Ready-To-Feed Baby Foods

Sometimes, a product name can make it appear suitable for your child’s diet. For instance, a baby food might be called “Apple and Pear” fruit pouch. However, when you read the label the ingredients list states apples, pears and ground rice. This would need to be counted as an exchange, because ground rice contains phe. 

Always check labels for the added sweetener ASPARTAME (E951 or E962) which is not permitted as it is a source of phenylalanine. 

Remember, your dietitian will be there to help you. To re-cap, see the section on interpreting food labels and refer to the NSPKU dietary information booklet for information.

To ensure the foods you feed your child are exchange-free, you can make them yourself using fresh ingredients. For some easy to make baby food, refer to the stage 1 weaning recipes.

Ingredients: Organic apples, organic carrots, organic parsnips, organic lemon juice concentrate.

Step 1. Look at the ingredients on the label. These are: carrots, parsnips and apples. 

These are all allowed without counting in the diet, therefore there is no need to use the label to check protein content. 

This is exchange-free.

Ingredients: Organic carrots, organic peas, water, organic kale.

Step 1. Look at the ingredients on the label. These are: carrots, peas and kale. 

Both peas and kale are foods that must be counted as exchanges, therefore you must use the protein content to calculate how much food equals 1 exchange. 

Step 2. Read the nutritional information on the label: Protein per 100g = 2.5g. 

Step 3. Calculate how much your baby can have for 1 exchange: 

100 ÷ amount of protein per 100g (2.5g) = 40g carrot, peas and kale baby food. Therefore 40g = 1 exchange. To ensure accuracy, you should weigh this using scales. 

Ingredients: Organic maize flour, organic rice flour, organic dried bananas, organic quinoa flour, Thiamin (Vitamin B1).

Step 1. Look at the ingredients on the label. These are: maize flour, rice flour, dried banana, quinoa flour. All except dried banana are foods that must be counted as exchanges, therefore you must use the protein content to calculate how much food equals 1 exchange. 

Step 2. Read the nutritional information on the label: Protein per 100g = 8.5g. 

Step 3. Calculate how much your baby can have for 1 exchange: 

100 ÷ amount of protein per 100g (8.5g) = 12g baby rice. Therefore 12g baby rice = 1 exchange. To ensure accuracy, you should weigh this using scales.