Protein matters - but it’s not the only thing we think about when feeding babies.

We’re noticing many more parents asking us thoughtful questions about protein in baby food - how much is in a meal, where it comes from, and whether there should be more of it.

It makes sense. Protein plays an important role in growth and development. But when we’re designing food for babies at JUCA, protein is never considered on its own.

We think about food the same way many parents do at home: as whole meals made up of ingredients that work together - not individual nutrients to maximise or numbers to optimise, but whole meals designed to nourish and delight.

How we think about protein at JUCA

Protein plays an important role in baby food. That’s why our meals include ingredients like grass-fed lamb, free-range chicken and wild-caught salmon, alongside legumes such as lentils and chickpeas.

But our goal isn’t to make protein the dominant ingredient in every pouch.

Australian infant feeding guidance reflects this balanced approach. Once babies begin complementary foods, meals should provide a mix of iron-rich foods, protein sources, vegetables and healthy fats — rather than focusing on a single nutrient in isolation.

That iron doesn’t only come from meat. Ingredients like lentils and chickpeas, beetroot, pumpkin and sweet potato also contribute iron, alongside zinc, vitamins and minerals. When these foods are offered together — with healthy fats like olive oil — they support iron absorption and help babies experience a broader range of flavours, textures and nourishment as they grow.

This is the lens we use at JUCA. We’re not asking “how much protein can we add?”, but “how do these ingredients work together to nourish a growing baby?”

• Eat for Health – Australian Infant Feeding Guidelines
  

Nutrition works in combination, not isolation

One of the reasons we don’t design our meals around a single nutrient or a specific macronutrient number, is because that’s not how nutrition works in the body.

Iron, for example, is better absorbed when eaten alongside vitamin-rich vegetables. Healthy fats help with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Fibre supports digestion and gut health.

That’s why our meals combine protein with vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot and beetroot, along with olive oil and native Australian herbs. Each ingredient plays a role, and together they form meals that are nutritionally complete and thoughtfully composed.

Early eating is about more than protein

A lot of adult nutrition conversations focus heavily on macronutrients like protein. Baby food is different.

Early eating is also about:

• Providing a broad range of vitamins and minerals.

• Supporting digestion as babies adapt to solid foods.

• Introducing savoury flavours early.

• Helping babies develop a positive relationship with food.
  

Focusing too narrowly on protein alone can unintentionally limit this broader nutritional exposure.

Balance matters - for babies and parents

At JUCA, we strongly believe that feeding babies should feel grounded, intuitive and reassuring — not clinical or pressured.

Just like adults, babies don’t need every meal to be perfectly balanced in isolation. What matters most is balance over time.

Some meals will be more protein-forward. Others will be more vegetable-led. That natural variation is not only normal — it’s healthy, and it’s how babies learn to eat with confidence and curiosity.

We’re deeply passionate about moving away from feeding that feels like a numbers game. Parents shouldn’t feel pressure to optimise every spoonful or second-guess themselves. Food should nourish, support development, and bring a sense of ease — for babies and parents alike.

Our point of view at JUCA

We don’t set out to tell parents what they should do. Our role is simply to offer thoughtfully designed meals that reflect how babies naturally eat, grow and develop.

Every JUCA meal is designed to be:

• Built around quality protein, thoughtfully balanced with vegetables, legumes and healthy fats.

• Nutrient-balanced rather than protein-maximised.

• Made from whole ingredients that complement one another.

• Rich in vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.

• Supportive of savoury flavour development.

• Clear and transparent in how it’s made.

Protein matters. But it works best as part of a bigger, more considered whole.

That’s the approach we’ll continue to take - nourishing babies thoughtfully, and supporting parents with clarity, confidence and balance.

Much love,

Justine & Cav

Founders, JUCA.