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Lil' Gourmets Commitment to Quality & Nutrition
A Message From Dr. Rupa Mahadevan, Lil' Gourmets Pediatric Advisor
“The key things I explain to my patients about heavy metals are:
- They are naturally occurring and come from soil, so we want to minimize exposure, but we cannot completely eliminate it.
- Variety & nutrient-density are paramount in the decision-making process on feeding our babies. Babies should be consuming veggies early & often for both flavor-training and essential nutrients.
- Root veggies and leafy greens have a higher exposure to naturally occurring heavy metals since they are grown in soil closer to natural metals in the earth’s crust.
- Certain foods help counteract heavy metals absorption. We share more about this below.
- We live in a time where heavy metals can be minimized but not completely avoided. However, eating variety with the rainbow in mind and increasing exposure to vegetables that counteract absorption, are the best ways we can keep ourselves and our kids healthy.”
A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER, SHIBANI
I started Lil’ Gourmets after seeing that most baby foods were heavy in fruit (mostly apples and bananas), heavy in sugar, and did not offer the variety that our lil’ones growing bodies and brains need. What was on shelf did not resemble anything I’d cook for my kids and the options were essentially the opposite of infant-nutrition research and recommendations. With early foods, we want to both provide essential nutrients and set our kids up with healthy eating habits for life. That is what is behind our mission of “Inspiring Healthy & Adventurous Eating”.
One of the keys to early introduction of foods is variety. We want variety in colors, flavors, and textures in our food to ensure our kids are getting a wide array of nutrients, developing palates to accept and then love diverse foods. Veggies should be our baby’s first foods with exposure repeated often. The taste of veggies shouldn’t be masked with fruit, nor should they be hidden.
Given their nutritional profile and health benefits, our products contain a high percentage of root veggies and leafy greens. These ingredients are exposed to more heavy metals, as they are grown in the soil and not in trees. We work to minimize exposure to heavy metals, as outlined below. Through Dr. Rupa, we’ve also learned that certain foods can actually reduce the amount of heavy metals our bodies absorb. Many of these foods are in our products today and others will be in the future.
Our values of quality, transparency, and creating meals we are proud to serve to our lil’ones guide everything we do. I hope we can help make this feeding journey not only easier for you, but one that is joyful, as it should be!
Lil' Gourmets & The Clean Label Project
Lil' Gourmets is a proud member of the Clean Label Project Association Baby Coalition. The mission is to educate consumers, retailers, fellow brands, and the medical and regulatory communities on the risks of environmental and industrial contaminant exposure to infants, children, mothers, and mothers-to-be.
Naturally occurring heavy metals include cadmium, arsenic, lead, and mercury and we worry about exposure in our babies and toddlers due to potential cause for harm in an active, growing brain
Naturally occurring heavy metals include cadmium, arsenic, lead, and mercury and we worry about exposure in our babies and toddlers due to potential cause for harm in an active, growing brain
Naturally occuring heavy metals are in the earth's crust, and impossible to avoid, however there are ways to minimize its exposure. Plants can uptake the metals that are found in water and soil but purchasing ORGANIC minimizes this exposure.
Naturally occuring heavy metals are in the earth's crust, and impossible to avoid, however there are ways to minimize its exposure. Plants can uptake the metals that are found in water and soil but purchasing ORGANIC minimizes this exposure.
Nutrient diversity is so important as well as looking for Organic certified, checking if a product is Clean Label Project Certified, and looking at their heavy metal reports by using the QR code on baby food. Read more here about what kind of foods can help counteract toxic heavy metals
Nutrient diversity is so important as well as looking for Organic certified, checking if a product is Clean Label Project Certified, and looking at their heavy metal reports by using the QR code on baby food. Read more here about what kind of foods can help counteract toxic heavy metals
