Child nutrition

From the age of six months, babies need to start taking foods other than milk, as this is no longer enough to meet all their nutritional needs; then the complementary feeding begins. The Baby-Led-Weaning (BLW) is an increasingly common complementary feeding technique in our country.

According to experts, there are many Spanish children who do not meet the iron and vitamin D recommendations that are required according to their age, and this can lead to health problems and associated diseases. It is very important that parents take care of their diet by ensuring the correct contribution of all the minerals, vitamins and macronutrients they need, although sometimes supplementation may also be necessary.

In recent years the number of families that have decided to bet on vegan / vegetarian diets has grown, instilling these eating habits also for their children. Experts insist that a well planned and properly controlled diet of these characteristics is appropriate for any stage of life, including pregnancy and childhood.

When the time comes to start supplementary feeding, we have doubts about how to do it and what method to use: BLW or crushed? In recent years, the BLW has been gaining popularity, but there are also families who express their fears about a possible choking or nutritional deficiencies of the baby.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that babies be fed exclusively to the breast during the first six months of life. As he explains, "babies who are fed in this way have more opportunities to achieve optimal growth, development and health." But you can't always or want to breastfeed.

Your baby is now ready to start the complementary feeding, but this moment usually generates a lot of doubts in the parents, who ask how to do it, what foods to introduce first and what quantities are the most appropriate. The Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) through its Nutrition and Breastfeeding Committees, has published a complete guide with the latest recommendations, based on scientific evidence, which we should consider when starting with complementary feeding.

Dr. Odile Fernández is a family doctor, mother of three children and a reference in our country in terms of nutrition and healthy living. She is the author of best sellers such as My Anticancer Recipes, written after overcoming ovarian cancer, and author of a blog with the same name, which receives thousands of daily visits.

We are not surprised by the idea that most of us and our children drink too much sugar a day. And much we eat as added sugars, which are added to the food because it does not contain them naturally. So we liked the idea that a 12-year-old boy decided to take action on the matter and reduce his family's sugar intake by discovering the large amount contained in his favorite soda.

Parents are very concerned about the feeding of our children, and we ensure that this is always as healthy and balanced as possible, fleeing food with little nutritional value or harmful to their health, both short and long term. But in addition to the little recommended foods, there are also prohibited foods in the children's diet, depending on the age of the child.

Fruits and vegetables are the healthiest foods there are, and especially important in children's diet, as they provide a large amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber, help maintain proper hydration, and prevent disease. Experts advise the consumption of seasonal fruits and vegetables whenever possible, since when picked up at their optimum ripeness, they are more tasty, ecological and natural, apart from a cheaper option for our pocket.

In these cold days, it is logical that parents look for formulas that help protect our children from possible colds, flu and other winter viruses. I wish there was an infallible method to ensure that the children did not get ill!, Although there are certain recommendations that can help keep your immune system strong.

When starting with the complementary feeding of our baby, we may have doubts about the method to follow: is it better to opt for crushed or make Baby-led weaning (BLW)? Each family will choose according to their criteria, circumstances and needs, although the positive effects that BLW has on the development of babies are numerous.

Introducing himself, Juan Llorca explains that: “I put aside my obsession and dream of being a great chef to use, to dedicate myself to what I am and what I want to be, the best chef for each of the children I can to become". And he is on his way to achieve it, because he left his restaurant in 2011 to be a chef at the Montessori School in Valencia and from there and with his #PorUnaEscuelaBienNutrida program, he is revolutionizing the essence and raison d'être of children's menus in schools.

Although the most advisable thing is to limit as much as possible the consumption of this type of snack in the diet of the little ones, children usually go to birthdays or children's parties where we can find them frequently, as well as in kiosks. That is why it is important for parents to know that the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition ordered the withdrawal of several batches of popcorn and worms from the Grefusa brand from several establishments last week.

A correct and balanced diet is essential for the healthy development and growth of children, and therefore it is one of the greatest concerns of parents since our children are born. Do you eat a lot, eat a little, what do I give you, what should I keep in mind to grow healthy, which foods are better, which ones to restrict ...?

To the expenses of the return to school, we also have to add the cost of the school canteen, a service that many parents have no other option but to pay, and that depending on where they live, some families can pay more than double than others . The Spanish Confederation of Associations of Parents of Students (Ceapa) has just presented a report with the prices paid by parents by autonomous community for the 2018-19 school menu in public centers.

The start of complementary feeding is a great challenge for parents, as there are often doubts about how to proceed in this regard, what foods to offer our baby, what to do in case of food allergies or what method to choose to start at this stage. Each family has their preferences, and although the help of the pediatrician is essential to begin this new phase of the development of our children, the books are also very useful.

In Babies and more we have talked on various occasions about baby yogurts. While yogurt is a food that can bring health benefits, most of those on the market have a high sugar content, making them an unnecessary product and not recommended for babies.

The impact that advertising of food and drinks for children has on the health of our children is a very important issue and that worries us, taking into account the rates of obesity too high and growing in a generation very attached to the screens. The hours in front of the screen and the publicity that comes to them are determining factors associated with being overweight: the longer, the more extra pounds.

The number of obese children and adolescents in the world has multiplied by 10 in the last 40 years, and with it associated diseases such as diabetes or heart disease. According to the Organization of Consumers (OCU), in Spain one in four children is overweight and behind them are sedentary lifestyle habits, poor diet and high sugar consumption.