SAMA HOOLE: Between seven and twelve months, the heads of the beef babies grew faster. The amount of zinc and protein a baby took in predicted how much its head grew.

In Colorado, researchers gave breastfed babies puréed beef as their very first solid food instead of the iron-fortified cereal on every weaning chart, and the beef babies grew bigger heads. Nancy Krebs took 88 babies, breastfed and four months old, and split them at random. From five months, half were spoon-fed puréed beef. Half got the iron-fortified baby cereal American paediatricians had handed out as first food for generations. The babies took to the beef just as happily as the cereal. Between seven and twelve months, the heads of the beef babies grew faster. The amount of zinc and protein a baby took in predicted how much its head grew. Her team kept going. Breastfed babies given more protein from meat grew longer, without putting on extra fat. Then they took formula-fed babies and gave half of them meat purée and half of them yoghurt, cheese and whey from five months to a year. The meat babies climbed up the growth charts for length. The dairy babies slipped down them, and got heavier for their height instead. At two years old, the difference was still there. The World Health Organization now says babies should have meat, fish or eggs every day from six months if they can. The jar on the supermarket shelf still says baby rice.

— Sama Hoole (@SamaHoole) November 1, 2026

In Colorado, researchers gave breastfed babies puréed beef as their very first solid food instead of the iron-fortified cereal on every weaning chart, and the beef babies grew bigger heads. Nancy Krebs took 88 babies, breastfed and four months old, and split them at random. From five months, half were spoon-fed puréed beef. Half got the iron-fortified baby cereal American paediatricians had handed out as first food for generations. The babies took to the beef just as happily as the cereal. Between seven and twelve months, the heads of the beef babies grew faster. The amount of zinc and protein a baby took in predicted how much its head grew. Her team kept going. Breastfed babies given more protein from meat grew longer, without putting on extra fat. Then they took formula-fed babies and gave half of them meat purée and half of them yoghurt, cheese and whey from five months to a year. The meat babies climbed up the growth charts for length. The dairy babies slipped down them, and got heavier for their height instead. At two years old, the difference was still there. The World Health Organization now says babies should have meat, fish or eggs every day from six months if they can.

The jar on the supermarket shelf still says baby rice.