What is healthy infant food? It is a question that many mothers struggle with. Dietitian Patricia Ploeger tries in this article to provide information about healthy infant nutrition, the options and the do's and don'ts for a healthy diet. Once they are adolescents and junk food fans, it is difficult to change that.
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Learning a healthy diet, you can't start early enough. Healthy eating plays an important role from conception. The first 1000 days a child grows very fast, both physically and mentally. Healthy infant nutrition is therefore of great importance. In fact, research shows that a baby who eats well is not only healthier but also more intelligent later on. In addition, there is a good chance that you will retain learned eating habits as an adult. As a parent, you therefore play an important role in learning a healthy diet for the rest of life.
A baby is already acquainted with different tastes through the amniotic fluid. This will likely help your baby to appreciate the flavors sooner. You can make full use of this up to and including the second year, then your child will want to discover new things and tastes. Healthy infant nutrition already plays a role here. Let your baby eat as versatile and healthy as possible. Start early with fruit and vegetables, so your child will enjoy them lastingly. Healthy infant nutrition is not only important for the development of the body and organs, the growth of the brain, and the nervous system and immune system. But also for enough energy to be able to learn, crawl, fall and get up again.
Between four and six months you start with “supplementary food”, these are also called practice snacks. In terms of fruit, you can start with, for example, pear, banana or peach. These are friendly, smooth flavors. These new flavors are then the first acquaintance after the milk. For example, start with some finely mashed fruit or vegetables (one type), a few teaspoons of this healthy children's food at a time.
Trying a new fruit or vegetable the first time doesn't always work well for your baby. Logical too, because your child has to get used to the new taste or structure. Don't worry, after tasting ten to fifteen times on average, your child sometimes only learns to appreciate the taste. And I still tell my children that 😉 .
Is your child ready to get to know and appreciate the new flavors? Only then do you switch to other types of fruit and vegetables. Other healthy children's food that you can try is, for example, green kiwi with cooked broccoli and avocado, kiwi and mango or kiwi and banana.
Around seven months you can start with coarser pieces of food. For example, give them a piece of bread crust to suck on. If your child can chew well (with or without teeth) and can sit up straight, you could start this a little earlier. In any case, try to start with this before eight months so that your child can really learn to chew.
The time has come, from 1 year a child can eat almost anything. Up to and including the second year of life you can speak of 'the window of opportunity':in this phase your child wants to get to know new flavors and structures. So a great time to take advantage of it. What you should not give in this age, you can read on the site of the nutrition center.
If you varied the healthy food for children in the first year, you will probably benefit from it now. From about the second year, your child may start to struggle.
You know the saying... 'I'm two and I say no'. Toddler puberty is on the way. Your child becomes more empowered and no longer just puts everything in his mouth. Yet it is smart to continue to lead by example, because your child likes to imitate you. This way you can still try to make healthy children's food a common thread.
The more you involve your child in eating and healthy infant nutrition, the more normal it becomes. For example, go shopping together and let your child help with the cooking. Also try not to act unhealthy during holidays or a day out, 'because it is possible'. Although it should be possible to snack every now and then of course!
Fruit and vegetables contain all the colors of the rainbow:from yellow courgettes to green kiwis. Take your child to the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket or to a greengrocer every week and choose different types and colors of fruit together. It is important to show children how much fun it is to be involved with food. By tasting, smelling and preparing food, children get a broader view of food.
It is regularly written about. Healthy children's nutrition and the 'interference' of schools that you encounter more and more. Snack vegetables at school instead of something tasty, for example. Or just drink water.
Most children bring sandwiches to school. Nothing wrong with it! If you opt for healthy infant food, you opt for 100% whole wheat bread. Whole grain, the name says it all, it means that the whole grain has been used. Super, because the fibres, vitamins and minerals are mainly in the outer part of the grain. As a result, whole wheat bread contains 20 times more vitamins and minerals compared to white bread.
In addition, give standard fruit and vegetables to school. Put a banana, apple, tangerine or kiwi in the bag instead of a ready-made bar or a league. But you don't always have to bring fruit, vegetables in the lunch box are also an option! Spread bread or a wrap with some grilled vegetables, for example, or add cucumber or tomatoes for a tasty snack.
The treat policy at school is also one that many mothers have an opinion about 😉 . Some go for chips and others prefer healthy treats. Personally, I don't want to 'think' anything about this, but if I have the choice, I will go for healthy children's food as long as I can. A treat with cucumber for example or a nice Angry Birds treat. Yet the last time I was tempted to do something other than a healthy treat. I couldn't escape it and the panda cupcakes really had to be made this time.
If you take healthy children's food as a starting point often enough, it doesn't matter if you make a different choice once in a while. But keep it to one exception.
Research shows that children eat too little fruit and vegetables:according to Statistics Netherlands, nearly 4 in 10 children aged 1 to 12 ate enough fruit in 2014-2016, and only 4 in 10 had enough vegetables. That's quite shocking. Not even half of the children eat enough healthy children's food.
This is a problem, because fruit and vegetables provide your child with many important nutrients. Think vitamins, minerals and fiber. The vitamins in fruits and vegetables ensure that your body can work properly. For example, folic acid and vitamin C. Vitamin C is important for a good resistance so that you do not get sick quickly. Folic acid is also called vitamin B11, this vitamin is important for the growth and functioning of the body.
There are also minerals in fruits and vegetables, such as potassium that helps to keep your blood pressure healthy. Finally, the fibers ensure that the intestines do not become blocked, which is very important in, for example, frequent toddler diarrhea.
The following fruits complement each other and together form the most effective fruit snack to give to your child:
Tip for a fun game to make healthy children's food not only tasty, but also fun 😉 . Take an empty box, put the different types of fruit in it, put a towel over the box and let your child feel. What shape do you feel? Is the skin smooth or does it have hairs on it? What kind of fruit would it be?
There are also plenty of books about healthy eating with children that also have very good reviews. Below are a few for inspiration if you don't know what to cook anymore 😉 .
Shutterstock photo of eating children by Oksana Kuzmina
