Is Organic Baby Food Better?

Go to babyfirstfoods.com to find organic food recipes for your toddler and baby.

BUYING ADVICE
Organic Baby Food

Better for baby?
Our analysis finds organic food is safer for children

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. consumers bought organic food and beverages in 2005. And because children’s developing bodies are especially vulnerable to the toxins found in nonorganic baby food, it pays to buy organic food for baby as often as possible.

Children may be at risk of higher exposure to the toxins found in nonorganic food because baby food is often made up of condensed fruits or vegetables, potentially concentrating pesticide residues. While at least one company says their nonorganic baby food has pesticide and heavy-metal levels below government-recommended levels, that may be cold comfort for parents wanting the healthiest options for their baby.

Parents have good reason to be concerned. Children’s developing immune, central-nervous, and hormonal systems are especially vulnerable to damage from toxic chemicals. “A lot of these pesticides are toxic to the brain,” says Philip Landrigan, a professor of pediatrics and preventative medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. “We have very good evidence that exposure of the fetus to organophosphorus pesticides produces babies with small head circumference, which is a risk factor for reduced intelligence and behavior disturbances.”

Indeed, new evidence also shows that, contrary to previous scientific belief, pesticides in a woman’s bloodstream can be passed to a fetus in the womb. A study released in 2005 in which umbilical-cord blood of 10 children was collected by the Red Cross and tested for pollutants showed that 21 pesticides crossed the placenta. Further, studies have suggested that synthetic growth hormones, which can be found in nonorganic dairy cattle (and therefore in their milk), may be carcinogenic, and exposure to them may be linked to the precocious onset of puberty in girls.

January 2006, ConsumerReports.org

Click here to find organic food recipes for your toddler and baby.