Why your baby does not need pureed cereals industry in their food

Tricks for children to prefer the fruit to the heladosLa influence that social networks have on the food intake of the niñosAsí to the influence of advertising

Why your baby does not need pureed cereals industry in their food
Tricks for children to prefer the fruit to the heladosLa influence that social networks have on the food intake of the niñosAsí to the influence of advertising on the weight of your child

If you've been a mother recently you'll be experiencing a world totally unknown in the information overload (or misinformation) and the hype will often lead to a dead end. And this, in motherhood, as in other fields, it is a reality with which one must battle day after day. But to "beat" with success you need the "weapons" appropriate.

One of the first battles faced by first-time parents with regard to the feeding of the baby come when this meets the 4 or 6 months, depending on the case, and the time comes when the small starts with the supplementary feeding. The intake of cereal is often the first step. So that assumes already the reality: the mash of cereals which you find easily in the supermarket or pharmacy are not necessary . Your baby can feed without them and grow without problems, even though it is the same pediatrician that you recommend.

"The porridge that they sell in boxes are products that exist from a few years ago and before they raised the babies without this type of well-prepared", remember Lucia Martinez , Dietitian-Nutritionist, and creator of the blog "Tell me what you eat". "In fact, there are areas of the world that do not have access to these products. And children grow up equally. In reality, the food industry for infants are a are a business in the food industry , " argues the expert.

good nutrition in early childhood is key in the growth of the small. And this changes as the baby will be fulfilling months. Since its birth, breastfeeding is the ideal way of providing young children with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development," recalls the who, which recommends that the exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life . Even the organization bet for keeping her up to 2 years or more, in combination with the respective introduction of appropriate foods and safe for every age. If the mother choose not to breastfeed, the baby was fed exclusively on formula milk up to four months.

The trick: cereals dextrinados or hydrolyzed

therefore, to comply with the four or six months of life, parents are faced with a new dilemma: how how to start giving cereal ? Porridges prepared are one more option in the market that can be chosen by the parents, who previously must know what are really these preparations.

" Are products which, in addition to cereals, usually carry sugar ", points out Martínez, whether sugar as such or their derivatives, such as maltodextrin. It should be recalled that the WHO has already warned of the large amount of sugar in processed foods for babies. At the same time, the agency has termed "epidemic," the current levels of childhood obesity, "one of the public health problems more serious of the XXI century".

"The porridge industrial for infants are a are a business in the food industry"

given this scenario, porridges of cereal does not help even though their labels to ensure that the products are "sugar-free" or "without added sugars". In reality, this type of product are sugar and just have to read the label to find out. The key is in the cereals dextrinados or hydrolysates .

This is the trick resorted to by the manufacturers to not say clearly that baby foods contain sugar. And that is the fact that the cereal has been dextrinado or hydrolyzed assumes that the complex carbohydrates, which are long chain, become simple, that is to say, short chain. "When you cut them and make them shorter, they have a sweeter taste," says nutritionist.

what Porridge enriched?

"This leads to two problems -continuous Martínez-. The first is that, according to the WHO, should not give sugar to children under a year. The second is that we are getting used to the palate of little ones taste very sweet, which determines your gastronomic experience later". So, the babies start to feed with a texture very fine and the same great taste, sweetened , expectations are very far from the reality, because the cuisine consists of different flavors and textures.

"To all this we add the star theme: the s porridge of cereal grains that are enriched ," adds the expert, when in reality, "all those vitamins, minerals, etc can be obtain from a normal diet. It is a lie that babies need food-supplemented", stated Martinez.

Grains of truth

so, what alternatives are there? Very simple: give them a grain of truth . And it's not worth to make excuses and argue that the mash of cereals industrial are very comfortable. "The parents can buy rice flour, rolled oats, corn meal... and mix it with water. All of this is sold in any supermarket, it's cheap and it takes the same thing to prepare," argues Martinez.

"we're getting used to the palate of the little ones taste very sweet, which determines your gastronomic experience later"

Another option is to give the baby the food itself through the method of "Baby Led Weaning" (BLW) or power self-regulating for the baby . "If the small one is able to grasp it, we can offer you great pasta-cooked rice well past into balls mixed with vegetables, fish, meat... Obviously, you do not have to only take in cereals. Fruits, nuts in cream, beans, etc are also necessary", he adds.

Mom: don't worry

And don't worry because you eat little. At the beginning, the baby will not eat a bowl of rice. Going to try and experiment. This is to introduce you to the complementary feeding because your main food will be milk , either native or adapted.

"do Not forget that the children have their own mechanism of appetite and satiety . Eat when you have appetite. A baby is not willing to go hungry: cry oexpresará in any way that you want more. And if there is no signal, is that it is full," recalls Martinez.

What makes no sense is "prime" the baby. "In fact, there is a risk of obesity in the future because they tend to eat more. We should never force children to eat," he stresses.

"do Not forget that children have their own mechanism of appetite and satiety. Eat when you have appetite. A baby is not willing to go hungry"

if in doubt, parents can go to a nutritionist , "and if it is pediatric, much better." Spain is the only country in Europe that does not have dieticians-nutritionists in your health system, such as recalls Martinez. So, who can't afford it, it is best that you use reliable sources in the internet, "as the WHO, the ministries of health services, which are increasingly being updated more, as well as professionals from the likes of Julio Basulto, Melissa Gomez, Juan Llorca or Boticaria Garcia . Just as well, if you have information, you have freedom of choice," concludes Martinez.

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Date Of Update: 24 September 2019, 09:02