Feeding Your Baby Right: The Truth About Processed Foods & Real Nutrition (Part 1 of 3)

What if everything you thought you had to feed your baby was actually just clever marketing? 

For decades, parents have been told that rice cereal and packaged baby food are essential first foods. 

But the truth? 

Ultra-processed foods do nothing to support your baby’s rapidly growing brain, gut health, or real-time learning.

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series where we unpack the real science behind infant nutrition and practical ways to build healthy eating habits from the start. 

In this episode, we’re diving into:

 ✅ The real impact of ultra-processed foods on brain and gut health

 ✅ Which whole foods provide the best nutrients for learning, focus, and mood

 ✅ How to make feeding your baby easier (and healthier!)—without spending hours in the kitchen

 ✅ Why involving your little one in meal planning, shopping, and cooking builds lifelong healthy habits

It’s time to ditch the baby food industry’s outdated playbook and take back control of what’s on your child’s plate. 

Ready to make the switch to smarter first foods? Hit play and let’s dive in!

👉 Don’t miss Part 2, where we break down time-saving meal prep strategies for busy parents! 

Make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss it. 

And if this episode resonated with you, SHARE it with another mama who needs the REAL facts!

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Transcript

Erin: 0:00

What if I told you that the baby food industry isn't designed with your baby's health in mind? That those pouches and all those puff like foods, baby biscuits, crackers, cookies, and the like, aren't just unnecessary and incredibly expensive. But they could actually interfere with your baby's brain development, their gut health, and their long term well being. The truth is, We've been sold a convenience over nutrition mindset for decades, and now we're in the thick of it. So today, we're going to break it all down. We're going to look at ultra processed foods impact on early development, why history has led us here, and more importantly, how to give your baby Real nourishing start that they deserve and this is just the beginning this Topic and the information that I have gathered is so important that this is part one of a three part series where we together will dive into what to feed your baby how to make it simple and Why one meal for the whole family should be your ultimate goal. So stick with me because these early food choices matter so much more Hello, and welcome to Talking Toddlers, where I share more than just tips and tricks on how to reduce tantrums or build your toddler's vocabulary. We're going to cover all of that, but here, our goal is to develop clarity. Because in this modern world, it's truly overwhelming. This podcast is about empowering moms to know the difference between fact and fiction, to never give up, to tap into everyday activities so your child stays on track. He's not falling behind. He's thriving through your guidance. We know that true learning starts at home. So let's get started. Today, we're talking about something that's very important to all parents and that you have to deal with. It's What do we feed our little ones? And we're going to cut through the noise because there's so much marketing and convenience traps and outdated advice. Today, we're going to talk about how real whole food and why it matters for your baby's brain, his or her gut health and the emotional development. We will break it down into three key areas and under each of those areas, we'll dive deep. Without overwhelming you because my goal is to peek under the hood give you some basic facts and then you step back and you decide how do I want to walk through this journey with my little ones. So the first key area will be cognitive development. How the right nutrients help build brain power that your baby is needing. The second key area will be the gut brain connection. You may or may not have heard of that. But why gut health impacts It's everything for you and me, but how it taps into our mood, our ability to focus, our sleeping patterns, all of it. And then the third key area we'll start to look into. And again, when I started to do my research and my due diligence, I realized, wow. The history of processed baby food is kind of a nightmare. So I want for today to begin to look at that and in a future episode we'll dive deeper. But how did we get here and why? Why must we need a reset? So throughout this talk today, we're gonna, we're gonna look at how feeding your baby real food and you'll keep me here, you'll keep hearing me say that, that it's real food, not packaged food, not food that comes from a factory, right? But it's not just about what we put on its plate, but it's about creating healthy habits and As a whole family, and you're just in the beginning stages, whether your little one is an infant, one, two, or three, it's really about how do we plan meals together, including. Shopping, cooking, even cleaning up your little one can be and should be a part of it. So it's not just about the food, it's a whole lifestyle that will hopefully, my goal is to empower you and then you will empower your little ones. The first key area will be cognitive development. That food is really the brain's fuel. And so, here's the big deal. That your baby's brain is growing at such warp speed in those first three years, we cannot overlook What do we give it to nourish it to support its health and growth? Right? We're talking about millions of neurons that are connecting and firing and forming every second. And you heard me say that, that millions of neural connections are forming and building every second. And so what fuels this incredible growth in these first 36 months? The nutrients that we give him or her, right? Think about your baby's brain like a house under construction. That we, none of us building houses would ever use flimsy materials, right? That you want the strongest foundation and then you want the frame to be strong and you want the walls to be strong and you want the electrician to be strong. All of it. So the same goes for your baby's brain development. Babies need high quality materials, meaning Real food that's packed with essential nutrients. So let's look at three basic nutrients, just to give you a good peek under that hood, literally and figuratively. So when you're going to look at, what are we going to have for dinner tonight? Or how am I going to plan the food for the week? I want you to think about these nutrients. The first one is iron and you're like, okay, well, what's that? It's critical for oxygen delivery to the brain. And when any of us, but especially our little ones, when they're low on iron, they're sluggish. Their learning is labored and intensive and sporadic. Their attention issues are poor. So instead of kind of reaching for that fortified rice cereal or any of the fortified food called cereal, Look for more kind of, um, iron rich, softer foods, especially in these beginning year or beginning months, right? When they're 6, 8, 10, 12 months old. But foods like lentils are high in iron, ground beef, eggs with yolks, all high in iron. So another nutrient that I want you to think about is DHA. And those are those omega 3s. Again, you may have heard about this information, but I want you to Think about it, how these nutrients and how this information really literally and figuratively feeds the brain, right? So omega threes are critical for supporting cognitive function. And I've mentioned here before over and over again, cognition isn't necessarily IQ or intelligence, but it's how the brain is wiring itself and then able through its processing system. To begin, to begin to understand how this outside world works, how people work, how different environments work, how different toys work. What does it mean to sit in the high chair? And how does that work when I'm, you know, taking in this stuff through my mouth and I'm not quite sure what it is. I've really been just playing around with rattles and now this stuff tastes differently. It's all about cognition is building. The why's, the how, the cause and effect, and I talk a lot about cause and effect, and problem solving. That's all that higher order thinking, but it starts at infancy. So omega 3's are also those fatty fish like salmon or sardines, and even those pastured eggs. critical with healthy healthy omega 3s. So think of perhaps making a simple salmon patty with your toddler. They can help put the mix together, stir it up, put the the patties together, make a little ball, smush it down. All of that is getting them involved and we're going to talk a lot about that today. So the other nutrient that I want you to focus on when you're going to food selection or meal planning, right, is protein. So protein. Um, perhaps is coming across your, your social media feeds these days because us women at any age, twenties, thirties, fifties, eighties, we're all realizing that protein is low in our diet. And in order to balance our hormones, which then support our mood, our self regulation, our sleep patterns, the way that we burn energy, all of that protein is essential. for neurotransmitter production. And we women have kind of been sold a bill of goods and we've been functioning on too low protein. Our children too. And, and it correlates with highly processed, ultra processed packaged food that's low in natural protein. So, so let's take a look at what protein is just a quick snapshot. It really is the chemical messengers in the brain that affect, like I said, our mood, our ability to focus and self regulate, right? But there are chemical messages, messengers. So when we look or, and when we begin to think about nutrients, we're really looking at how Building this structure, this neurological structure to function efficiently, effectively, at consistently, all of it is important. So some quick choices that you can think about. You know, shredded chicken and I think, you know, uh, fatty chicken thighs and legs gain or give a lot more umph, um, to anybody than, than dried kind of breast chickens. So think about making some. healthy meatballs, right? Or healthy sausages. You have to read the packages, but you can find some really healthy meat based or animal based protein. You can also look at beans. I'm not a big bean eater, but I know plenty of people eat them, get a lot of good nutrients. You have to. Learn to discriminate and in a future episode, we'll talk about, you know, some more specific food choices, but the other big thing, especially when you're just introducing foods or solids to your little ones, Greek yogurt and Greek yogurt has more concentrated protein per half a cup or cup because it's been, it's been strained differently, right? And instead, of any flavored yogurt. Please, please, please look for plain. Whole fat Greek yogurt, because that will have the most protein, the most, most healthiest fats, right? You can always add your own fruit and that's part of the process that your little one can help you with, right? So don't pick the fruit flavored. Anything with the word flavored is just chemicals, right? Or any added sweeteners, You add a, add your own blueberries. You add your own diced apples. You add whatever fruit of, of the week is, right? Uh, Kiwi or pineapple, a wide variety of beautiful flavors, some sweet, some tart, and your child is going to love it. So, and you'll hear me say this throughout today's episode. Get them involved. Let them pick out the fruit or the vegetable at the store. Let them put it away when you're, when you bring all the groceries home. Let them wash it and peel it and help you cut it. under your supervision, a one, one and a half, two, two and a half, certainly a three year old can help you in the kitchen. You know, they love to crack eggs. Again, hand over hand, but get them involved, help them, stir it up or use it in the immersion blender. That's really fun for little ones to hold on to, but scramble them up with your supervision, tear greens apart. Peel the carrots, all kinds of wonderful actions to get them involved with not only the food prep, but they're feeling it. They're smelling it. Maybe they're tasting it. All of those wonderful things to get them connected with healthy food choices. And, and The main key here is that they see what you eat. They see what you're fixing and they want to be a part of it. So if they're a part of it, then they begin to feel like they're included. And if they're included, then guess what? They're much more open to trying new foods. They're much more engaged with, Oh, I found this at the store. Oh, I helped mama clean it and scrub it and prepare it. Oh, it's not a bad try. It's not a bad thing because I'm familiar with it. So under that, now I just want to look at how fat, healthy fats and the brain go together. 70 percent of your toddler's brain is really fat derived, right? And so, let's just take a quick peek under the hood. I know I keep saying that, but it's you know, some science based, but we're just going to cover four main elements under how fat, healthy fats for the brain go together. Right? So the first point is looking at what we call fatty acids. And again, maybe you're a science geek like me and you've been looking at this for yourself, you know, during your pregnancy or sometime in your social media searching, right? But the most important fats for brain development are called long chain poly unsaturated fatty acids. Think of those as DHA or AA. So you'll see those acronyms in there. You're like, okay, that sounds familiar. But what it is is an essential amino acid and essential means that our body needs it. But here's the, the kicker. Our body cannot produce it on its own and it must be obtained. Through our diet or through our food choices. So keep that in mind when you ever see essential amino acids, our body can't produce it. We have to feed it literally so then it can do its job. So foods that contain all nine essential media, let me say that again. So foods that contain all nine essential amino acids are called complete proteins, right? And amino acids come from protein. and so we'll look at things like beef, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, and even some grains like quinoa and buckwheat are actually com Contain all nine essential meaty amino acids, but foods that contain some but not all of these essential amino acids are called incomplete proteins. That makes sense, right? But those foods would look at nuts or seeds, beans and grains. And that's why it's difficult when you're a vegetarian or a vegan. And when you're, you're focusing on your fats and your proteins. And your amino acids, you know, looking at, Oh, I eat a lot of nuts and seeds and beans, but it's really hard to, to really get your body all the nutrients that they need without animal based products like meat and dairy. Okay. So. The point here, and I'm just running through these quickly, just so you can kind of sit back and absorb this information, maybe take notes if you want, but the point is that food matters. Our food choices matter a lot. So the second key element about fat and your brain development, or your child's brain development, but this, all of this information is important for us. So anybody at any age, but we're focusing on your precious little one, right? Your baby, your toddler, your preschooler. But fat is a key component to myelin. And I remember in the beginning of my practice learning all about myelin and myelin sheath, right? Because you're asking, okay what is that? It's actually, myelin is a protective sheath that insulates the fibers, the nerve fibers, and allows for efficient signal transmission to be shot through your brain, right? Your, your whole, um, Intricate processing system. You're building these, these neuro, you're connecting these neurons and building neural pathways, right? Your baby is born, still under construction. And I've mentioned this over and over and over again. And I remember in the beginning of my practice learning about this, but It's very similar, think about this, to electrical cords, right? You don't want to get electrocuted by this naked cord. So they put a plastic protective coating and, and think of that coating, but our myelin sheath develops, especially in those first three years, and it's crucial for learning and memory. Right? All kinds of learning, all kinds of memory. But based on the fact that we absorb, it continues to build thicker and thicker and the thicker and the healthier this myelin sheath is, the faster those neurons can be fired and the faster those, those neurological pathways are built. And maybe you've heard me say this before, maybe you've heard other people say this, but neurons that fire together, wire together. So if you know a child is learning how to roll over or a child is learning how to crawl up on the couch or your child is learning how to put blocks, you know, in a puzzle piece that Um, the more they do that practice, practice, practice, they're building those neural pathways and connecting it and their actions then become smoother and smoother and efficient and they no longer have to think about it that those neural pathways are just fired quickly and efficiently without thinking about it. Right? So now let's look at the third point about how fat and brain development go together, right? And let's just think about brain cell structure, right? We've talked about the neurofiring. and so now let's, let's look at how the brain cells, are created, right? But fatty acids are incorporated into the cells or through the cell membrane that will then help build the structure. Right? That how it's formed and the function, the use, the ability to be fired, right? And to be wired together. So the brain cell structure is also impact with the fatty acids that we take in through our dietary choices, right? And then the fourth key point is really looking at fat as an energy source. That fat provides concentrated source of energy that is particularly important for rapid developing brains. like your infant and toddlers, right? Um, they're never again in our lives have we learned so much than any baby and toddler has in those first three years, those first 36 months that there's so much brain development, um, synced up with motor development and cognitive learning and linguistics and emotional, all of that happens so quickly. And it is, is amazing. integrated. So I want you to think about the these data points because everything we choose to eat matters, right? And so the most important considerations at this point in this little chat of ours is quality over quantity. And that while fat is necessary and it's important to focus on healthy fats, And where do we get that from? Breast milk, of course. That's, mother's nature. God's perfect food. And then we can look at those fish oils, avocados, some nuts, some seeds, uh, dairy products, all of those meats that that's important when we go, especially in those beginning years when we're introducing solid foods to our babies and our toddlers. And even at this point, um, you can look at some dietary guidelines, you know, just Google it, CDC or your state, um, you know, American Pediatric Academy, but even which, you know, I always take their information these days with a grain of salt or I verify, verify, verify, but experts overall. Continue to recommend that infants and toddlers need to get a relatively high percentage of all their calories from healthy fats. And they do state that 50 percent of calories up until their second birthday should come from healthy fats. right? And fat and protein will often go together. you know, there are no essential carbohydrates and that's just something that I want you to consider, right? And you can look that up. Everything I say here is just stuff that I've learned over my 35 years of practice. With children, right? Extended study, extended learning, looking at other fields, right? I am a speech language pathologist. All of that impacts a child's ability to attend, develop speech, learn and process language, memory and organization, which really is my focus, right? So just remember quality over quantity. So now let's move into the second key area of why real whole foods matter. And that's the major topic for today. So we looked at cognition, right? So now let's look at the gut brain connection. And how food and behavior align with this interesting two way connection. Communication network, right? The gut and the brain and the brain and the gut. But nowadays we, I don't think anybody working with Children or anybody working in any kind of health field Can not talk about the gut and, and I know it's still relatively new. I was trying to figure out when did, um, it kind of start to become more or less the mainstream or more. Out in the open. I think I was first introduced to it back in the early 2000s. 2004 is when a particular book came out called The Gaps, book and it was from a woman, Natasha, Dr. Natasha Campbell, um, but she really looked at the gut and the brain, especially for kids who were struggling kids on the autism spectrum, attention, a lot of gut health challenges, right? But we got to talk about the gut because it is directly tied to your baby's behavior. His or her focus and emotional regulation. And I talk a lot about, you know, we can go off to the side and say, okay, what are the best disciplinary strategies or how do I get my kid to listen or less meltdowns? It's all about the food and the gut, right? So while I do think at this time, many people are aware of the concept of like, What's your gut feeling, right? That when we get nervous or uncomfortable, our stomach, might get butterflies in our stomach. We might feel, our gut kind of gurgling and those kinds of things. I, I think it just alludes to that. There is a connection between my brain and the gut and the gut and the brain. But, you know, through my deep dive in these last several weeks, most people are likely not to fully be aware of the scientific complexity, right? And the extent of the gut brain access. And you know, like I said, I started to look into it in the early 2000s, continued. I do it a lot for my, my business, my practice, my, my clinical family. I also did it for myself. Like how do I continue? to be the best version of myself. I'd fall off the wagon and back on the wagon, but I also went through this when my oldest sister was struggling with diabetes and she had a lot of, uh, medical complications with her gut, the vagus nerve and all of that. So I've done a deep dive for a lot of different reasons. but I think at this point, a lot of average people out there that perhaps doesn't have the background that I have or the experience, right? That you might not understand the detailed mechanisms by which the gut microbiota is just, we have good, microbes and so called bad microbes, but they're not really bad there. Those are, are being fed a different substance. So there's a balance, right? There has to be a healthy ratio. And when the ratio is off or skewed, then that's when we feel bad. And we act bad and we sleep bad and all of that. But, but this sensitive mechanism, really does influence our mood, emotions and overall brain function. And there's a lot more research coming out and one, one psychiatrist and you can Google him and look him up. Um, but Dr. Chris Palmer, he's written a couple of excellent books and he's all on YouTube and all of this, but, really connecting the psychological and emotional. Dis, disorders or diseases with how healthy our gut is. So like I said, we've talked in a lot of previous episodes about cooperation and speech and language growth and development, discipline. How do I get my toddlers to listen to me the first time or follow directions? What about sharing? What about waiting his or her turn? All of that is remarkably related to the brain growth, the overall health and connection between what's going on in my digestive system, not only my gut, but you know, my, my small and large intestines. And that's all connected and it cannot be overlooked. Can it be understated? I just think with, with the shifts in our dialogue that the understanding of how another big thing that I think this came out maybe around 2015, give or take, um, people started writing papers and books about how the gut is now referred to as the second brain. But a lot of us now even flip it and say, maybe it's the first brain, you know, that we're born, With our brain under construction like I've shared before Excuse me But so much of our health growth and development come from what we put in our bodies To feed our brain and to then the brain then can help our body Organize in this three dimensional space and build knowledge and build linguistic systems and all of that but It's often referred to as the second brain because the stomach or the gut produces 90 percent of our body's serotonin. And that's that feel good chemical that helps regulate our moods. And so that's why a lot of psychiatrists and psychologists and and clinical family therapists are really looking at what are you eating? Right. And the average doctor out there rarely asks that, you know, looks at the brain growth or, or the, you know, the circumference of the head, right? The brain looks at the body growth, the height, the weight, all of that. But do they really dive deep into tell me the food that they're consuming? Right. But, but serotonin is not only a neural transmitter and hormone regulator, uh, or it originates in the gut, but. Let's look at some other neurotransmitters that are also from the gut or the vast majority of them, right? 90 percent of serotonin is produced in the gut for the whole body, right? And like I said, it's the feel good hormone, but it also controls bowel function. and it protects the gut, the inner lining of it. So the gut can increase the production of serotonin based on the need for digestion. So in order to speed up some digestion, then the serotonin will Kick on right or or the gut will kick on the production of it so some of the research is also suggesting that serotonin plays a great role and an important role in emotional distress and IBS which You know, when I was younger in my twenties and my thirties, IBS was pretty dang rare, but it's all over now and it's fairly common. And I think we need to take a look at what's different in our lifestyle that has changed some of these, these complications that we're dealing with. Right? So, The second neurotransmitter that I think we need to look at is a dopamine. And again, you may have heard of this, but dopamine receptors are found in the intestinal wall and dopamine is related to our in intestinal homeostasis, right? It helps. Like I said, we need that regulation of, uh, a healthy, internal wall, right? And we need the, the microbes to be balanced. And, and that's a whole nother conversation, but it's just another snapshot that we have serotonin, dopamine, and the third of these six neurotransmitters that really are Vastly produced in the gut is GABA and GABA actually is produced by the gut microbes and GABA helps us control the feelings of fear and anxiety, you know, think of the, the fight or flight, right? And the mood switches, um, there are changes in GABA neurotransmission that are associated with a lot of these psychological diseases that Dr. Chris Palmer and others, many, many others, Are looking into and by changing patients, adult patients, food intake going more of a ketogenic diet, which is high in fat, but it's all real food. And that that's the key there that there's no processed. quote unquote, garbage that is impacting these, the gut microbiome, and that is changing the mechanism and the conversation between how we feed the brain and how then how the brain regulates our body and our mood and all of this. Then the fourth neurotransmitter that we can Just take a peek at is glutamate and glutamate receptors actually signal, um, or, or the, the receptor signals influence the gastrointestinal, the, uh, the GI mobility and this, the whole, uh, visceral gut mobility and hypersensitivity. So that made me think like, okay, this is where. IBS is coming from, right, that we have nerve receptors that are inflamed in our gut when there's, irritable bowel syndrome. and again, I didn't really start hearing about IBS until, I was in my, hmm. You know, forties, late forties, late forties, but now I look at the data again, this is just CDC. It's just Google it that nearly 15 percent of us children suffer from some form of IBS at some point in their time and before their 20th birthday. So And I've shared before in the past that when I started my private practice, you know, back in the 1990s, late 1980s, 1990s, I was stunned by the number of children that had chronic constipation and ended up in the ER because they were so constipated. They were in excruciating pain. And the truth is, since, you know, the early 1990s till now, It's only increased and it's become common. It's one of those, you know, new normals. And, and it's true among very young children. And, and that's why there are, are Facebook parent groups out there, Mamas Against, MiraLax. it's just pediatricians to say, give it to your kid, you know, give him some more prune juice or whatever. But the whole idea is that we're supposed to eat healthy, nutritious food that feeds our brain, feel, feeds our body, um, helps us, you know, engage with the world, sleep and rest. And then we excrete whatever's left over. But we shouldn't be chronically constipated and in 2018, 2020, when my daughter went off to college, I was stunned again at, many, many of her friends who just accepted it as the new normal that they had IBS at 20 and I'm like, that's crazy. And so. And I want us to seriously take a look at this and really think about how can we do it better? How can we do it differently? Something has pushed us off a healthy trajectory and what can we do, right? So the fifth of these neurotransmitter is acetylcholine. And again, I don't want you necessarily to understand all of the nitty gritties. I just want you to become aware as like, Oh my gosh, that it becomes. It's a snowball effect or a domino effect, right? That acetylcholine is the primary neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system. And what is that? That's the rest and digest nervous system. It's the opposite of fight and flight. And we've talked in previous episodes about, calming your baby, helping them with transitions, meltdowns, tantrums, fighting. And so. If we want them to be able to mature into a really healthy parasympathetic nervous system, then we have to be able to feed The gut, feed the body well enough that they can create all of these neurotransmitters to, to balance it out, to find that fluidity, to, to keep them alert when they're supposed to be awake, let them sleep and rest and digest. When, when it's nighttime, when it, when it's called for, right? But you also want to understand that your babies, your one year old and two year old and three year old are just beginning to understand the dynamics, right, the rules. So there are going to be frustrating moments. That, that fight or flight is going to kick in, but you want to make those short lived. You want them to come back down smoothly and easily. That's how you build that self regulation, that, that calming state, right? And so this is the learning process. We need to give them the nutrients. So the, the neurotransmitters are, are plentiful and then they're, able to use them on a regular basis. So now the sixth and final neurotransmitter is the norepinephrine. And norepinephrine is involved in arousal, alertness, memory, and attention. So you can see if you just kind of go through these six, it's like, oh wow, this pretty much covers it. Right? Uh, alertness, arousal, my mood, stability, right? My attention, my ability to, to self regulate, to focus, to problem solve, So I, I think it's easy if you step back to get this picture that, like I said, you don't have to memorize or really understand the nitty gritty of the, the science, but I want you to simply. Understand how these dots are connected. That the gut, the brain, there's a relationship on purpose. And again, I keep going back that God designed this remarkable human being and, and this, this ability of ours to, to grow, especially in those first three years. but we have to look at what affects the gut health the most. Food. Right and the nutrients that we get from the food choices that we make when babies eat when your baby's toddler eats ultra processed foods those pouches which Are just, I think the worst thing invented besides the crackers and the cereals that are loaded with preservatives and additives, it disrupts, all of that disrupts your baby's gut microbiome, right? And then this, like I said, whoops, my earring fell off. This can lead to more frequent meltdowns, more sleep challenges, and more roller rides for you and your family. So I, I want to focus on what's happening now and how can we easily change it? Because if we don't fix it now, in those first years, and that's why I'm always talking about, how can we prevent these problems? You know, I have spent 35 plus years trying to get kids back on track. And I want you to keep them on track. If they start to veer or fall or lean, whoosh! What can we do differently? Right? Because the flip side to all of this ultra processed stuff is that whole foods will keep them on track and it doesn't have to be sophisticated or overwhelming, right? You can look at cultured or fermented yogurts like I said that are not contaminated with other sugars or fake fruit, right? Look at fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, healthy fats that we talked about, high quality proteins, all of that really basic stuff can feed and create a healthy gut from the beginning. So, what does a well nourished gut means? It means that there's improved mood and better self regulation. You're always looking for that. Stronger immune function, Because most of the immune system is located in the gut, which then leads to avoiding doctor visits. No antibiotics, improved sleep during the night, right? No waking up, no constipation problems. Then that lends to or allows your child to develop better play skills. Cooperation. Listening, learning, speech, all of that. So when you're at this stage, no matter where you are on this, path, right? Just now beginning to introduce foods or you're two years in. But you can remember that in the beginning it's just introduction. and really up and through up through their second birthday and we have that flavor window Which allows them to be much more open and available or willing to explore different flavors Right and don't be a pushover Keep trying it takes at least or up to 15 Experiences or introductions before they'll say okay. I've seen this funny broccoli Before I'll try it And sometimes it's, it's the 5th try. Sometimes it's the 15th. But let your toddler be involved, right? If they can see it and touch it and play with it, then when you put it on their, their tray, they're like, Oh, I've seen this before. It's not a big deal, right? But the key is the more we get them involved, it helps your kids get connected, and then really create a much more positive meal experience. And that we can share it together and then talk about it. It always goes back to, Talking and using language to learn, right? And we can talk about, Hey, remember we got this at the grocery store. Hey, remember that, these, um, whatever broccoli sprouts, we have to keep in the fridge. Hey, you know, don't they taste yummy or whatever the deal is, right? But it's really building it with intention. so now we've covered cognitive development and the gut brain connection. Those are the first two key areas. Before we dive into the third key area, I want to just, and the third key area is the history on processed foods. And like I said in the beginning, I found so much information on this that I do think I'll do a bonus, um, really looking at. The nitty gritty of of this history because it's a little insidious in my opinion, but Right now, I just want to highlight how someone like myself, really got involved in eating and nutrition and food when I was looking at early intervention. how does the brain learn to learn? How do we get kids to become better talkers and better listeners that all of that lays the foundation to become better readers and writers, right? We're getting them ready for academics. But you might be asking, Hey, Erin, you're a speech therapist. Um, you're supposed to be doing this talking stuff and listening, stuttering or a lisp. And I say that all of this has fallen under my discipline, our field of study as a licensed SLP, right? Speech Language Pathologist. Because the needs have changed and we've had to do X. I'm going to expand our scope of practice and our expertise because at the end of the day, real food builds stronger muscles, including speech muscles. And I've shared before, there's a hundred muscles that we coordinate in order to speak, right? 26 from, you know, our, our chest up. But. We've talked about how ultra processed foods impact brain development and the gut health. Um, but there is another critical element kind of hidden below if you're not aware it impacts the, the oral motor development. And that's when I really started looking at it again back in the, I would say probably mid 1990s because when I first started, I'll be honest, I, I used a lot of. Crap food, garbage food, processed food, like licorice and skittles to help with the chewing mechanism, right? The act of chewing real food strengthens the jaw, the tongue and the lips. And when there is a disorder or a deficit, then I have to use, or I thought I had to use other tools Like skittles and licorice to get them to chew and be engaged. Right. But if you mama and grandparents and anybody else that's listening really want again, to keep your child on track and developing Healthfully, then it's really important that we give them whole real foods, a wide variety of textures, a wide variety of tastes, and, and the opportunity to practice these oral motor patterns, So, clear speech. You know, speech starts at birth, right? That their first cries, their differentiated cries, all the way through that first, and the second, and the third birthday, and later on, right? I saw plenty of school age kids with garbled speech because they didn't have good oral motor skills. if your baby and your toddler, toddlers too, are mostly sucking on those pouches or munching on highly dissolvable Process puffs or crackers or cookies or so called protein bars that require very minimal chewing. And when we don't chew, that means that they're not getting the resistance training or the coordination practice. Think of what we do when we do resistive training, you know, lift dumbbells, push weights, right? Climb a mountain. We're strengthening those muscles and that's what's needed in the oral motor area. Right. We need to develop strong oral motor skills that support healthy eating, but also support speech and language development. And the truth is that takes work. It takes effort. It takes a lot of practice. And I, and I've seen this firsthand in my 35 plus years, that more and more toddlers struggling with speech and articulation present with very weak jaw strength, they become open mouth breathers, which then necessitates, or inhibits nasal breathing, which is the healthiest way, right? But if they are their chronic mouth breathers, then it disrupts their sleep. It includes it increases their colds because that reduces their immune system. Again, an unhealthy gut. But also, if we're breathing through our mouth, we're not filtering the air. And our immune system starts through breathing air through our nose. So I hope that you're beginning to connect the dots. And that this is beginning to make sense. How I have landed here on this, this forum, this platform, and the information that I'm trying to share to help prevent issues. Right? When kids aren't given real food that require actual chewing. Like meat, al dente vegetables, fruits with skin on them. They're missing out on the very movements that build endurance and coordination and strength. For speech, for chewing, for health. And I remember, I think it was back in, I was trying to remember 2017, 2018, I was still in Vermont. And I went to this great conference there in Vermont at Shelburne Farms and there was this occupational therapist from San Diego and her name escapes me. I will look it up, but, and she wrote this wonderful book and she gave a great presentation, but she had developed a school based program there in San Diego. She was in the schools, God bless her, but she was teaching kids, all kids with and without speech issues, but she found that most kids had trouble. eating real food, So she would, she had to teach them how to bite into a full apple, right? Not pre cut it and how to chew, meats, a variety of meats, especially some, some dried meats and dried fruit just to strengthen their jaw. And, and that was part of her, her, occupational therapy program, right? That whole foods really require resistance. And that's what the word mastication means. To be able to chew our food. You know, we're supposed to chew at what? At least 30 times? Up to 40 times? One bite? How many of us do that? All right, because we've become either fast eaters like me and my family, or we're eating too processed foods that don't require it. So just keep all of these data points in the back of your mind when you're going to pick food or make your, your shopping list for the week. Look in your cupboards, And we will continue to talk about the oral motor development and I will continue to talk about all of these areas, food choices, right? Remember this is part one of a three part series and we will touch upon, how do you meal prep, right? How do you batch cook? All of that stuff will be very helpful for you. But I I didn't want to, you know, try to squeeze it all in one. This, you know, alone is a lot of information, but this kind of leads the charge a little bit of science, a little back story, right? But we do have to. And so for this third key area that I talked about, um, Is really, you know, the history behind how did this processed baby food become so big, right? And I look at it as it's, it's a marketing machine. And, and, you know, by the grace of God, I do have, four decades where I can look at the eighties and the nineties and the early two thousands and the tens, you know, 2010 and now 2020. Holy moly. How things have changed, how the grocery store has changed, and it's really the marketers, right? These food industries, which is not what God has given us, right? Plants and animals, right? How did we end up here in a world where babies are spoon fed, bland, processed mush instead of real food? And like I said, it's marketing. We've been slowly but surely brainwashed into thinking this is food. So decades ago, baby food companies convinced us, lay people, new parents mostly, but also now schools, right, look around what they have snacks. for their kids that purees rice cereals. The Europeans would never give rice cereals to their babies. They're like, this is gross. Right. But, but they convinced us these marketing pushes, these marketing, uh, planners, Convinced us that purees and rice to cereals were the, the best foods for your new baby at six, eight, 10 months old, right? They claimed. This is what it was, that rice cereal was easier to digest and it was perfect. You know, these, these baby biscuits are perfect for their first bites. And pediatricians were also brainwashed into believing all of this malarkey. And the un, the unfortunate thing is they still push it, right? Pediatricians, which, you know, I have. Worked with a lot of fine pediatricians, but there's also a lot out there that are missing the truth, right? And here, I want to point out, when you look at this history, there's absolutely zero science backing up any of this. That it's easier to digest, or that it's the first, the best first bite. That these companies weren't and aren't responding to your baby's biological needs. They're creating a market full of product after product. I mean, just walk down the grocery store aisle. That never existed And, you know, I just want to say this because I'm sure you're well aware that there is this shift currently in the U. S. 2025, right? The talk about ultra processed foods is gaining momentum and so I've been Slowly, but surely going out there talking about it, you know in small groups and one to one Online in my podcast, but I think the good news now is that I've been waiting for other people to kind of see the light to connect the dots more to ask more questions because it's never really made good sense to me. Right. But, but I'm delighted that this larger movement is happening as we speak, you know, in early 2025 and I'm not saying this as a political statement, but make America healthy again is really a health movement, not a political movement. It's all about health for you and me as women at any age, right? Or our children, right? Our country at large, but worldwide now, we're suffering our health that our kids are suffering. 54 percent of American children have a chronic disease and that statistics I think came out in, 2018. So I think it might even be higher now. again, these are well known CDC. So I think that it might even be higher that the national initiative is working to change how we think. Think about food, how we look at health care and how we can jump back in the driver's seat and take control because that's what I've always been saying my whole career, but especially over these last five, six, eight, 10 years that you mom need to take the reign and say, I can learn how to do this differently. I can, I can navigate this, through this noise, hopefully with, direction from people like me. But if we start to feed our babies whole, real foods, let's just start there, it's not only nurturing their growth and well being, but we're also part of the creation of a healthier nation, right? We're looking at the future. because your baby is the future. So I just want to recognize that I'm just a little voice in all of this and I'm trying to help you navigate through the noise because there's a lot of noise out there. And it's not a political statement is it's really a health statement. How are you doing? How are you feeling? Look at your cupboards. Look in your refrigerator. Look at your grocery list. Just walk through the aisles in the middle of any grocery store and you'll see the garbage. But here's the reality. Babies and toddlers have been eating whole real food for thousands of years. And so they don't need sugar laden Shelf stable jars or packages or boxes or bags full of pretend food. They need what comes from nature. So your beautiful, innocent child needs everything that the whole family is eating, right? You want to look at that because I, I, let me back up. I think a lot of moms have also been convinced that it's, Typical or normal or common to give these separate baby foods to your child while you have, say meatballs and spaghetti squash. I don't know, but we can talk about, specific food choices later, but what I want to stress here is that you don't have to make two meals, right? Think single food ingredients and you create what your child is capable of eating, right? Not too spicy, not too, too complicated of a mixture, right? Instead of purees. That have a lot of garbage or pouches that's even though they say organic and they'll lead with oh kale This is a great way to get your baby to eat kale. No, it's not because kale is just a drop. It's mostly Applesauce, right? So give them the real food cut up an apple if they're still pretty young, 6, 8, 10 months, then you can steam it, right? Cut up a, a ripe banana. Give them a slice of an avocado, uh, or, a roasted sweet pot sweet potato. A six month can even chew on a steak or rib bone. Right. You have to make sure that you take the big chunks of meat and the big extra pieces of fat off, but they get the nutrients, they get the taste, they get a lot of chewing and biting exercise. make sure that your baby is showing signs that they're ready for the introductions of solid foods. And I've talked about that before, and I will certainly talk about it again, but they have to be able to, you know, sit up independently. right with minimal support that they've lost that tongue thrust reflex right that they're ready that the posture of their tongue is resting up against the roof of their mouth they're ready to really develop that mature swallow. Right there. They're gonna in the beginning. They're gonna thrust the food out a little bit That's just a reflex, but you know that they can swallow it. They have good head and neck control. So all of these are signs Behavioral symptoms are Shane saying hey, I'm ready to sit up with the rest of the family They're interested in what you're eating and they're able to bring stuff to their mouth, right? That whole, hand mouth connection. And we'll revisit the details here, but the main point in those first three to six months, from six months to twelve months, is a lot of exploration. Right. They need to begin to learn to differentiate, you know, this, this spoon that's full of yogurt maybe, and they feed themselves, not you, or this avocado is different than my rattle. Right? And they need to begin to differentiate. Oh, this has flavor, right? So just keep in mind of all of these pieces and you'll see how the dots are beginning to connect for you. And here's, here's the best part, I think, for you. Is that you control what goes on their plate, right? You don't really know what's in that jar or in that package. Right? Or in that box. You, mom, you control what they, goes in their body. What feeds them, what nourishes them. And don't ever forget that a toddler who is engaged with you at 6, 8, 10 months, they can be part of the process. They want to be part of that process. They want to learn more. They can shop with you, food prep with you, bring food to the table, and then talk about it. You can start helping them connect the dots. That, to me, is true learning. And I always say, what are the daily activities, right? I love the grocery store. That's just a wealth of learning going on there and it's fun and you know, it's, you have to do it anyway, right? But through this whole process, that's true learning. That's true connection and true relationship building with you. The family. So when your baby and toddler and preschooler and school age goes, you know, throughout the years, but when they feel involved, then they learn that real food is normal food, that this packaged crap is just that and will you have to go there sometimes? Yeah. I mean, I have to go there sometimes. I try not to these days, but I, you know, I did in my forties and fifties and when my daughter was dancing, we would yeah. Drival all over the Northeast and I was also very mindful of how to feed the brain and the social emotional Regularity of a growing child Here's the bottom line, I think That your baby is wired to eat real food. That's how God made us. God designed us to eat both vegetables and meat. And that appeared, and I'm just beginning to read the Bible and understand it, but it began at the time of Noah and his ark, right? That I think God understood, and still understands of course, that we need nutrient dense foods for all the work that's laid out in front of us. For our struggles, our learning curves, our growth and well being, our happy times and celebrations. That we can manage it all if we have nutrient densed food to sustain us. It's no different, you know, from 2000 years ago to today, but I think with the foods, right, the food and choices, what I'm saying, but where we got sucked into the convenience trap, I think it probably started in the fifties, honestly, um, but it's now become incredibly popular. And, and we've been trained to think it's normal and it's okay, but it's not serving any of us. And we all can benefit, no matter what age we are, that real food matters to our brain, to our gut, and our overall health and well being. You don't need to buy expensive packaged baby foods ever, ever, ever. Or a special pureed foods. If you want soft, creamy stuff, get the high fat, whole fat Greek yogurt. You don't need to stress about, Oh, what's this child going to eat versus that child. Cause you can have, you know, a one year old who eats differently than your three year old, you don't want to go there. Who eats entirely different than your, your husband. What you need and want and can have. Simple whole foods that fuel growth, support learning, builds the foundation for lifelong health. So let's look at what's one small change that you can make today. One, swap out any dried cereal, throw in some scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, deviled eggs, egg muffins. I just made a whole pile of egg muffins. I do every Sunday and I can pop them in, uh, warm them up. Every morning. Easy peasy. I know exactly every single ingredient. Maybe you're, you're, you're big change for this week. Start involving your toddler in meal prep. Let him rinse the blueberries. Count up the blueberries. He doesn't necessarily need to count one to ten or one to twenty. The idea is, oh, look at this bowl. Which one has more? Here's twenty blueberries. Here's two blueberries. You're teaching them more or less. Or which one's different, which one's full, which one's empty. Those kinds of concepts are better than 1, 2, 3, 4, because they don't know what that means at this age. But get them involved. Have them tear up the lettuce greens. Have them start to peel the carrot. It's the small choices that begin to add up, and I promise you, it makes a huge difference. And it's not, don't think of it as a diet. I rarely use that word, right? it's a true lifestyle. It's how you identify yourself, right? You, you can listen to some people and say, Oh, I'm a vegetarian or I'm a vegan. I'm a carnivore. That's their lifestyle. That's how they identify. It's not like, Oh, you know, we're going to eat healthy until he goes to school, right? It's just whole, real, single ingredient foods. That's your identity. Healthy habits, connecting with your kids, building language, building emotional stability, and showing them that real food energizes us, makes us feel good and happy. So if you found this episode helpful, please share with another fellow parent that needs a little food confidence. Think about that food confidence, right? And don't forget to subscribe because you don't want to miss part two or part three. And I will have some bonus episodes because I think there's such a wealth, deep dive of information out there that there's no way I can cover it in an hour or even an hour and a half. But if you want real practical ways to prepare real food without spending hours in the kitchen, subscribe You'll be the first to, to hear the second of this three part series and I'm going to share some practical tips. Back to cooking is my favorite. We started doing that when my daughter was very, very young and now she's gone and I still do it. How to navigate meal planning for the whole family, right? So maybe you're in the middle of it, right? Maybe you have a two year old who is You know, leaning into that picky eating, you can make changes to don't feel like, Oh, you know, I've, let them take control. I've, I've let go of, you know, the steering wheel, sort of speak. They're young. They'll follow your lead. You have to be confident or at least bold and faithful that you can do this. And it's a learning process. It's not complicated. It will take some courage, right? But just know that you can make huge life lasting changes. So until next time, I God bless each and every one of you. Trust your instincts, feed your baby well, keep playing and talking with them each and every day. You've got this.