Rejecting Ultra-Processed Baby Food

Most mainstream baby feeding advice starts with rice cereal and packaged purées. In this blog post we’re going to approach baby’s first foods differently, through the lens of The Weston A. Price approach, popularized by Sally Fallon Morell in Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care, takes a different path.

Instead of focusing on processed cereals and grains, this philosophy emphasizes nutrient-dense whole foods, healthy fats, quality animal foods, and introducing foods at your baby's own pace.

How Do You Know Your Baby Is Ready for Solids?

Despite what your family and friends may tell you, there is no perfect age that works for every baby!

While many health organizations recommend beginning solids at 6 months, some babies show interest in food earlier, while others are perfectly content solely nursing for a little while longer. Here are some signs your baby may be ready for solids: 

• Sitting with good head and neck control

• Showing interest in your food

• Reaching for food from your plate

• Opening their mouth when food is offered

The Goal of Early Solids: Learning and Nourishing

One thing I think gets missed in conversations about starting solids is that both things can be true. In the beginning, babies eat very small amounts, about 1-2 ounces. Breast milk (or formula) still provides most of your baby’s nutrition throughout the first year. 

Think of this stage as adding to your baby's diet, not abruptly replacing breast milk or formula. Introducing solids is about getting acclimated to new tastes, textures, and eating skills while gradually expanding nutrient intake. 

Rather than replacing milk, early solids help babies learn:

• How to move food around their mouth

• How to swallow different textures

• How to experience new flavors

Around 6 months, babies' nutrient needs increase, and breast milk alone may no longer provide enough iron and some other nutrients. This is one reason nutrient-dense complementary foods become important.

Start with smooth purées and gradually work toward mashed and then soft finger foods as your baby develops chewing skills. 

Why Nutrients Matter After 6 Months

Six months isn’t a magic number, but one reason why most recommend starting solids around this age is because of iron.

Babies are born with iron stores that help support them during their early months. As they grow so quickly in the first few months, their iron needs increase. Around 6 months, complementary foods become an important way to help meet those increasing needs.

This doesn’t mean that at 6 months you need to rush to the grocery store and start making elaborate meals for your little one! Instead, think of this as the beginning of a window of opportunity to gradually introduce new foods and nutrients over the coming months, helping meet your baby’s increasing nutrient needs as they grow.

When choosing foods, we want to think about foods that provide iron, zinc, protein, choline, B vitamins and other important nutrients.

Some nutrient-dense options include:

• Beef

• Lamb

• Chicken

• Liver

• Eggs

• Fish

• Full-fat yogurt and other appropriate dairy

• Avocado

• Well-cooked vegetables

• Fruit

The Weston A. Price approach puts a big emphasis on nutrient-dense animal foods. Foods like egg yolk, liver, meat, fish, butter, cream, and quality dairy can pack a lot of important nutrients into a relatively small amount of food compared to fruits and vegetables alone, something that’s especially helpful when your baby is only eating a few bites at a time.

Starting solids doesn't have to mean stopping breastfeeding.

Complementary foods can be just that, complementary.

You can continue breastfeeding while gradually introducing your baby to a wider variety of nourishing foods.

What If My Baby Pushes the Food Back Out?

Don't panic if your baby spits out the first few bites. 

When babies first start eating, they're learning how to coordinate their tongue, mouth and swallowing muscles in a completely new way. Some babies will push food back out simply because they haven't figured out what to do with it yet.

That's normal.

Start with tiny amounts and give your baby plenty of opportunities to practice. Some babies love being spoon-fed. Others want to grab everything themselves. Some will happily eat a purée one day and barely touch it the next.

Don't take one meal, or even one week, as a verdict on whether your baby "likes" a food.

Keep offering.

The Weston A. Price Timeline for First Foods

Around 6 Months (or When Baby Shows Readiness)

Introduce one new food at a time, waiting several days before offering another so you can watch for any reactions. It’s recomended to stick with pureed or mashed foods. 

Great first foods include:

• Sweet potato

• Carrots

• Squash

• Avocado

• Banana

• Mango

• Melon

• Well-cooked vegetables

• Puréed or finely shredded meats

• Butter & Cream

• Egg

• Full-fat plain yogurt, if tolerated

Egg Yolk

Sally Fallon recommends soft-cooked egg yolk as one of baby's earliest nutrient-dense foods. Egg yolks are a nutrient power house and are a great source of choline which aid in brain development! 

• Soft-boil the egg.

• Serve only the warm, soft yolk.

• Introduce it by itself.

• Watch for any signs of intolerance before offering again.

If your baby doesn't tolerate it well, wait several weeks before trying again and discuss concerns with your pediatrician.

The Weston A. Price Foundation traditionally recommends introducing the yolk first and waiting until around one year to introduce the white. On the other hand, The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends introducing well-cooked egg around 6 months rather than waiting to introduce the egg white. Ultimately, do what you feel the most comfortable with and talk with your pediatrician if your baby has severe eczema or a known food allergy.

Around 8 Months (Every Baby Is Different)

As your baby becomes more comfortable eating, start expanding the variety of foods you're offering.

This is where meals can start becoming more nutrient-dense.

For example, instead of offering plain sweet potato every day, you could eventually mix it with a little butter or serve it alongside puréed meat.

Instead of thinking, "What baby food should I buy?", start thinking:

"How can I adapt the nourishing foods I'm already making for my baby?"

What About Fruit?

Most fruits can be introduced during the first several months of solids.

Good options include:

• Banana

• Mango

• Avocado

• Melon

For firmer fruits like apples and pears, lightly cooking or steaming them first makes them easier to digest and creates a softer texture for young babies.

What About Grains?

One of the biggest differences between conventional baby feeding and the Weston A. Price approach is grains.

Rather than starting with rice cereal, Sally Fallon recommends delaying grains until around one year of age. In Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care, she explains that babies may not produce sufficient digestive enzymes to handle grains well during early infancy, particularly gluten-containing grains.

Simple First Food Ideas: 

Pro tip: adding in breastmilk to any of these Puréed foods adds nutrients and makes them easy to mix.

Foods to avoid: 

Wait Until Around 9 Months - Citrus Fruits & Tomatoes

Sally Fallon recommends waiting until around 9 months before introducing citrus fruits and tomatoes, as these foods are more likely to cause sensitivities in younger babies.

Every baby is different, so introduce these foods one at a time and watch for any reactions.

Wait Until Around 1 Year - Leafy Greens & High-Nitrate Vegetables:

• Spinach

• Lettuce

• Collard greens

• Celery

• Radishes

• Beets

• Turnips

Certain vegetables naturally contain higher amounts of nitrates, which can be converted into nitrites in an infant's immature digestive system.

Honey

Babies under one year should never be given honey because their stomach acid is not yet strong enough to protect against Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause infant botulism.

Egg Whites

As mentioned above, egg whites are common first allergen in the first year.

Foods Sally Fallon recommends avoiding for babies, and families in general: 

• Commercial dairy products, especially ultra-pasteurized dairy

• Modern soy foods

• Margarine and vegetable shortening

• Fruit juice

• Reduced-fat or low-fat dairy products

• Extruded grain products, such as many puffed cereals and processed snack foods

• Highly processed foods with refined ingredients, additives, preservatives, or artificial flavors

Instead, the focus is on nutrient-dense whole foods, healthy traditional fats, quality animal proteins, vegetables, fruit, and minimally processed ingredients.

Key Takeaways

• Follow your baby's developmental cues, not just the calendar.

• Breast milk or formula remains the primary source of nutrition throughout the first year.

• Start with single-ingredient whole foods.

• Focus on nutrient density rather than processed baby cereals.

• Progress from smooth purées to mashed foods and soft textures over time.

• Introduce one new food every few days to monitor for any reactions.

• Remember that every baby develops at their own pace.

Ready to Make Baby’s First Foods a Little Easier?

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