What You Feed Your Baby
Picking healthy foods for our babies in a grocery store can be a lot like finding something decent in a dumpster: full of ultra-processed foods. Our little ones depend on us to bring home foods with nutrients and without harmful substances. They can’t go out and shop for themselves. We, however, are somewhat dependent on the stores that deliver food from states and even countries away to bring healthy options for us to pick and choose from. This study out of Texas suggests that we need to wake up and learn to not trust the Big Food industry.
The Study
In their study, about 4 out of 5 toddler foods on the shelves of 21 Texas grocery stores were classified as ultra-processed. Furthermore, almost half were deficient in at least one nutrient benchmark. While we know that no single food contains all the nutrients we need in one serving, the ultra-processed nature of the foods should concern us all.
Ultra-processing can both remove good nutrient and add unwanted, sometimes harmful chemicals. Sometimes those extra ingredients are simpler things like sugar, sodium, and fat. While technically natural in a sense, the amounts added are not natural or necessary. They simply make that food tastier. At other times, the chemicals are artificial preservatives, coloring, and flavors. Either way, short run to long run, these extras can lead to chronic health conditions.
Tasty!
Beyond the direct health effects of inflammatory, low-nutrient, high-calorie processed foods, children can learn taste preferences for unhealthy foods, preferences that last a lifetime, causing more and more harm. Many of our dietary habits are set in motion by these early life overexposures to high-sugar foods.
Sum
The study authors recommend better labeling for packaged foods allowing parents to make wiser choices. We also need a heightened awareness and acknowledgement of what these foods do to our children and to us as we age. Pursuing healthier, more abundant lives should begin as early in life as possible, with daily choices by parents who have taken the time and exerted the effort to choose health over addicting kid’s tastebuds.
Other Sanctuary articles on infant nutrition or Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs):
Materials provided by American Society for Nutrition.
Thanks to Science Daily:
American Society for Nutrition. “4 in 5 toddler foods are ultra-processed.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 July 2026. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260727012128.htm>.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
Dr. Eric Potter graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School and then went on to specialize in internal medicine (adult) and pediatric care, spending significant time and effort in growing his medical understanding while caring for patients from all walks of life.
