Foods that have the word baby

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I would like to have you quote me, Erich von Stroheim, as having said on this day of this month of this year this one thing: you Americans are living on baby food.

Erich von Stroheim

PRONUNCIATION OF BABY FOOD

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF BABY FOOD

Baby food is a noun.

WHAT DOES BABY FOOD MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of baby food in the English dictionary

The definition of baby food in the dictionary is food for babies, often pureed. Other definition of baby food is product sold in tins and jars.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH BABY FOOD

TRANSLATION OF BABY FOOD

Find out the translation of baby food to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «BABY FOOD»

The term «baby food» is quite widely used and occupies the 30.270 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.

Principal search tendencies and common uses of baby food

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «BABY FOOD» OVER TIME

2 QUOTES WITH «BABY FOOD»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word baby food.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BABY FOOD»

Discover the use of baby food in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to baby food and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BABY FOOD»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term baby food is used in the context of the following news items.

REFERENCE

« EDUCALINGO. Baby food [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/baby-food>. Apr 2023 ».

Baby food

Commercial baby food is often a humanitarian relief item. Delivery of infant formula may be criticized because it can discourage breastfeeding and the local water supply may be contaminated after a disaster, making powdered formula unsafe.

Media: Baby food

Baby food is any soft easily consumed food other than breastmilk or infant formula that is made specifically for human babies between six months and two years old. The food comes in many varieties and flavors that are purchased ready-made from producers, or it may be table food eaten by the family that has been mashed or otherwise broken down.

Readiness & Health[edit]

Readiness[edit]

As of 2023, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and many national health agencies recommended waiting until six months of age before starting a child on food. Neither too early nor too late.^[1][2]

Health[edit]

As a global public health recommendation, the World Health Organization recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Most six-month-old infants are physiologically and developmentally ready for new foods, textures and modes of feeding.^[3] Experts advising the World Health Assembly have provided evidence that introducing solids earlier than six months increases babies’ chances of illness, without improving growth.^[4]

One of the health concerns associated with the introduction of solid foods before six months is iron deficiency. The early introduction of complementary foods may satisfy the hunger of the infant, resulting in less frequent breastfeeding and ultimately less milk production in the mother. Because iron absorption from human milk is depressed when the milk is in contact with other foods in the proximal small bowel, early use of complementary foods may increase the risk of iron depletion and anemia.^[3]

In Canada sodium content in infant food is regulated; strained fruit, fruit juice, fruit drink, and cereal cannot be sold if sodium has been added (excluding strained desserts). Foods naturally containing sodium are limited to 0.05 — 0.25 grams per 100 grams of food, depending on the type of infant food.^[5]

If there is a family history of allergies, one may wish to introduce only one new food at a time, leaving a few days in between to notice any reactions that would indicate a food allergy or sensitivity. This way, if the child is unable to tolerate a certain food, it can be determined which food is causing the reaction.^[6]

Meeting the nutritional needs of infants as they grow is essential for their healthy development.^[7] Feeding infants inappropriately or insufficiently can cause major illnesses and affect their physical and mental development.^[7] Educational campaigns that share information on when to introduce solid foods, appropriate types of foods to feed an infant, and hygiene practices are effective at improving these feeding practices.^[7]

Nutritional needs and the amount of food[edit]

Newborns need a diet of breastmilk or infant formula. About 40% of the food energy in these milks comes from carbohydrates, mostly from a simple sugar called lactose.^[8]

As shown in the 2008 Feeding Infants and Toddlers study, the overall diet of babies and toddlers, the primary consumers of baby food, generally meets or significantly exceeds the recommended amount of macronutrients.^[9] Toddlers and preschoolers generally ate too little dietary fiber, and preschoolers generally ate too much saturated fat, although the overall fat intake was lower than recommended.^[9] Micronutrient levels were typically within the recommended levels. A small group of older infants in the American study needed more iron and zinc, such as from iron-fortified baby foods.^[9] A substantial proportion of toddlers and preschoolers exceeded the upper recommended level of synthetic folate, preformed vitamin A, zinc, and sodium (salt).^[9]

The World Health Organization recommends starting in small amounts that gradually increase as the child gets older: 2 to 3 meals per day for infants 6 to 8 months of age and 3 to 4 meals per day for infants 9 to 23 months of age, with 1 or 2 additional snacks as required.

Preparation and feeding[edit]

Baby foods are either a soft, liquid paste or an easily chewed food since babies lack developed muscles and teeth to effectively chew. Babies typically move to consuming baby food once nursing or formula is not sufficient for the child’s appetite. Babies do not need to have teeth to transition to eating solid foods. Teeth, however, normally do begin to show up at this age. Care should be taken with certain foods that pose a choking hazard, such as undercooked vegetables, grapes, or food that may contain bones. Babies begin eating liquid style baby food consisting of pureed vegetables and fruits, sometimes mixed with rice cereal and formula, or breastmilk. Then, as the baby is better able to chew, small, soft pieces or lumps may be included. Care should be taken, as babies with teeth have the ability to break off pieces of food but they do not possess the back molars to grind, so food can be carefully mashed or prechewed, or broken into manageable pieces for their baby. Around 6 months of age, babies may begin to feed themselves (picking up food pieces with hands, using the whole fist, or later the pincer grasp [the thumb and forefinger]) with help from parents.

Homemade or commercial[edit]

Homemade baby food is less expensive than commercial baby foods.^[10] Homemade food is appropriate only when the family has a sufficient and varied diet, as well as access to refrigeration and basic sanitation.^[10] It is important to follow proper sanitation methods when preparing homemade baby food such as washing and rinsing vegetables or fruit, as well as the cooking and packaging materials that will be used.

Homemade food requires more preparation time than simply opening a jar or box of ready-to-eat commercial baby food. Food may need to be minced or pureed for young babies, or cooked separately without the salt, intense spices, or sugar that the family chooses to eat.^[10]

Picky eating[edit]

Parents and/or caregivers may perceive up to half of toddlers as being «picky» or «faddy», with the peak around 24 months.^[11][12] Adults who hold this opinion often stop offering new foods to the child after only three to five attempts, rather than continuing to offer the food until the child has tasted it eight to fifteen times. They may also engage in counterproductive behaviors, such as offering appetite-suppressing milk or other favorite foods as an alternative, or trying to force or bribe the child into eating.^[13]

Types[edit]

Through the first year, breastmilk or infant formula is the main source of calories and nutrients. From birth to six months, infants should consume only breast milk or an unmodified milk substitute. In their first 3-5 days of life, newborns should be fed 2 oz every 2-3 hours during the day, and every 3 hours at night making up for 8-12 feedings per day. When an infant is four months old, their diet still consists exclusively of milk or formula and typically should be eating 30-32 oz per day. By six months old, infants are ready to be introduced to table food. ^[14]

Babies may be started directly on normal family food if attention is given to choking hazards; this is called baby-led weaning. Because breastmilk takes on the flavor of foods eaten by the mother,^[15] these foods are especially good choices.^[16]

Food type(2008)[edit]

Cereals

On a typical day about half of American babies aged four and five months old are fed infant cereal. The baby may have eaten as little as one small bite of infant cereal, or even as little as one small bite of a food that contains infant cereal mixed with other foods. Other types of grain-based foods are rare at that age. About 90% of babies aged six to twelve months eat some type of grain, although only half eat infant cereal. The others eat rice, bread, crackers, pasta, or cereal designed for older children.^[17]

Fruits

On any given day, about 20% of babies aged four and five months eat some type of fruit, usually a prepared baby food.^[17] As with all of these, this may represent as little as one small bite of fruit or a food partly composed of fruit. Two-thirds of babies aged six to nine months, and between 75% and 85% of babies and toddlers older than nine months, eat some type of fruit. At age six to nine months, half of the babies are eating prepared baby food fruits, but toddlers aged 12 months and older primarily eat non-baby food fruits, such as fresh bananas or canned fruits. Apple and bananas are common fruits for babies of all ages. Fruit juice, primarily apple and grape juice, is usually introduced later than fruit, and about half of older babies and toddlers drink some type of 100% fruit juice.^[17]

Vegetables

On a typical day, about a quarter of babies aged four and five months eat some type of vegetable at least once, almost always prepared baby food, and usually a yellow or orange vegetable like carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.^[17] At age six to nine months, about 60% of babies and about 70% of older babies and toddlers eat vegetables, with baby food vegetables rapidly being replaced by cooked vegetables after about nine months. Raw vegetables are uncommon for all babies and toddlers. By the first birthday, almost a third of babies eat potatoes on a given day.^[17]

Meat

Very few four- and five-month-old American babies eat meat or other protein sources (excluding milk).^[17] Six- to nine-month-old babies mostly eat meat as part of baby food that contains a small amount of meat along with vegetables or grains. About three-quarters of nine- to twelve-month-old babies are given either meat or another protein source, such as eggs, cheese, yogurt, beans, or nuts. More than 90% of babies aged 12 to 18 months old, and nearly all toddlers older than that, are given a protein source at least once a day. Almost three-quarters of these toddlers are given non-baby food meat; prepared baby food meat (by itself) is uncommon at any age.^[17]

Sweet and salty foods

Sweet and salty foods are uncommon for babies.^[17] Compared to a prior study in 2002, the number of babies under the age of nine months that received any sort of sweetened food, snack, or beverage, had dropped by nearly half. At age nine to twelve months, fewer than half of babies are given sweetened foods like cookies, ice cream, or fruit-flavored drinks. Prepared baby food desserts are uncommon at any age, but are given to almost 12% of babies aged nine to twelve months.^[17]

Baby’s first foods in different countries^[18]

Region	Country	First food	Age at first food (months)	Feeding methods
Africa	Nigeria (Yoruba people)	eko, a liquid pap from sorghum or maize (corn)	6	The pap is held in the mother’s cupped hand and poured into the baby’s mouth.  The mother may force-feed the baby if the baby resists swallowing it.
Africa	Tanzania (Wagogo people)	uji, a thin millet gruel	3 to 4	Uji is drunk from a cup or gourd.
Africa	Mali	porridge or gruel made of millet or rice, perhaps with fish or potatoes	7 for girls and 10 for boys	Children feed themselves, with their right hands, from a bowl.
Africa	Zimbabwe	bota, a pap made from ground corn meal	3 or earlier	The mother or caregiver feeds the baby with a cup or spoon.
South America	Brazil	cornstarch and other grains	4	Powdered milk was often given to newborns before 3 months of age.  After 6 months, most babies ate beans and rice or whatever the family ate.  Adult foods were broken into small bits and fed from the mother’s hand.
South America	Guatemala	Incaparina or cornmeal gruel, eggs, and fruit juice	4 to 6	Mothers normally chose suitable food from among what the family was eating.  Cornmeal gruel was often given in a bottle.
South America	Peru	Wheat and potato soup	6 to 8	Children were normally allowed to feed themselves, unless they were ill.  Urban children were given solid foods sooner than rural children.
South America	Dominican Republic	Orange juice, lime juice, beans	3	Powdered milk was often given to newborns before 1 month of age.  Milk and juice were usually given in a bottle.  Fruits and vegetables were usually introduced before meat and beans, and grains were usually last.
Asia	Bhutan	porridge of rice flour or maize, cooked with butter	2	Babies are fed from their mother’s hands.
Asia	Bangladesh	finger foods, rice, or rice-like foods		The amount of solid food given to the babies is usually very small, but happened several times each day. The food is usually held in the caregiver’s hands, but a bottle, cup, or spoon may be used.
Asia	Nepal	grains	6	Mothers pre-chewed grains that they were cooking for the rest of the family, mixed them with water or butter, and used their fingers to put the food in their baby’s’ mouth.  Babies in Hindu families were fed rice at the age of 3 weeks in the celebration of Annaprashana, but did not regularly eat food until later.  Many mothers work on farms, and the introduction of solid foods often happened at the start of busy agricultural times.
Asia	Philippines	lugao (a rice porridge), mashed fruits or vegetables, or soft bread	3 to 6	Bottle-feeding was perceived as having a higher social status. Mothers rejected fibrous foods such as pineapple and maize because of a belief that babies could not digest these foods easily.
Oceania	Papua New Guinea	mashed papaya, sweet potato, pumpkin, and banana	6 to 12	Water, vegetable broth and peeled sugar cane were given to young infants as an extra source of fluids.  Liquids were given in a bowl, cup, or bamboo straw.  Taro and meat were withheld until the baby was about a year old.  Traditionally, babies were not given solid foods until they could walk.
Oceania	Solomon Islands (Kwaio people)	Pre-chewed taro with water or sweet potato cooked in coconut milk	0 to 9	Practices among the Kwaio people were divided by religious tradition. Many pagan mothers, who adhere to traditional food taboos, began feeding their babies solid foods within 1 to 2 months after birth; they thoroughly chew the food and feed it mouth-to-mouth for the first few months.  This was also a common practice for feeding a hungry baby if the mother was temporarily unavailable.  Sukuru (a tradition related to Christian colonizers) mothers usually began feeding solid foods between 6 and 9 months.  Some fed babies mouth-to-mouth; others pre-chewed, boiled, or mashed the food and gave it to the baby in a spoon or the baby’s hand.
Oceania	Trobriand Islands	soup, then mashed or pre-chewed yams or taro	1	In the 1970s and 1980s, some women followed traditional post-partum practices that placed the mother and baby in seclusion, in a dark building with a fire. Foods were considered kanua (e.g., taro or breastmilk) and kawenu (e.g., wild vegetables or commercial infant formula). Foods that were considered kanua were preferred for babies.
North America	United States	Infant cereal, then pureed fruits or vegetables	2 to 6	Cereal was mixed with infant formula and given in a bottle, or fed to the baby with a spoon.  Poor women began feeding solid foods much earlier than wealthier women.

Toddler foods[edit]

Some commercial baby food companies have expanded their lines to produce specialty foods for toddlers from the age of about 12 months to two and a half years old.^[19] These include juice, cereal, small microwaveable meals, baked goods, and other foods that have been formulated and marketed for toddlers.

Geriatric use[edit]

In the late 1940s, Gerber Products Company and Beech-Nut produced special cookbooks to promote the sale of commercial baby foods for use by elderly, sick, or disabled people.^[20]

Historical and cultural[edit]

Baby food varies from culture to culture. In many cultures, pastes of a grain and liquids are the first baby food. In human history and presently with many cultures around the world, babies are fed food premasticated by the caretaker of the baby in order to pulverise the food and start the digestion process.^[21] An infant’s first bite of solid food is ceremonial and holds religious importance in many cultures. An example of this is annaprashan, a Hindu ritual where the infant is fed a sweetened rice porridge, usually blessed, by an elder family member. Similar rites of passage are practiced across Asia, including the Bengal region, Vietnam, and Thailand.^{[citation needed]}

In the Western world until the mid-1900s, baby food was generally made at home. The industrial revolution saw the beginning of the baby food market which promoted commercial baby foods as convenience items.^[22] In developed countries, babies are now often started with commercially produced iron-fortified infant cereals,^[3] and then move on to mashed fruits and vegetables. Commercial baby foods are widely available in dry, ready-to-feed and frozen forms, often in small batches (e.g. small jars) for convenience of preparation. On the contrary, in developing countries, breastfeeding is more widely accepted and socially tolerated in public, thus creating a societal contrast. Amy Bentley, author of Inventing Baby Food, talks about how infant feeding reflects one’s «position in the postwar era of the American Century» because in developed countries, families are able to purchase processed baby foods to feed their children, whereas in developing country, natural breastfeeding is more popular.^[23]

Commercially prepared baby foods in the Netherlands were first prepared by Martinus van der Hagen through his NV Nutricia company in 1901.^[24] In United States they were first prepared by Harold Clapp who sold Clapp’s Baby Food in the 1920s.^[25] The Fremont Canning Company, now called the Gerber Products Company, started in 1927.^[19] The Beech-Nut company entered the U.S. baby food market in 1931.^[26] The first precooked dried baby food was Pablum which was originally made for sick children in the 1930s. Other commercial baby food manufacturers include H. J. Heinz Company, Nestlé, Nutricia, Organix and Unilever. Heinz produced dehydrated baby food in the 1980s.^[27] The demand from parents for organic food began to grow in the 1960s^{[citation needed]}; since then, many larger commercial manufacturers have introduced organic lines of infant food.

At the beginning of the 20th century in America, most babies began eating baby food around the age of seven months.^[20] During and shortly after World War II, the age at which solid food was first introduced dropped to just six weeks.^[20] This age has since increased to four to six months.^[20] By the mid-20th century, manufactured baby food was readily used and supplemented previous infant feeding practices. Author of Inventing Baby Food, Amy Bentley argues that the excessive additives of sugar, salt, and MSG in overused manufactured baby food conditioned infants to prefer processed foods later in life. Also, it is believed that exposing infants to solid foods at an earlier age well help them get used to foods later on in life.^[23] This subsequent misuse of salt and sugar was also feared to effect issues of weight and nutrition based diseases.^[20]

In China and other east Asian countries, homemade baby food remains common, and babies are started on rice porridge called xifan, then move on to mashed fruits, soft vegetables, tofu and fish.^[28] In Sweden, it is common to start with mashed fruit, such as bananas, as well as oatmeal and mashed vegetables. In western Africa, maize porridge is often the first solid food given to young children.^[29]

First foods in different cultures^[30]

Region	Country	First food	Age at first food (months)	Feeding methods
Africa	Nigeria (Yoruba people)	eko, a liquid pap from sorghum or maize	6	The pap is held in the mother’s cupped hand and poured into the baby’s mouth. The mother may force-feed the baby if the baby resists swallowing it.
Africa	Tanzania (Wagogo people)	uji, a thin millet gruel	3 to 4	Uji is drunk from a cup or gourd.
Africa	Mali	porridge or gruel made of millet or rice, perhaps with fish or potatoes	7 for girls and 10 for boys	Children feed themselves, with their right hands, from a bowl.
Africa	Zimbabwe	bota, a pap made from ground corn meal	3 or earlier	The mother or caregiver feeds the baby with a cup or spoon.
South America	Brazil	cornstarch and other grains	4	Powdered milk was often given to newborns before 3 months of age. After 6 months, most babies ate beans and rice or whatever the family ate. Adult foods were broken into small bits and fed from the mother’s hand.
South America	Guatemala	cornmeal or Incaparina gruel, eggs, and fruit juice	4 to 6	Mothers normally chose suitable food from among what the family was eating. Cornmeal gruel was often given in a bottle.
South America	Peru	wheat and potato soup	6 to 8	Children were normally allowed to feed themselves, unless they were ill. Urban children were given solid foods sooner than rural children.
South America	Dominican Republic	orange juice, lime juice, beans	3	Powdered milk was often given to newborns before 1 month of age. Milk and juice were usually given in a bottle. Fruits and vegetables were usually introduced before meat and beans, and grains were usually last.
Asia	Bhutan	porridge of rice flour or maize, cooked with butter	2	Babies are fed from their mother’s hands.
Asia	Bangladesh	dry finger foods, rice or rice-like foods	4	The food is held in the caregiver’s hands. Babies were given very small amounts of solid food multiple times each day.
Asia	Nepal	grains	6	Mothers pre-chewed grains that they were cooking for the rest of the family, mixed them with water or butter, and used their fingers to put the food in their baby’s’ mouth. Babies in Hindu families were fed rice at the age of 3 weeks in the celebration of Annaprashana ( in Nepal Pasni), but did not regularly eat food until later. Many start with rice porridge (jaulo) and powdered cereals porridge(lito). Many mothers work on farms, and the introduction of solid foods often happened at the start of busy agricultural times.
Asia	Philippines	lugao (a rice porridge), mashed fruits or vegetables, or soft bread	3 to 6
Oceania	Papua New Guinea	mashed papaya, sweet potato, pumpkin, and banana	6 to 12	Water, vegetable broth and peeled sugar cane were given to young infants as an extra source of fluids. Liquids were given in a bowl, cup, or bamboo straw. Taro and meat were withheld until the baby was about a year old. Traditionally, babies were not given solid foods until they could walk.
Oceania	Solomon Islands	pre-chewed taro with water or sweet potato cooked in coconut milk	0 to 9	Many mothers began feeding their babies solid foods within 1 to 2 months after birth; they thoroughly chew the food and feed it mouth-to-mouth for the first few months. This was also a common practice for feeding a hungry baby if the mother was temporarily unavailable. Sukuru mothers usually began feeding solid foods between 6 and 9 months. Some fed babies mouth-to-mouth; others pre-chewed, boiled, or mashed the food and gave it to the baby in a spoon or the baby’s hand.
Oceania	Trobriand Islands	soup, then mashed or pre-chewed yams or taro	1
North America	USA	infant cereal, and later pureed fruits or vegetables	2 to 6	Cereal was mixed with infant formula and given in a bottle, or fed to the baby with a spoon. Poor women began feeding solid foods much earlier than wealthier women.

Market[edit]

According to Zion Market Research, the market size for baby food in the United States is estimated to be $53 billion in 2018 and growing to $76 billion by 2021.^[31]

Commercial baby food in the United States is dominated by Gerber, which had about 70% of the American market share in 1996.^[19] Beechnut had about 15% of the market, and Heinz had about 10%. Heinz’s Earth’s Best, the largest brand of organic baby food, had about 2% of the American market share.^[19]

In Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, Heinz had about 90% of the market share in 1996.^[19] Heinz is also the market leader in the UK, Italy, and several eastern European countries.^[19]

Controversies[edit]

Some commercial baby foods have been criticized for their contents and cost.^[32] Over the decades, there have been multiple recalls of baby foods because of concerns about contamination or spoilage. In 1984 and 1986, Gerber was involved in a scandal over glass baby food jars breaking in transit, which dramatically affected its sales and profitability, although the US Food and Drug Administration later concluded that the company was not at fault.^[19] In 1987, Beechnut paid US$25 million to resolve charges of selling adulterated apple juice in the early 1980s.^[19] In 2011, Nestlé France decided to recall a batch of P’tit pot baby food as a precautionary measure after a customer reportedly found glass shards in one of their jars. An investigation into the incident’s scope led the company to conclude that it had been an isolated occurrence and that the rest of the batch had not been affected.^[33]

See also[edit]

• Breastfeeding
• Infant formula
• International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
• Nestlé boycott
• Organic Baby Products

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• When do I introduce solids?: NHS Choices
• Babies, weaning: NHS Choices
• Solids: the first steps: NHS Choices
• Foods and Drinks for 6 to 24 Month Olds : CDC Choices
• Introducing solid foods: What you need to know from the Mayo Clinic.
• The Evolution of the Baby Food Industry 2000-2008, Federal Trade Commission Working Papers, 2009

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. baby foodnoun

   a food designed for babies, usually of very soft consistency

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Baby food

   Baby food is any soft easily consumed food other than breastmilk or infant formula that is made specifically for human babies between four and six months and two years old. The food comes in many varieties and flavors that are purchased ready-made from producers, or it may be table food eaten by the family that has been mashed or otherwise broken down.

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Baby food

   Baby food is any soft, easily consumed food, other than breastmilk or infant formula, that is made specifically for infants, roughly between the ages of four to six months to 2 years. The food comes in multiple varieties and tastes may be table food that the rest of the family is eating that has been mashed or otherwise broken down or can be purchased prepared from manufacturers.

How to pronounce baby food?

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Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of baby food in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of baby food in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of baby food in a Sentence

1. Ron DeSantis:

   It’s hard enough raising kids as it is, now, you get baby food, diapers, wipes, baby clothes, the whole shebang, including things like cribs and strollers, which are very, very expensive. So that is going to be permanently tax-free in the state of Florida. We’re also doing a permanent exclusion on all over-the-counter pet medications, because they’re parts of our families, too.

2. Jane Houlihan:

   Inorganic arsenic averaged 100 parts per billion in brown rice infant cereal and 74 parts per billion in white rice infant cereal in our tests, baby food companies have taken brown rice cereal off the market because of its high arsenic levels.

3. Jane Houlihan:

   So many solutions are already available to reduce heavy metals levels in baby food. Companies can require suppliers and growers to test, and can choose ingredients with lower levels. Growers can use soil additives, different growing methods and crop varieties known to reduce lead in their products.

4. Fox News:

   Little Foodie: Baby Food Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste.

5. Katie Harley -LRB- right -RRB-:

   Feeding your child is such a personal thing. It’s a lot of what you want to do, some people won’t give their babies solid food until they’re a year, some people take a baby food course or exclusively breastfeed. There are so many different options on how to feed your children.

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People have been raising animals like horses, donkeys, camels, goats, sheep and cows for thousands of years. They were raised for meat and skins as well as for milk¹. If female animals were producing milk to feed their young, people could also drink it if they milked² the animals. The milk spoiled if it wasn’t drunk within a day or two, so people found ways to turn it into foods that lasted longer, and these foods became what we now call dairy foods.

Milk, Cream and Butter

Most of the milk we drink these days is cow’s milk. Like all milk, if cow’s milk is left to stand it separates into a low-fat drink called skimmed milk and a top layer of thick, high-fat cream. Cream is used both in cooking and as a topping on desserts, but if it’s stirred very quickly or «whipped» it gets even thicker and can be used in cakes and pastries as well. Cream can also be thickened by adding chemicals, and this type of cream is called double cream, heavy cream or whipping cream. If cream is whipped for a long time, it gradually turns into butter. Butter is used in cooking and also as a spread, but many people now use a butter-like substance made from vegetable oils or animal fats called margarine instead.

Cheeses

If milk is left for a few days, soft lumps called curds begin to form. If the curds are removed and drained, a soft cheese is made. If they’re also pressed, a harder cheese is made. The most popular soft cheeses include ricotta and cottage cheese as well as creamy table cheeses like Brie and Camembert. Semi-soft cheeses include feta, a Greek cooking cheese made from goat’s milk that’s also used in salads, and Mozzarella, an Italian cheese that’s often used in pizzas.

Semi-hard cheeses with a mild taste include Gouda, Edam and many Swiss cheeses in which holes called «eyes» are found. These cheeses are often made in wheel-shaped moulds¹, and this is why they’re usually sold in wedge-shaped pieces. Harder and stronger-tasting cheeses like Cheddar and Cheshire can be used as both cooking and table cheeses, as can many blue cheeses like Gorgonzola and Stilton that have a blue mould² inside that gives them a special flavour. The hardest cheeses like Parmesan are usually grated and sprinkled over other foods like spaghetti sauce to make them even tastier.

In many countries the best-selling cheeses are processed cheese and cream cheeses that are made in factories and have chemicals added that change their colour and taste. They’re cheap to make, but most cheese lovers say they’re tasteless and never eat them.

Other Dairy Products

Milk is also used to make ice-cream, Italian gelato and yoghurt, a dairy product that’s made by adding a special bacteria to milk that makes it firmer and gives it a sour taste. Milk can also be dried to make powdered milk that’s used to make chocolate and a processed food for babies called infant formula. Companies that make infant formula spend huge amounts of money marketing it as a healthy alternative to natural mother’s milk, but most doctors say mother’s milk is much healthier because it contains important elements that infant formula lacks.