Let’s talk food additives: what they are, who regulates them, and the good and the bad they do. First things first: what are they exactly? Well, in the broadest sense, a food additive is any substance added to a food that affects its characteristics. They can help preserve food. They can shape the texture, taste, and look of foods. And they can make food packaging more “user-friendly,” among many other things. Additives can be added at any stage in the food process—so, during production, processing, treatment, packaging, transportation, or the storage of food. And for a bit of background ..read more

  For all the moms reading this—Happy Mother’s Day from Amara!  You deserve the biggest round of applause and the longest nap ever! Moms make the world go round. Always have, always will. This Mother’s Day, we have a few low-key ideas of how to celebrate if you have young children. 1. Do something active with your family outside.  It’s mid-May! In most parts of the States, it’s warm—or warmish—which means going for a walk around the block, frolicking in your backyard, strolling around a park, or going for a short hike nearby are all great (and EASY) options. Put your little on ..read more

    Especially with the recent popularity of protein-heavy diets (not naming any names here…), I’ve been hearing so many friends and family talk about protein and protein sources.  But other than knowing that protein is one of the three macronutrients (the other two being fat and carbohydrates), and being able to rattle off some key sources of plant protein, I honestly didn’t know very much about it.  If this is you, too^^, then keep reading for the low-down on protein — we’ll cover all the basics, including what protein is and what it does for the body, the differences ..read more

  ¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! I don’t know about you but where I am, it’s springtime and I’m so excited to cook with all the fresh produce that’s coming back into season. Each year, I feel like Cinco de Mayo rings in those warmer months and gets me excited for the summer ahead. So today we have a Cinco de Mayo-inspired recipe for your toddler, using one of our Amara baby food blends! Our Black Bean and Sweet Corn puree takes center stage in the recipe below. Like all of our organic baby food blends and yummy toddler yogurt melts, the ingredients in this puree are super fresh and simple and a ..read more

Oats are technically oat grass seeds you can eat — they’re categorized as whole grains and are also one of the oldest cultivated crops in human history. And in case you haven’t heard yet, oats are SO good for you!    Yes, the list of nutritional benefits oats provide runs long… let’s just hit the highlights:  Oats have a very high fiber content — they’re excellent for digestion and the gut microbiome and they’re also very filling. Especially in comparison to other whole grains, oats have a relatively high protein and fat content, which makes oatmeal itself a balanced dish that ..read more

Anyone with a young child knows that snacks are life. (I’m not kidding. ?)    In all seriousness, one of the most surprising things I am constantly (re)learning about being a parent is just how much of every day revolves around food. My little kids need and want to eat *all the time, it seems. I’m the kind of person whose first question about the weekend or a vacation is, what are we going to eat?, and I have never thought about food so much as with regard to my kids.  I’ve recently been fascinated with debates I’ve heard about snacking — namely, whether young children should ..read more

What is BPA and where did it come from?    In the twenty-first century, environmental health concerns seem very familiar and (for some, at least) very widespread – to the extent that it can be difficult to remember that environmental health awareness in general is relatively new in the scope of American history. Indeed, the field of environmental health emerged in the 1960s and 70s out of initial worries about how industrial chemicals might be affecting wildlife populations. In particular, scientists at the forefront noticed that animals who lived in places where pesticides were wid ..read more

Picking the Right High Chair  Like so many other product categories in the baby world (and the feeding world!), it can be incredibly overwhelming to know which high chair, of the hundreds offered on the market, might be best for your baby and family. With dozens of different styles, features, and attributes at price points ranging from $25 to $600, it really is a lot!  There are considerations that are going to be very family-specific (how much space do you have? where will you use the high chair? what is your budget?) but there are also some that are more universal. Read on for ev ..read more

Depending on where you live, the weather may or not be actually getting warmer, but March counts as spring, right??    It may be a cliche, but the spring cleaning urge is *real, friends. I’ve had the impetus to clean out EVERYTHING in my kitchen recently, so of course I spent hours (procrastinating) scouring the internet in search of the best kitchen and food organization tips and hacks for parents and families.  There’s a ton out there, but at the end of the day, IMO, getting the most out of your kitchen (with your kids!) boils down to these five things: 1. Use containers and ..read more

  The last two months, my two kids have been home with some version of the flu, a nasty cold, or a GI bug SO often. At one point I calculated that in the previous six weeks my son had been to school only seven times (that did include a holiday break… but still).  I thought we had it *particularly bad, but every time I’ve spoken with other parents recently, they have a strikingly similar story to tell. It’s just that time of year, I guess…  This month we’re bringing you the best of what we know about the connections between diet and the immune system (although, before you get ..read more