We heard about a baby with reflux who was on antireflux medication and so we wondered — Could there be acid in baby food, too? We tested 30 baby foods (Gerber, Beech Nut, and Earth’s Best brands). We were interested in whether organic baby foods were less acidic than those that were processed, and we were surprised to find that some of the “organic” baby foods had added citric acid as a preservative.
Before telling you the results of the testing, I would like to convey to you an insight I had relatively recently. A few weeks ago, I had sitting in my office a beautiful 20-year-old singer who likely will be performing on Broadway someday soon, but her reflux had been so bad that she had to have reflux surgery (just two weeks prior to her visit to me). When she came in, she was smiling ear to ear, “My voice has never been better.” I thought to myself why would a 20-year-old healthy woman with good habits and a good diet have such bad reflux? Then, she turned and said to me, “ALL my friends have reflux.” At that moment, it hit me that there are generations of refluxers. I, as a baby boomer, was a “first generation refluxer.” I didn’t start getting exposed to the food supply acidity, saturated fat, etc. until my college years. This 20-year-old, however, was born in 1990, and all she ever had experienced as a “second generation refluxer” was acid, acid, and more acid in almost everything that she ate and drank. Now, babies are born as “third generation refluxers.” For this new generation, virtually everything, including even some of the “organic” labeled baby foods have acid added. What’s organic about adding citric or ascorbic acid? Is it just that it comes from citrus? Let’s help protect our babies by limiting the acidity of their food intake. That’s what prompted this post on the acidity of baby food.