Andy wrote:
> I haven't read the ingredients on a recent bottle of Gerber baby food but
> back in the 60s, they added excess amounts of sugar so parents who tasted
> it felt it was suitable for their kids. The downside to that was the kids
> taste buds weren't developed enough to taste sugar and they unfortunately
> ate more sugar than they should have, causing growth and health problems
> early on. Sweettooth, cavities, diabetes, etc.

Holy Cats, Andy! Review your official instruction manual for newborns
and think about what they eat. Babies taste sweet and sugar very well
and like it a whole bunch. *That's* why baby food manufacturers
over-sweetened all of their products. They needed babies to eat it
without a struggle so their parents would buy more.

Infant formula is sweet. Breast milk is sweet. Once upon a time, babies
were given bottles of sugar water between feedings to keep them quiet.
Babies develop a taste for sweet simple eating that has to be overcome
when solid foods are introduced. Babies will reject less sweet
vegetables for sweeter fruits and juices, so a teaser of applesauce just
to get food on Junior's tongue must be followed swiftly by carrots or
green beans or peas to keep the action going. Vegetables have to be
brought on first and fruits/juices introduced later once solid feeding
and a taste for lower sugar content is established.