It might seem like we just wrote a book since I just got around to blogging about it a few months ago. And really our last book, BLW Baby Food, did just come out last year. But we wrote another! Two books in two years is definitely not something I ever thought I would accomplish and it feels pretty darn good to have completed them.

My coauthor and fellow dietitian friend Ellen was approached by the publisher a few years ago with the idea for BLW Baby Food. A year after wrapping up that project, they approached her again with a new idea - the beginnings of Whole Food Baby Food. The deadlines for this publisher involve a SUPER quick turnaround so Ellen (amazingly) included me in the projects to make the deadlines a little more doable as work from home moms.

Incorporating whole foods into baby and toddler feeding.

The new book is titled Whole Food Baby Food - the publisher uses popular search terms when formulating their titles to make it super easy for the reader to find exactly what they are looking for. The goal of Whole Food Baby is to demystify whole foods and let readers know how simple and straightforward incorporating more whole foods can really be.

What are whole foods?

In most grocery stores, pretty much every food has been processed to a certain extent and this isn’t a bad thing - many times processing is done to make the food supply safer. Healthy, whole foods can quickly become unrecognizable thanks to over-processing - think bright pink and orange swirled yogurt, white chocolate coated “breakfast bars”, or “antioxidant packed” sugar frosted wheat and rice cereal. Highly processed foods often give the appearance of a much healthier food thanks to a slew of marketing buzzwords (often geared towards parents of young kids) on the front of the packaging, but most whole foods don’t have this same level of marketing muscle on their label (if they even have a label).

To over simplify, whole foods are foods similar to how you might find them in nature. This doesn’t mean processed foods don’t have a place, but they don’t need to make up the bulk of our diets (which is the goal of most food marketing departments). Whole Food Baby breaks down shopping and meal planning using whole foods as the center of the diet. This book also keeps food budget front and center, helping families save money while moving towards a more whole food centered diet.

Introducing solids the whole food way.

In addition to breaking down whole foods and their importance, Whole Food Baby also tackles the topic of introducing solids:

When - this book covers when the best time to start solids may be, always putting your unique baby’s needs first.
How - whether you choose to introduce solids with purees or baby-led weaning (or, as many parents do, a combination of both), this book has you covered. All of the first-food recipes have options and tips for serving puree or BLW style.
Key nutrients - more important than method of introduction is providing foods that cover key nutrients for this age group like iron, choline, and essential fats.
Variety - In our books, Ellen and I always focus on early variety as a method of preventing picking eating. Variety also helps cover nutrient needs and leads to a more adventurous eater later in life.

I hope you’ll check out Whole Food Baby Food wherever you buy your books, or even at your local library! Sign up for my newsletter and respond to the intro email for a chance to win a free copy of your own.