 month old for crying out loud!
4 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Love it!

So I bought this book to use along with the Magic baby Bullet system. Love it! I get that some reviewers didn't like the simple recipes for fruit and veggie blends, but give me a break if you bought the book thinking it wouldn't have those in it then you are silly. The authors start with simple easy recipes for babies just starting food and for moms making baby food for the first time. Then it progresses to more intricate and flavorful recipes for older babies. A super plus for me was the fact that they give you microwave directions for cooking fruits and veggies. It makes the whole process very fast and easy. I would so recommend this book to any mom.
4 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

The title says it ALL!!

This book is incredible! My husband and I are big "foodies" and were looking for a book with unique and healthy recipes for our baby and we found this! Even though we enjoy cooking and aren't afraid of the kitchen it was delightful not have to go through so many steps. As a new mom, there is already a shortage of time so it's great to know you are giving your child something that tastes good with no preservatives or additives. We love the graphics and the recipes are so easy to read that my husband often makes some on his own. We have purchased several of these books for friends who are having babies and are interested in more organic type of baby food. We have found this a great resource to add to our aresenal of parenting. Tell all your friends...trust me,they'll thank you!
3 people found this helpful

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