Arsenic in Baby formula/food

A recent study conducted on baby foods and formula has shows that those that contain organic brown rice also contain high levels are arsenic.  Organic brown rice is used as a sweetener as an alternative to high fructose corn syrup.  What is alarming about this is that the levels found in the foods and formula sweetened with brown rice can be 20 times higher than the FDA limit of 10ppm in drinking water.  Currently the FDA does not have any safety levels of arsenic in food.  

The studies does not name which formulas are sweetened with brown rice but two companies have issued a press release so far:  Nature’s One which states that while they do use brown rice to sweeten their formula’s they do test arsenic levels in their foods.  These levels are undetectable.  Another company, Earth’s Best, confirms that they do not use brown rice to sweeten their products.

The bottom line is that you should read food labels to see if brown rice is used to sweeten the foods your baby is eating and avoid those foods until the FDA creates safety limits on arsenic levels in food. 

Some articles you may find interesting:

1.http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1104619

2.http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1104619

3.http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/arsenic-organics-rice/story?id=15642428

4.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892142/

Recommended Intakes & Portion Sizes for infants:

Now that my sons 1^st birthday is 2 weeks away I want to ensure that I am providing him with the proper portion sizes for his growing body.  This is something I struggle with because sometimes it seems as though he is constantly hungry and wanting to eat.  I’m not sure if this is because he is just curious and wants to try everything that mommy and daddy are eating or if he is really hungry.  So I did a little investigating and found out a little more on recommended intakes, portion sizes and tips for 1-2 yr old.

Recommended intakes per meal:

Breakfast: Milk: ½ Cup; Fruits/Veggies: ¼ Cup; Grains/Bread: ½ slice bread or ¼ Cup cereal or ½ serving biscuit/muffin

Suggestions: Cinnamon Oatmeal with bits of apple made with milk

Lunch and Dinner: Milk: ½ Cup; Fruits/Veggies: ¼ Cup; Grains/Bread: ½ slice bread or ¼ Cup pasta or noodle grains; Meat/Meat Alternatives:1 oz beef/poultry/fish/tofu or ¼ cup egg or beans or 2 tbls nuts or 4 oz of yogurt.

Suggestions: Finely ground turkey chili  with white beans made with tomato sauce mixed with brown rice or rice cereal.  Side of smashed broccoli pieces.  Serving of prunes.

Snacks (two options from list per day): Choose any two serving options shown in breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Suggestions:Mozzarella cheese stick, bread with almond butter

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Care/ProgramBasics/Meals/Meal_Patterns.htm

**HINT:  A quick and easy way to remember a toddlers serving size (in case you don’t have measuring cups handy and you’re not a pro at eye balling it) is to think about what a normal adult portion size would be (not a huge restaurant size parents!) and reduce it to one quarter to one half of that portion.  Another good way to think about a serving size for a infant/toddler is 1 tablespoon per year of age.  So a 1 year old would need to have 1 tbsp of fruit and 1 tbsp of veggies per meal.

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=8055

Food Allergies Before 1 yr of age

There are 8 foods that cause the majority of allergic reactions in children: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (pecans, walnuts), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat .  It was not too long ago that doctors would recommend avoiding these 8 foods in the first year of life when solids were first introduced in order to reduce the risk that your child would develop an allergy to the food.  There seems to be some controversy with this now and doctors are saying that there is little evidence to support not introducing your child to these foods.

When I began to introduce my baby to solids I was very confused about what foods were considered safe and which were not as 2 doctors provided me with different advice .  One said that food allergies are no longer a concern and that I can feed my baby all foods except milk (until 1) as long there is no history of allergies in the family.  The second doctor was on the opposite end of the spectrum and said that peanuts and peanut butter were the only things that were ok but other high allergy foods such as egg whites and milk had to wait until 1, fish until 2, and shellfish until 3.  I did a little investigating I have found that doctor 1 is right.  There is no evidence to support waiting to introduce any foods to your infant in hopes of reducing their risk of allergy.

This article from the American Academy of Pediatrics states that there is no evidence to support that introducing a child to eggs, fish or peanuts after 4-6 months of age determines whether you child will be allergic to them. http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/pediatrics;121/1/183

The Mayo Clinic also states that there is little evidence to support waiting to introduce foods such as Eggs, fish, and peanuts due to the higher likelihood that an allergy will develop. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-baby/PR00029

Facts about Food Allergies from the American Dietetic Association:

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=8052

1. Most Common food allergies in children: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (pecans, walnuts), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat
2. Most children outgrow food allergies, especially to milk, eggs and soy. Food allergies are much less common in adults than children.
3. Most common food allergies in adults: fish, shellfish, tree nuts and peanuts
4. Food allergies in children are rare. In 2007, about four in 100 children younger than 18 had a food or digestive allergy

About my Blog

Hi, my name is Angie.  I am a dietetic student at Kansas State University so obviously food and nutrition are important to me and are a big part of my life.  My family and their health are equally important to me and now that I have begun transitioning my 11 month old from nursing to solids its more important then ever to ensure that he is getting all of the nutrients he needs.  Since I love cooking and using natural ingredients I am dedicated to feeding my family organic and non-processed foods.  I know its going to be challenging as I work full time and do not always have access to a variety of organic ingredients.  I'm up for the challenge and look forward to sharing my journey with you.  Any advice along the way would be greatly appreciated!!!