"Beginner" foods like the cereals and the first foods are "carby" because they're supposed to be easier to digest. Foreign proteins (different than breast milk) can be sources of stomach upset and even allergies. My son (a preemie) had to go so far as drinking a pre-digested formula when I supplemented breast feeding, since even the soy formulas didn't agree with him! Brest milk is actually a pretty high proportion of fat and protein, but DOES also contain a suprising amount of sugar. We can blame our sweet craving on biology I guess! lol

I didn't stay with many prepared baby foods once he was able to tolerate them. I used the meats, but not the dinners (too many starches, too little nutrition) or many of the fruits. I know what you mean when you read the labels...kind of scary.

I mostly used "real" food. It only takes a minute to run it through the food mill. They sell small, portable ones for just this purpose. Of course, I'd take his out before seasoning for the rest of the family.