Super Baby Food
by Ruth Yaron
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Book Reviews of Super Baby Food
Book Review: This is the gift I buy for all the new parents I know, and they love it.
Summary: 5 Stars
There are not enough ways for me to praise this priceless book for the gift it has given my son and our little family. If not for this book, it wouldn't have occurred to me to offer him such a complete, healthy menu in this way. I would have taken the route of nutritional trial and error, making the latest in "good food" based on what he happens to enjoy. And I would have made the mistake of being guided by my tainted mature taste buds (developed in the heart of the midwest). All the while I'd be questioning if I was actually providing him a complete healthy diet. Afterall, unless you have a degree in nutrition, so much of what we think we know is actually unproven or even hearsay. Sorry, but that's not quite good enough for our babies and toddlers who are currently growing the amazing brains and bodies that they will be relying on for the rest of their lives.
The alternative that Super Baby Food offers is so complete that it gives parents a terrific gift . . . peace of mind! Just imagine, starting your baby's day with a breakfast of swiss chard, broccoli, squash, whole grain oats and rice, tofu, and seeds rich in omega-3's, . . . all in one delicious dish. I was skeptical and had very low expectations as I began trying the recipes on my son. But to my amazement, it has worked out extremely well. I've been feeding my son this healthy super porridge since he began eating solids, and now he is nearly three years old. He loves eating his super porridge to this day, as well as all of the other recipes I've offered him from this book. Plus, these great healthy flavors are now what his developing taste buds have come to know. And when he has a choice of foods, these are the foods he asks for. And what a great thing it is to hear, "Mommy, can I have more broccoli please? Can I have some cauliflower, too?" Music to my ears!
Peace of mind is multiplied by the fact that my son is the one person in our family who doesn't get sick. The time I put into planning and creating the meals is nothing, compared to the time saved by having a healthy child! He didn't even get his first diaper rash until the age of 14 months. Think of all the things we have to do later in life to fight off disease, and the aging process, often due to a lifetime of inadequate eating habits. As a parent or caretaker, you are in charge of what your child eats while he's under your care. This food plan provides the best method for prevention we could ever want for our children. And it became so easy to cook everything in batches once I got the hang of it.
This book is a terrific resource even if you don't want to try the nutrition plan at all. There is an appendix of specific fruits and veggies, and it will answer those questions you have about what is the best way to select, store, prepare, cook, and freeze each fruit or veggie. For example, did you know that you can avoid the gas problem with broccoli by slightly undercooking it, to retain the natural chlorophyll? Also provided is the age that your baby must be when each specific veggie or fruit is first offered to his developing digestive system. There are some great chapters on parties, crafts, and fun food decorating. And another appendix offers the reader a mini course in the how's and why's of nutrition. This book is a smorgasbord, from which you can select the ideas that appeal to you. I found it helpful to apply tab labels on the pages I refer to most often.
Think of the best pet you've ever had. If you knew there was a book you could follow that would give him everything he needed to be strong, healthy, fight off disease, and live longer, would you think twice about buying it? Well our pets rely 100% on us for their nutrition, and guess what, our precious children do too. Gradually, this book has taught me how to make it the priority that it deserves to be.
We are the first generation blessed enough to have such an amazing resource book in our kitchens, that gives us the extraordinary power to personally transform the "American Diet" for the next generation, and perhaps all those that follow. For that reason alone, I wish I could hand a copy of this book to you right now as you are reading this.
P.S. I'm certainly no health nut, and not a vegetarian; But our family is definitely eating better since we started keeping such super food fruits and veggies in the fridge.
Book Review: A comprehensive guide to feeding your baby, loaded with misinformation and arrogant tones, and no credentials
Summary: 3 Stars
A comprehensive guide to feeding your baby, loaded with misinformation, arrogant tones, and no credentials.
Ruth Yaron is a mother of two. She decided to write a book about what she fed her children.
She has some very good ideas for parties, healthier versions for fruit snacks, great manners in which to prepare baby food and offers loads of information about each fruit and vegetable. The advantages for making your own baby food are you can control what goes into the food. This is wonderful if you have children with allergies. Also, you can control the texture. When I fed my children homemade baby food, they seemed to adapt quicker and easier to new foods and table foods much easier than their friends who ate from store brands. Despite that my children are picky like everyone else's, they love fruits and vegetables and I get comments all the time on how well they eat.
Unfortunately, despite the wonderful potential this book has, it is also loaded with extra misinformation. Ruth Yaron recommends feeding nut butters as early as ten months of age. Most pediatricians (if not all) do not recommend giving children any food considered a high allergen until they are older. Imagine having an infant suffering from an anaphylactic reaction? Would you be able to identify one? Or would you feel safer following your doctor's advice and wait until your child is older where the symptoms would be easier to recognize? Also, she suggests feeding spinach and carrots early as well. Depending on where you are getting your spinach and carrots, they can be loaded with chemicals.
What adds to all of the misinformation in this book is the fact she writes with a patronizing attitude and has absolutely no official training outside of parenting. She is not a nutritionist, nor is she a dietician, and she is not even a doctor!
Then, as if that was not enough, she strays off topic from her book's title, Super Baby Food and suggests tie dying stained onesies, not owning an iron in the house as it may be too dangerous, making your own crayons, a section on bibs, and how to clean your house. Some readers may find this extra information as a bonus. I found this to be an annoyance. If I wanted a book on how to clean my house, I would have bought one. I wanted a book on feeding my baby. What she may have considered was renaming this book to suggest that these types of suggestions were included in this book, or come up with a second book.
Parenting is a tough job. No one wants to be told that what they are doing is wrong. Each child does not come with his own instruction manual. Then, you get this book where Ruth Yaron preaches her beliefs and basically infers if you do not raise your children her way, then you are not being a good parent. After reading this book, it would be really hard for any mother not to take her tone personally.
If you are an intelligent person who can sift through the information in this book, listen to your doctor and use your instinct for raising and feeding you child, than this is a good book. But, if you are a person that believes everything in print, and you plan to follow this book like it is the Bible, then this book could be dangerous to you.
My suggestion is for someone who is a registered nutritionist get together with a pediatrician, and revise this entire book. There are too many people out there that take everything at face value and do not research on their own. Having a book like this on the shelves was a wonderful idea yet it was poorly executed.
Book Review: Inspired Me to Cook Healthy Food for My Baby!
Summary: 4 Stars
SUPER BABY FOOD is an inspiring, but fundamentally flawed book. My copy is fast becoming dog-eared. I use it a lot, but I wish fervently that Yaron would get a good editor or a co-author for the next edition. That said, I am a mother that works a full-time job in addition to housekeeping and mothering, and I have been using the SUPER BABY FOOD techniques for four months now.
Things I love about SUPER BABY FOOD:
- LISTS: Monthly lists of healthy foods and ideas on when to introduce them to my baby.
- TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES: Detailed tips on how to start making baby food in bulk, so that it does not take up much time. It makes it clear that healthy, homemade baby food is doable.
- ENTHUSIASM: It's an inspiring book to read. Huge enthusiasm for healthy eating and for raising a child that eats well.
- GREAT BOOK IF ALLERGIES CONCERN YOU: I had already determined that my baby was sensitive to dairy and wheat based on his reactions to what I eat (he's breastfed). This book offers a great method for introducing new foods and watching to make sure that you have not introduced something that's a problem.
- SIMPLE RECIPES: Contains some good simple recipes.
Things that vex me about SUPER BABY FOOD:
This list is longer, but I am still glad I got the book, and still go to it for ideas.
- FOOD COMBINING: Yaron espouses food combining. The idea that you need to combine protein sources at a vegetarian meal in order to get the protein you need is long out of date. For example, see Frances Moore Lappe's renunciation of the idea in the 1982 edition of DIET FOR A SMALL PLANET.
- INCONSISTENT ADVICE: On page 32, she notes that most experts recommend delaying the introduction of cow's milk until one year. On page 88, she lists whole milk yogurt as one of the first foods to introduce. There are similar issues with the other foods that are most likely to trigger allergies, such as peanut butter. At the very least, it would have been helpful to note these items in the monthly list of foods to introduce.
- BAD INDEXING: A good index in a cookbook is invaluable. This book lacks one. For example, I went to the index to find the applesauce recipe. There was no entry. There was an entry for apples. The page that mentioned apples referred me to the page with the applesauce recipe. Looking around more, I realized there is something called a Recipe Index, but it simply re-lists the recipes in the order they are printed earlier in the book. So, for example, you must find the heading called Fruit and then scan through all the listings to find Baby Applesauce. Neither the groupings nor the actual recipes are in alphabetical order. This makes the book slow and tedious to use.
- INCOMPLETE ADVICE REGARDING FISH: Mercury is such a high profile contaminant that it would have been useful to mention. Yaron just mentions "pollutants," and skips some of the fish that have that issue.
- DESSICATED LIVER: Yaron recommends this supplement. I would say more about finding liver you would want your baby to eat. Since the liver is a blood-cleansing organ, it is likely to have a burden of pollutants that the animal was exposed to. Again, Yaron is not concerned about pollutants.
- SCOPE CREEP: In actual fact, this book is also a book of housekeeping tips. There are two pages of advice on loading and using your dishwasher, for example. It's fun, but I could have done without it.
Book Review: An earnest book that is all over the place.
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this book after reading the reviews thinking, it was really geared toward someone just like me, a vegetarian from Los Angeles, but it falls short.
1. I bought the book because I LOVE big heavy tomes full of print, but even for me, its very difficult to read. It is PACKED with well meaning information, but its very badly disorganized and the index is useless. The info is also not consistent. For example, something is introduced in an earlier chapter, but then the cautions about it, appear in a later chapter. I generally devour a book, like harry potter, in a day or 2. Here I just couldn't though I carried it around for weeks. I appreciate the earnest tone but its needs some editing.
2. Also it is filled with at least 30 pages of unnecessary random info, like how to cut up a cake into shapes for a kiddie party, how to make your own baby wipes, cleaning detergent, or make a bib out of a sweatshirt. Some silly stuff, though I'm frugal, I can buy wipes or bibs at the dollar store for less. Also I bought the book for baby food ideas, why load it down with this stuff? It's not why I bought the book.
3. THIS BOOK IS FOR VEGETARIANS or someone who likes veg entrees! It should have been written on the cover, this is not about stereotypical american fare.
In fact, I'm indian-american, I do make my own yogurt frequently and I bought it thinking I would find alternatives for my child. If you're the kind of person who buys soy products at the store and eats veg main meals, its gears at you and your child. The basic food plan includes feeding your child super porridge daily, which just doesn't work for us.
Her tone also seems a little... rude, if you eat meat. :( This book bends over backwards to explain why she thinks a veg diet is better and lay out meat alternatives to feed your child. The chapter on meats starts with a bunch of warnings on why she doesn't advocate it, but will include meats to be 'complete'.
I rate it 3 stars for me, but 2 stars if your a meat and potatoes person.
I believe neither veg nor non-veg is better or worse, but in terms of practicality, you want your baby to eat what you and your family eat, right?
I AM a veg kind of person but here is its biggest flaw...
4. It advocates items that doctors say you should absolutely not feed your baby. For example, pages and pages (and pages) on how to prepare nuts and seeds to your baby.
I'm sure she means well, but doctors now say the later you child is exposed to nuts, honey etc., the better. And there is some evidence that early exposure may trigger allergies in the future. Nut allergies can be very severe and result in hospitalization, scary stuff. Its possible your baby might not be allergic to nuts, but would you risk it? Not me. I would rather she spend more time talking about lentils, which are a good source of protein, and are digestable after 4-6 months of age. T
he problem is, that since she is wrong on this, how do I know if, ex. tahini sauce, which the author suggests, is ok for my baby? Or certain veggies and fruits? And that is the problem, she loses her credibility. :(
You will have to double check everything in the book for safety and accuracy. Though I research a lot, its just not practical. And that is the downfall of this very well meaning book.
Hope this helps!
Book Review: THE ABSOLUTE BEST! Recipes, kitchen tips, fun games, etc...
Summary: 5 Stars
Oh, where to begin? Unfortunately, I don't have the time to rant for pages on how great this book is, so I will just say that Ruth Yaron is a genius. That's really how I feel. She has written the bible of baby food & I love her for it! I was lucky enough to stumble across Super Baby Food during my wanderings one day & I've worn my poor book out from referring to it so often.
She has a way of blending nutrition & humor together to make this book not only an easy read, but a pleasurable one as well. I literally pick this book up at least 5 or 6 times a day. What I really love is that she helps me get in touch with the natural way to do things.
This book is not just another baby food recipe book-- no, she's included so much more such as: food decorating, throwing parties for kids, arts & crafts, homemade baby products & accessories, the dangers of many different things found in our everyday environment & so much more.
I must include one more thing before I go... On page 134 you'll find The Super Baby Food Diet Daily Worksheet which shows how much of what your baby needs every day. I scanned it, enlarged it, & printed out plenty of copies so that I can keep careful track of my little girl's diet. It sounds harder than it actually is-- I just keep the sheets on a clipboard with a pen attached in a central location so as I feed her I can just scribble between meals what I'm feeding her. Without it, she'd be missing out on vital nutrients & I'd never even know it!
Oh, & I have to add that she has gotten me hooked on organic foods & natural supplements, such as flaxseed oil & brewer's yeast. I had never heard of them before, & now I don't know what I'd do without them.
Yes, there are some things that I don't agree with, but I challenge you to find a book covering this many helpful topics that you agree 100% with. I just absorb what I like & disregard the rest.
By the way, there's one review that says there was "almost an entire page" dedicated to just bibs & she just couldn't bring herself to read it... well, I guess 3 little paragraphs can be too much reading for some people, lol.
I'll also admit that the layout of the book does require some flipping around, but with so many topics being related, it would be impossible to put it in a page after page format.
In closing, I truly feel that I'm giving my baby a much better start at life than the passive parents who don't take an active role in ensuring their child receives the very best nutrition. Too many people have blind faith that Gerber & the rest are the only way to go, when in fact you're paying 79 cents for 5 cents worth of carrots & water that aren't even free of pesticides! What a shame! Do yourself & your baby a huge favor, & get this book! I know you'll love it as much as I do! ***And our pediatrician approves!**
THANK YOU, RUTH YARON! YOU'VE CHANGED OUR LIVES & I LOVE YOU FOR IT!