Is organic baby food cooked?

[Genesisjoy]

I buy organic baby food for my 6 month old daughter, I was wondering if the fruits and veggies are cooked, probley huh? Is there raw babyfood?
I am going raw starting today, and I would love any tips, I live in a small town in Minnesota and it's winter how do I get oranic produce? can I order online? we have very few options at our grocery store... :o

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Genesis and welcome!

No, sorry but jarred baby foods are not raw, even if labelled organic.

I don't know of any raw, prepared baby foods, but if you have a food processor or at very least a blender, you can surely make your own, fresh, wholesome baby food! Keep and wash out all your old babyfood jars to store it in (refrigerate, of course) and if you don't have time to make it fresh daily, just make up enough for like 2-3 days at a time.

I made my last baby's food myself - just pureeing fruits and veggies and because she is 6 months old, you can simply mash some banana with a fork and feed it to her. She can slso have some mashed avocado.

That's my suggestion! :)

[Veganforlife]

When in doubt with a product, call the company, or e-mail them. I'd bet since they are in jars, that they are processed - not raw.
Do you have a local health food store? Also, I'm sure there are on-line organic produce companies. I fortunately belong to an organic food co-op.
Here's a link:
http://www.coopdirectory.org/

[Genesisjoy]

Thanks for the tip about the banana and avacado mushed up, I did try to blend up carrots for her in my food processor once, and she still gagged on them and that night she acted like she had terrible gas pains, do you think the carrots did that?

[Rawkinlocs]

They may have not been pureed enough for her..not sure. I did carrots in my blender with some water and I don't recall it being a problem. Do you still nurse? It could have been the carrots or it could have been something else.

But try sticking with just fruit mainly and maybe green smoothies (fruit smoothies blended in blender with greens - the greens are great for calcium and amino acids needed for her body to create protein yet made more digestable and palettable by being blend with the fruit!) She doesn't "have" to have the hard veggies yet...it won't hurt her not to is what I'm saying.

[Veganforlife]

Look!

Minnesota

Wintergreen Food Coop

1414 West Main Street

Albert Lea Minnesota 56007-

Phone: (507) 373-0386



Good Harvest Food Coop

Trott Brook Hall, 17105 Nowthen Blvd.

Anoka Minnesota 55303-



Harmony Food Co-op

117 3rd St. NW

Bemidji Minnesota 56601-

Phone: (218) 751-2009



Rainbow Food Co-op

103 South Main St

Blue Earth Minnesota 56013-

Phone: (507) 526-3603



Crow Wing Food Co-op

823 Washington Street

Brainerd Minnesota 56401-

Phone: (218) 828-4600

info@crowwingfoodco-op.com

http://www.crowwingfoodco-op.com



Valley Natural Foods

13750 County Road 11

Burnsville Minnesota 55337-

Phone: (952) 891-1212

FAX: (952) 891-1286

valnat@frontiernet.net



MOMS Food Co-op

1709 E Hwy 95

Cambridge Minnesota 55008-

Phone: (763) 689-4640

FAX: (763) 689-2401

moms@ecenet.com



Lakewinds Natural Foods

435 Pond Promenade

Chanhassen Minnesota 55317-

Phone: (952) 697-3366

FAX: (952) 697-3370

lakewinds@lakewinds.coop

http://www.lakewinds.com



Western Prairie Food Co-op

674-6th Street

Dawson Minnesota 56232-



Whole Foods Co-op

1332 E 4th Street

Duluth Minnesota 55805-

Phone: (218) 728-0884

FAX: (218) 728-0490

info@wholefoods.coop

http://wholefoods.coop



Northwoods Whole Foods Co-op

125 N. Central Av.

Ely Minnesota 55731-

Phone: (218) 365-4039



Finland Cooperative

Box E Main Street

Finland Minnesota 55603-

Phone: (218) 353-7389

FAX: (218) 353-7389



Cook County Whole Foods Co-op

Box 813 / 20 E. 1st Street

Grand Marais Minnesota 56604-

Phone: (218) 387-2503

foodcoop@boreal.org

http://www.boreal.org/~foodcoop/



Countryside Co-op

PO Box 262 Hwy 371 South

Hackensack Minnesota 56452-

Phone: (218) 675-6865



Spiral Food Co-op

307 E 2nd Street

Hastings Minnesota 55033-

Phone: (651) 437-2667

FAX: (651) 437-9814



Mille Lacs Area Food Co-op

Main Street

Isle Minnesota 56342-

Phone: (320) 676-3813

FAX:



Oak Center General Store Food Co-op

Rt. 1 Box 52BB / Highway 63

Lake City Minnesota 55041-

Phone: (507) 753-2080

FAX:



Natural Foods Co-op

230 N. Sibley Ave

Litchfield Minnesota 55355-

Phone: (320) 693-7539

FAX:



Everybody's Healthfood Market

11 1st Street N.

Long Prairie Minnesota 56347-

Phone: (320) 732-3900



North Country Co-op

1929 S 5th

Minneapolis Minnesota 55454-

Phone: (612) 338-3110

FAX: (612) 692-8721

http://www.northcountrycoop.com



Eastside Food Co-op

2551 Central Avenue

Minneapolis Minnesota 55418-

Phone: (612) 788-0950

FAX:

eastsidefoodcoopstaff@yahoo.com

www.eastsidefoodcoop.org



Wedge Community Food Co-p

2105 Lyndale Avenue South

Minneapolis Minnesota 55405-

Phone: (612) 871-3993

FAX: (612) 871-0734

wedge@wedge.coop

http://www.wedge.coop



Seward Co-op Grocery & Deli

2111 East Franklin Avenue

Minneapolis Minnesota 55404-

Phone: (612) 338-2465

FAX: (612) 338-6267

cust@seward.coop

www.seward.coop



Linden Hills Food Co-op

2813 W 43rd Street

Minneapolis Minnesota 55410-

Phone: (612) 922-1159

FAX: (612) 922-5538

info@lindenhills.coop

http://www.lindenhills.coop



Lakewinds Natural Home

17523 Minnetonka Blvd.

Minnetonka Minnesota 55345-

Phone: (952) 742-1242

lakewinds@lakewinds.coop

http://www.lakewinds.coop



Lakewinds Natural Foods

17523 Minnetonka Blvd.

Minnetonka Minnesota 55345-

Phone: (952) 473-0292

FAX: (952) 473-9834

lakewinds@lakewinds.coop

http://www.lakewinds.coop



Wild Rice BC

912 20TH Avenue South

Moorhead Minnesota 56560-

Phone: (218) 236-1181

smeyer4086@aol.com

http://www.geocities.com/bcwildrice/index.html

To contact us on-line please fill in the form on our web page.



Pomme De Terre Food Co-op

613 Atlantic Avenue

Morris Minnesota 56267-

Phone: (320) 589-4332

http://www.pdtfoods.org



Granary Food Co-op

47 NW 2nd Street

Ortonville Minnesota 56278-

Phone: (320) 839-6204



Just Food Co-op

PO Box 662

516 South Water Street

Northfield Minnesota 55057-

info@justfood.coop

http://www.justfood.coop



Harvest Food Co-op

137 East Front Street

Owatonna Minnesota 55060-

Phone: (507) 451-0340

FAX:



Rochester Good Food Co-op

1001 6th St.NW

Rochester Minnesota 55901-

Phone: (507) 289-9061

FAX: (507) 288-1439

gfscoop@mcleodusa.net

http://www.rochestergoodfood.com



Good Earth Food Co-op

2010 8th Street N Centennial Plaza

St. Cloud Minnesota 56303-

Phone: (612) 253-9290

FAX:



Mississippi Market Food Co-op

1810 Randolph Avenue

St. Paul Minnesota 55105-

Phone: (651) 690-0507

FAX: (651) 690-0144

info@msmarket.coop

http://www.msmarket.coop



Mississippi Market Food Co-op

622 Selby Avenue

St. Paul Minnesota 55104-

Phone: (651) 310-9499

FAX: (651) 310-9498

info@msmarket.coop



Hampden Park Food Co-op

928 Raymond Avenue

St. Paul Minnesota 55114-

Phone: (651) 646-6686

hampden@tcfreenet.org



St.Peter Food Co-op & Deli

119 W.Broadway

St. Peter Minnesota 56082-

Phone: (507) 934-4880

FAX: (507) 934-9690

foodcoop@gotocrystal.net



Valley Co-op

221 N. Main Street

Stillwater Minnesota 55082-

Phone: (651) 439-0366

FAX: (651) 439-9389

valleycoop@aol.com



River Market Community Co-op

221 N. Main Street

Stillwater Minnesota 55082-

Phone: (651) 439-0366

FAX: (651) 439-9389

rivermarket@uswest.net



Natural Harvest Whole Food Co-op

505 3rd Street N

Virginia Minnesota 55792-

Phone: (218) 741-4663

FAX: (218) 741-6153

natharv@spacestar.net



Kandi Cupboard

412 Litchfield Avenue SW

Willmar Minnesota 56201-

Phone: (320) 235-9477

FAX:



Plum Creek Food Co-op

910 4th Avenue

Windom Minnesota 56101-

Phone: (507) 831-1882

FAX:



Bluff Country Co-op

121W 2nd St

Winona Minnesota 55987-

Phone: (507) 452-1815

FAX: (507) 457-0511

bluffcountycoop@chartermi.net

www.bluff.coop

[Genesisjoy]

Thanks for the info.
Yes I still nurse. I have been feeding her organic brown rice baby cereal, now that we are going raw, won't she miss that, I mean doesn't that give her substance or carbs or something? do you recomend vitamins cause the cereal had vitamins and minerals in it? how do you get grains while eating raw? do you need them even?

[Genesisjoy]

My baby just woke up and usually I feed her baby rice cereal for breakfast with applesauce is applesauce raw?

[Rawkinlocs]

She can get all the vitamins and minerals she needs from eating the fresh, raw, fruit/vegetables! See, fortified foods such as cereal has to be since they cook it which removes the vitamins...so they artifically add them back in! :)

As for grains, some people don't eat grains and some will even go as far as to say they are not meant for human consumption but we've just adapted to eating them. But what Alissa teaches in her book, Living on Live Food (which I highly recommend if you don't have it yet) is that the raw food (plant-based) diet is to consist of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and SPROUTED grains.

So, you can get raw grains from like a co-op or other natural food store such as Wholefoods or Wild Oats, soak overnight, drain, rinse and allow to sprout. Sprouting makes them become a live food and also removes the enzyme inhibitors. For baby, you could get some raw oats (or oat groats from the natural food stores but be aware they may not be "truly" raw as oftentimes they are heat-treated for shelf life as they go rancid very quickly) - Alissa sells truly raw (already hand-rolled) oats and musli on her site www.alissacohen.com - and you could soak overnight, blend the next morning into a puree and feed that to her with or without adding a natural sweetner such as raw agave nectar.

[Rawkinlocs]

My baby just woke up and usually I feed her baby rice cereal for breakfast with applesauce is applesauce raw?

Not unless you make it yourself. You can assume that most anything in a jar, on the store shelves is more than likely not raw. "Some" things may be, but most, esp. if not labelled "raw" are not.

But listen, you're just starting out, do the best you can...you can finish off the foods you already have for her if you like and just plan to begin incorporating more of the truly raw, fresh stuff into her diet! So, give her the organic applesauce that you already have! :)

[Sharon in Colorado]

If you have a food processer, just process the organic apple slices in there. You don't need sweetener with the baby, especially. You can puree mangoes, melons, grapes, cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, avocadoes, pineapple, berries, whatever you can think of.

And I'd use organic if at all possible, since she's probably getting pesticides via breast milk.

There are so many things the baby can enjoy, just throw them in the food processor, or a magic bullet personal blender and you are good to go.

Save the canned stuff for emergencies or what have you and go fresh! It is the best for your baby.

I wish I'd started this way with mine. The ped tried to make me feed them meats but at least I refused that as a first food. I just wish I'd started them on pureed fresh fruits and veggies instead of things like rice and wheat.

[Genesisjoy]

And I'd use organic if at all possible, since she's probably getting pesticides via breast milk.

.[/QUOTE]
We eat only organic, so I don't think she's getting pesticides from my breast milk!
thanks for the info.

what's your take on nut milk verses soy milk, which is better? are the store bought ones raw? do have to make my own? I hope not nuts are so expensive...

[Sharon in Colorado]

Yes, if everything you eat is organic then it wouldn't pass though!

I strongly feel nut milks are safer than soy.

[trinity082482]

Anything store bought in a jar for babies is probably cooked. I would think legally it has to be? I would make home made stuff and jar it up and have it handy when you need it. Plenty of moms recycle baby food jars! Maybe see if anyone would freecycle them to you. I don't have any to offer though. They were gone long time ago! LOL. My son is 3 1/2 :p

[MaineMomof4]

Nuts are expensive but if you think about how much the almond milk in the grocery store costs and how quickly you'll go through it than I feel it is worth it to just buy the nuts and make your own. The kind in the store is dead anyways so it would be nutritionally better if you make it too. It doesn't take that many nuts to make the milk. I use a handful of soaked almonds and you add a little water and if you have a sprouting bag or nut milk bag you can strain the mixture to get the pulp out and if you want you can add some other stuff to it and blend it some more (things like fruit, agave nectar to sweeten, vanilla, cinnamon) Just a thought =)

[anyanyapie]

Just wanted to say welcome to you Genesisjoy. I am from Minnesota too, we just had a potluck and are planning to have another one sometime in Feb. Keep an eye out on the events forum for more info.

I wish I had more to add to the other great suggestions, but I really don't. I go to whole foods or sometimes the wedge. Those are both in Minneapolis, so it depends on where you live. You shouldn't have to look too hard for some good organic produce. We just started raw less than a year ago, and my son is 8. I wish I had known about this when he was a baby (or even while I was pregnant). So just remember not to stress about it.

Feel free to email me, us Minnesotans are trying to meet up more often to help support each other. Hope you can join our little group.