Tong Ansari and her five-month-old daughter, Meihui, sample homemade baby food.
Applesauce, mashed yams and puréed chicken are on the menu when moms gather at the Centretown Community Health Centre for a special cooking lesson.
The moms are learning how to make their own baby food in a two-day workshop. The Make Your Own Baby Food program has been offered at the CCHC three times a year for over 10 years. It offers tips on everything from safe food preparation to properly introducing foods to infants.
“We’re here to actually show you that making your own baby food is quite easy to do,” says registered dietitian and workshop instructor Nicole Gravel-Blauer.
She says the program is quite popular with moms, and it gives them a chance to interact with each other. “The whole idea behind it is to bring the moms together,” says Gravel-Blauer.
The program is aimed at first-time moms, but occasionally second or third-time moms will participate, she says.
Although Gravel-Blauer says some store-bought foods are very nutritious, homemade baby food is a healthy alternative and is more superior in terms of taste, texture and colour.
“All those things come from making your own baby food at home, which is awesome,” she says.
Store-bought baby food is also generally available in one consistency, making it harder to adjust to the baby’s development. At home, parents can prepare food that is specifically tailored to their baby’s progress.
Mandy Mansveld, 38, says the workshop was really helpful. “I thought it would be good because I really want to cook the healthiest I can for her,” she says, referring to her three-month-old daughter Mia.
Gravel-Blauer says another benefit of making baby food is that parents know exactly how fresh the food really is. Some store-bought baby foods contain preservatives to increase their shelf lives, and it is hard to know how much nutrition is lost for this reason.
Parents can also be more selective with baby food if they make it at home, she says. For instance, they can make efforts to use only locally-grown produce.
They can also be more creative with the meals they prepare for their babies. One of the recipes the moms try at the workshop includes a puréed blend of chicken and apples.
Tong Ansari, 32, says she was interested in learning how to make different kinds of foods for her five-month-old daughter. She will also be able to try some of these recipes for her two-year-old son.
“I want to make things more interesting,” says Ansari.
Homemade baby food is also less expensive, says Gravel-Blauer. When people buy baby food at the store, they don’t just pay for the contents but also the jar itself, the labour, and the brand name.
The next workshop will be held in the spring.
For more information visit www.centretownchc.org .