The Paleo diet is estimated to become a $300 million industry by 2018, mostly by convincing adults to forgo anything a caveman wouldn't (or couldn't eat) — adios, pasta, sugar, and processed foods. Now one Austin, Texas-based couple wants babies to get in on the trend with Paleo-inspired baby food.
According to Moneyish, Joe Carr and Serenity Heegel started Serenity Kids to promote a high-protein, high-fat diet for babies."We saw how difficult it was for our friends who cook all of their baby's food," the couple writes on MySerenityKids.com. "We were shocked by the amount of sugar in most baby foods, because sugar (even from fruit) creates inflammation, which leads to health problems and can make a baby fussy from the blood sugar crash."
Serenity Kids' baby food pouches are available in three flavors — chicken with peas and carrots, beef with kale and sweet potato, and bacon with kale and butternut scotch. Of course the chicken is free range, the beef grass-fed and the bacon uncured, just like the cavemen would have wanted it. The pouches are also grain-free, soy-free, gluten-free, making them a good option for kids with allergies.
But is putting your baby on a Paleo diet safe? While the trend of people making their own baby food — many attempting their own Paleo blends — has been growing, the science isn't definitive, according to a RD interviewed by Moneyish.
"There's no research that shows a child needs a high-protein diet," Stephanie Di Figlia-Peck, a registered dietitian at Northwell Health, says. "A child who's growing and developing needs a balance of carbohydrates that come from fruits, vegetables and grains; protein and healthy fat. There needs to be a balance so you get the correct nutrient profile. "[Paleo baby food] could be one thing that you feed your baby with a variety of other foods that you have in your day or in your week."
However, there has been some controversy around Paleo diet food for babies. According to The Post, a Paleo baby book was discontinued in Australia because it featured formula made from bone broth, oils, and probiotics. The formula had 10 times the safe amount of vitamin A for babies, which could be toxic. So it seems the best idea is to follow the old maxim, everything is OK in moderation. Apparently, it goes for babies too.
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