When your baby is old enough to eat solid food, it is best to provide as much fresh food (e.g., fresh fruits, grains, vegetables, and meats), and as little processed pre-made food as you can.

In the table below, we have provided the fluoride levels of some commonly consumed infant foods as reported in published studies. However, if you know the following general rules, you should be able to effectively reduce your exposure to fluoride from solid food:

• General Rule #1: We get far more fluoride from liquids than solid foods. If you had to choose, therefore, between limiting your fluoride intake from beverages or foods, you should definitely focus on limiting intake from beverages.
• General Rule #2: The naturally occurring levels of fluoride in fruits, vegetables, meat, grain, eggs, milk, and fresh water supplies (lakes, streams, rivers, and springs) are generally very low. The three exceptions to this rule are: seafood; tea; and water from deep wells.
• General Rule #3: Fresh foods contain very low levels of fluoride (<0.2 ppm). Thus, if you’re eating fresh  fruits, vegetables, grains, milk, eggs, and meats, you will generally be getting very little fluoride.
• General Rule #3: The fluoride level in food generally increases during industrial food-making processes. This is particularly true in heavily fluoridated countries like the United States, since it is common for food processors to use the public water supply to make their products. Freshly squeezed orange juice will thus contain less fluoride than orange juice that has been made from concentrate, etc.
• The more processed a meat product is when you purchase it, the more likely it contains elevated fluoride. A chicken nugget will thus contain more fluoride than a roast chicken; a slice of sandwich turkey meat will contain more fluoride than a slice of turkey breast from a whole turkey, etc.

Although fluoride intake from solid food is far less of a significant concern than fluoride intake from beverages (e.g., water, formula, and grape juice), there is one type of processed food that should be consistently avoided.

Print PDF