By 2024 Nourish’d hopes to be a part of all life stages through quality, delicious food. We pride ourselves on great ingredients without the B.S. (bad stuff) - that means no added preservatives! Breaking down the benefits of Nourish’d in the early stages of life can help you choose what's best for you and your loved ones. Let’s get to it!

First Time Feeders

The beginning of an infant's food journey can be a tough one. Trying new foods and exploring tastes is exciting but how do you know if your baby can safely digest and thrive with what you're feeding them? A good place to start is noticing if the food your baby is consuming contains preservatives. Store bought purees, yoghurt and fruit jellies are notorious for this and can often go unnoticed. But why does it matter? Well, preservatives and additives can negatively impact an infant's ability to create good behaviours and grow in a healthy way. Now, this definitely doesn’t happen to all first time feeders, however if giving your baby quality meals is the goal, avoiding artificial ingredients might be the first step. 

Below is a list of common additives in baby food that should be avoided if want to integrate preservative free food into your baby’s diet:

• Sulfites: Preservatives 220 to 228 are commonly found in baby food but may have negative effects on an infant's body. Allergy-type symptoms and asthma attacks can occur from ingesting these preservatives, especially in infants and children. If you want to avoid any type of preservatives, this should be the top one on the list. 
• Artificial sweeteners: The human body doesn’t recognise artificial sweeteners as an ingredient, meaning when the body tries to metabolise them health problems can occur like dizziness and headaches. Common artificial sweeteners in Australia are Alitame (956), Aspartame (951), Saccharin (954) and Sucralose (955). 
• MSG: MSG is commonly present in processed foods. It creates more flavour in food and can become addictive. However, MSG may cause behavioural problems in infants, including damaging the neurological tissue. 

Children 

In Australia, food additives are majorly present in many foods marketed to children. In fact the American Academy of Paediatrics warns parents about additives due to the harmful effects they could cause. As children are small any given chemical is a larger dose than if the same amount was given to an adult. Children's bodies are developing, thus any preservatives consumed could do damage to their brain health, hormones and body growth. Decreased immunity could also occur which is vital for a young child's ability to enjoy life to the fullest. 

Preservatives and additives that should be avoided in children include:

• Artificial food colours: Artificial colours have been found to increase symptoms in children who have ADHD. This is especially harmful as artificial colours are present in many childrens snack foods like cereals, muesli bars and yoghurt pouches.
• Nitrates and nitrites: These preservatives, commonly found in processed meats, are used to enhance colour and preserve food. Thyroid health, and an increased risk of cancer is also a concern with nitrates and nitrites. This type of additive may also interfere with the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to the body. 

How Can Nourish’d Help?

Nourish'd meals are 100% preservative and refined sugar free so you never have to worry about feeding your little ones the quality ingredients they deserve. You can benefit you and your child through nourishing meals that make a positive impact on your families health. If you are overwhelmed by this information you don’t need to worry. Phasing out preservatives in your child’s diet can be made easier in just a couple of steps:

1. Start reading the nutrition labels of your packaged foods at the grocery store. If any preservatives or numbers are on the label it won’t be suitable for a preservative free diet. There are some great preservative free options out there but making homemade food, especially purees for infants, may also be a great option.
2. Simplify the snacks. A snack of fruit, peanut butter, boiled eggs or coconut yogurt is simple to prepare and will benefit a child’s behaviour compared to packaged snacks with added sugar and preservatives. If you want to know more about preservative free snacks that can be found in the supermarket check out nutritionist Jordan Pie who shows some great preservative free snack swaps. 
3. Take the stress out and begin ordering some Nourish’d meals. We don’t specifically make meals for first time feeders and children however many of our dishes can be great for first time feeders. Family favourites include the Sweet Potato Spaghetti Bolognese, Texas BBQ Ribs with White Potato or Cauliflower Mash, Chicken & Bacon Carbonara and Slow Cooked Beef Stew. 

If you want to try some preservative free food and don’t know where to begin, take a look at the Full Nourish’d Menu! You can order online or contact us via info@nourishd.com.au to help you with any further questions about preservative free meals.