Chicken contains many nutrients that babies need to thrive, including vitamins B6 and B12, iron, zinc, choline, selenium, and vitamin B3. Together, these nutrients help support antioxidant activities, fuel cell energy, create healthy blood, promote a strong sense of taste and smell, and boost brain health. Chicken is also a great source of protein, with the full spectrum of amino acids that help develop a growing baby’s brain, muscles, nervous system, heart, skin, and hair. There are many labels for chicken. Free-range, organic, vegetarian-fed, cage-free, pasture-raised… What do they mean, and which one is best? Labels can help consumers, but sometimes they can be misleading. Some chickens are “vegetarian-fed”, which suggests a certain quality, but the label often means the birds are eating commodity grains like corn and soy. “Free-range” and “cage-free” chickens have access to the outdoors where they can eat a more natural diet of worms and bugs in addition to plant-based ...
Tuna is tricky, especially when it comes to babies. We recommend serving other fish that are lower in mercury and to refrain from serving tuna of any variety to babies and toddlers under the age of two. While the FDA deems “canned light tuna” safe for children age 2 and up, the levels of mercury in studies of canned light tuna (or any other kind of canned tuna) did not meet our fish standards for babies . Further, a Consumer Reports analysis of canned light tuna found that the mercury levels in the samples varied widely, with some containing double the average amount of mercury listed by the FDA. 2 The research and recommendations are unclear around how often a baby younger than 2 years old can have tuna, so consider the risks and explore healthier alternatives. There are a number of safe canned fish options, including low-sodium sardines and low-sodium, wild-caught salmon . Not in our opinion. Tuna contains many essential nutrients including iro...