I have always considered myself a nutrition conscious person. That awareness grew even stronger when I got married, and even more when I became a mother. Back in Nigeria, when many families were switching to the trendy semo or wheat for swallow, I simply could not. They were highly processed and imported. Garri felt like the better choice, healthier, local, and trustworthy. Living in my husband’s hometown meant I could either process it myself or buy from people who did, so there was always some level of quality assurance.
My first child was born in southeastern Nigeria. He was exclusively breastfed for five months and two weeks. The recommendation is six months, but by five months he was already smacking his lips and opening his mouth whenever he saw me eating. I took that as a sign and began complementary feeding. His appetite was incredible. His meals were mostly soups with small amounts of garri, corn pap sweetened with fruits, mashed potatoes, and mashed fruits. Since electricity was not reliable, I used a small plastic mortar to mash everything fresh. I never bought infant formula because I could not justify offering formula while I was still lactating. So I remained his only source of milk. And because we lived in the village, fruits were abundant. He enjoyed every fruit in season: pear, avocado, pineapple, oranges, everything.
When he turned one, many parents were offering specially designed toddler milk because it was the trend. But nutritionists were clear that once a child turns one, they can digest regular milk like everyone else. So I gave him normal milk. I continued breastfeeding until he was about eighteen months.
You might think cost motivated me, but that was not the case. Even though I was a stay at home mother, my husband earned enough that we lived comfortably in the middle class. We could afford anything we wanted, but I remained focused on offering the least processed and most natural foods I could. Rural fruits, to the best of my knowledge, are as close to organic as you can get. No fertilizers, no pesticides, just trees growing in backyards and family compounds.
At the time, I also did not fully trust the regulatory standards. Many families routinely gave their toddlers Caprisonne and other popular milk drinks, sometimes daily. There were even videos circulating about strange things found in these drinks. My child never tasted any of those.
When my son was twenty months old, we moved to Norway, and my other two children were born there. Norway is known for strict food regulations, so you can trust almost everything in the grocery stores. Still, I held on to my feeding principles. I cooked most of their meals myself, often adjusting our adult foods to make them more suitable for babies.
But as the kids grew and life became busier, our eating habits started to slip. I began stocking up on pizzas, sausages, salami, bacon, and other convenient ultra processed foods. They were quick and easy. In twenty five minutes, food was ready.
Then came 2025. Nothing dramatic happened. I simply decided I was done with the constant ultra processed foods. We had already stopped using industrial MSG based seasonings soon after moving to Norway, but this time I took it further. I stopped buying frozen pizza entirely. We can count on one hand how many times we have had pizza since then. Sausages went next, then the endless bread toppings. If you have seen the deli section in a Norwegian grocery store, you know how tempting it can be.
We still eat plenty of dairy. Most Norwegian dairy products are not ultra processed, so cheese, butter, and yoghurt remain staples. We also doubled our intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
What once felt convenient, placing a frozen pizza in the oven, has been replaced with planning. These days I plan our meals every morning. I cook and store food, soups, and baked goods during weekends, so weekdays are mostly warming up food, microwaving, or boiling pasta. We save elaborate, fresh cooking for Fridays and weekends.
And the interesting thing is that we have had fewer sicknesses at home. Even during a severe flu season when many kindergarten children and staff were sick for days, my kids only had a one day flu at worst. In previous years, someone always ended up in the hospital.
This change has brought more peace into our home. More intention. More control. And honestly, I think our bodies are grateful for it.
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