Shop-bought baby food has been around for decades in the UK and time-poor parents have been using a wide variety of jars and pouches ever since their introduction to the market. Even though they have been around for so long, you’d be surprised by how little they have actually changed during this time. Packaging innovations like the plastic pouch have been the biggest change, but the actual food inside and the way it’s produced have remained largely the same.
Obviously, the main alternative to shop-bought baby food is just cooking the food yourself fresh at home. But if you are a parent already, then you’ll probably already know that having the time to do this on a regular basis is pretty much impossible without turning into a full-time baby food chef.
So what are the main differences between shop-bought baby food jars and pouches and their fresh home-cooked alternatives?
In this blog, we’re going to try and break it down for you simply so you understand the main differences between shop-bought and fresh baby food.
What’s the deal with shop-bought baby food?
As we mentioned above, shop-bought baby food hasn’t really changed that much since its mainstream introduction in the 1950s. On the face of it, it’s a no-brainer for busy parents. Why spend time battling the steamer and the blender when you can buy shelf-stable pouches and jars that can be used on-demand and thrown in a buggy at any time?
Well, it turns out that there are some drawbacks to their ultra-convenience…One of the main issues is when it comes to the nutritional credentials of these jars and pouches.
Due to the extreme industrial processes used in their manufacturing process, many important nutrients are lost in the extreme heat or maceration treatments that the ingredients go under. Another issue that has been highlighted by organisations like First Steps Nutrition, is that the flavour profile of the jars and pouches available in the supermarket are predominantly on the sweet side. This is bad for a few reasons:
- Babies have an innate preference for sweeter foods due to the sweet taste of breast milk. This means that getting them to like the bitter tastes commonly associated with vegetables can be harder, especially if the choices are limited in the supermarket.
- The levels of free sugars found in the sweet fruit-based pouches can be very high and exceed the recommendations given by the NHS for free sugars in babies' diets.
If you’ve ever bought one of the pouches or jars, you will have probably noticed that the texture of the food can look quite processed and uniform. This is not a bad thing in itself, but it can make the transition back to more “challenging” textures that you might commonly find in a varied home-cooked diet.
Can you buy genuinely fresh baby food in London?
We all dream of being able to cook every meal for our baby fresh from scratch in a loving environment at home… but ultimately this is just not a reality for most parents who have a million other things to look after at the same time.
And that’s why recently there has been a growing trend of using baby food delivery services to get fresh meals delivered on a regular basis to maintain healthy eating habits and take the load off the kitchen during the week.
In fact, that’s exactly why V&Me (London’s first dedicated baby kitchen) was set up - to act as a guilt-free alternative to home cooking for busy parents.
It’s based on a concept that is popular in parts of Eastern Europe, where dedicated kitchens are dotted around town to provide parents with the freshest and healthiest meals for their babies on a daily basis. This ensures that every child gets the best nutritional start possible while not requiring their parents to turn into full-time baby chefs.
So why are fresh baby food delivery companies the best option for your little one?
It’s important to remember when talking about anything to do with baby and infant nutrition, that these early stages of their growth and development form the future building blocks for their body, mind and relationship with food. It’s essential to try and take advantage of this while you still can so you can give your baby the best start in life possible.
This is one of the reasons why we believe fresh is best for tiny tummies. We all want our baby to grow up with a healthy relationship with food. That means no cravings for frozen pizzas, fast food treats and overly sweet treats. It’s basically the relationship with food that we all wish we had ourselves!
Raising a child who grows up to appreciate fresh, homemade food would be a dream for most parents, but there just isn’t always the time to do this. That’s why fresh baby food delivery companies like V&Me are the best option. The meals are cooked fresh from scratch every single day just as you would do at home (if you had the time).This enables you to have the peace of mind of knowing that your baby is developing healthy eating habits during those crucial early years. The other advantage of fresh baby food delivery companies is the variety they can offer when compared to shop-bought alternatives. Because the food is prepared fresh every day, they are able to include a much wider variety of meals for parents. Different cuisines, seasonal ingredients and textures that would otherwise be limited in the traditional high-volume manufacturing processes associated with shop-bought baby food.
If you’re a parent living in London and you want to join the growing number of mums and dads getting fresh baby food deliveries to their doorstep, click the link below and get your first delivery now!We are now delivering to almost all central London postcodes, including popular areas like Westminster, Herne Hill, Parsons Green, Chiswick, Shoreditch, Fulham, Camden Town, Putney, Brixton, and Kennington.
