Which foods?

During the first year babies grow rapidly, and most will have tripled their birth weight by the time they reach their first birthday. To ensure that your baby grows at the right rate, develops strong bones and teeth, firm muscles and healthy tissues it is essential that the food you give him has the right balance of nutrients. The following section divides food into the five different food groups. By giving your baby the recommended daily number of servings from each group shown, you can be sure that his daily nutritional needs are being met. For more information about creating a healthy, balanced diet for children see The Contented Child’s Food Bible.

FOOD GROUPS FOR A
NUTRITIONALLY ADEQUATE DIET

Group One: Milk, Dairy Products and Substitutes

Breast milk, infant formula, cow’s milk, lassi, yoghurt, fromage frais, cottage cheese, hard cheese, infant soya formula, tofu.

Major nutrients

Energy (calories) and fat. Protein, calcium, vitamin A, B vitamins, zinc. Iron and vitamin D in breast and formula milks.

Milk will be your baby’s main source of nutrition for the first six months of his life. Milk, dairy products or their substitutes remain a vital part of everyone’s diet because they are a source of energy and contain some essential vitamins and minerals. In particular, calcium is necessary for the development and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth. It also ensures the muscles and nerves work properly. Vitamin A is important for growth and development as well as eyesight. Zinc helps with tissue growth and repair while vitamin B12 is vital for healthy blood cells and nerve function.

Group Two: Carbohydrates

Bread, rolls, baby cereals, fortified breakfast cereals, oats and other cereals, plain and savoury biscuits, potatoes, yams, millet, pasta, semolina, rice.

Major nutrients

Energy (calories). Thiamine, niacin, folic acid, vitamin B6, biotin, zinc, fibre.

Carbohydrate supplies energy, the fuel for the body, which all children need to perform well and enjoy life. The B vitamins found in carbohydrates help the body to use this energy efficiently. Folic acid is vital for healthy blood cells. Fibre is found in unrefined carbohydrates and is important for a healthy digestive system. For more information about the different types of carbohydrate see The Contented Child’s Food Bible.

Group Three: Vegetables and Fruit

Leafy and green vegetables (cabbage, green beans, peas, broccoli, leeks); root vegetables (carrots, onions, turnips); salad vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber), mushrooms, sweetcorn, marrow; fruit (apples, bananas, peaches, oranges, melons), fruit juices.

Major nutrients

Vitamins A, C and folic acid, fibre plus a host of other health-giving nutrients, e.g. trace elements and minerals, many of which function as antioxidants.

The antioxidants found in this food group help to protect the body from infection and disease. Vitamin C helps keep skin and tissue healthy and aids the absorption of iron. It also helps white blood cells to do their job of fighting infection. Fibre is vital for good digestion and maintaining a healthy gut.

Group Four: Meat and Meat Alternatives

Meat, poultry, eggs, fish, lentils, beans, baked beans.

Major nutrients

Energy (calories) and fat. Protein, iron, zinc, B vitamins (B12 in animal foods only).

Protein plays an essential role in building and repairing the body. It builds strong muscles and heart. The B vitamins help the body to use energy. Iron is vital for the production of healthy red blood cells. Essential fatty acids found in fat are essential for a strong immune system. They keep the skin and joints healthy and regulate hormones. Some types of fatty acid play a vital role in the development of the brain and eyesight.

Group Five: Occasional Foods

Cakes, sweet biscuits, sweetened squash, sweetened desserts and milk drinks, ice cream, cream, sugar, jam, honey, crisps, savoury snacks, fried and fatty foods.

These foods have little or no nutritional value. None of these foods is necessary in your baby’s diet. They contain a lot of fat, energy, sugar or salt. Try not to use foods from this group every day.

Organic food

A report issued by the Soil Association in 2001 claimed that organic food is healthier for us because it contains more properties that help protect the body against cell damage and cancer. The report also claimed that organic food has improved levels of minerals and vitamin C.

This report, along with an increasing amount of other research into the benefits of organic food has seen the sale of organic food grow at an average rate of 40 per cent a year since 1995. Despite its increased popularity, however, organic food is still considerably more expensive than the non-organic option, which I’m sure plays a big part in people’s choice on whether to go organic or not. Although the government claims that permitted levels of pesticides used on non-organic crops pose no danger to our health, many scientists and food experts believe that even small amounts of these pesticide residues found in food can be harmful.

My own personal belief is that organic food is not only healthier for us, but it also tastes better. When it comes to babies and young children I believe passionately that it is our duty to give them the purest and best food available, particularly during the first two years of life when the building of their immune system is so dependent upon the food they eat.

I appreciate the extra cost involved for families on a budget but, in my opinion, if a choice has to be made on where to cut back on costs, it should never be on food. A child will not suffer long term from having fewer toys or wearing hand-me-down clothes, but a diet of food grown or reared using artificial fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones could affect his immune system for life.

The following information should be helpful when considering whether or not to try and wean your baby on organic food:

  • Organic food has to meet a strict set of standards regulated by EU law and governed in the UK by the UK Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS). Producers and manufacturers have to keep strict details of production, ingredients, distribution, etc., and all organic food is traceable back to its source.
  • Organic fruit and vegetable producers are not permitted to use artificial pesticides, fertilisers and fungicides when growing or storing crops. Research shows that non-organic food can have traces of all these chemicals that cannot be removed by washing.
  • Organic farmers must feed their livestock a natural diet so that they grow at a natural pace. Growth promoters are prohibited, as is the routine use of antibiotics.

Commercial baby food

Over the years I have encountered considerable problems with babies who are weaned on commercial baby foods – their taste buds become so accustomed to the bland taste of these processed foods that once they are old enough to participate in family meals they simply refuse. Although the introduction of organic ranges by some manufacturers has brought about an improvement in commercial baby food, it is still no match for the distinct flavours and different textures of home-made food.

I also believe that commercially prepared foods, particularly second-stage meals in jars and tins, do not provide enough calories to sustain the rapid growth of young babies, as they are not as energy-dense as home-cooked meals. I have discovered a significant link between night-time waking and commercial baby food. Many babies who previously slept through the night from 2–3 months will start to wake up several times a night between six months and one year, but once I advise parents to change their baby’s diet to a home-cooked one there is nearly always a huge improvement in the baby’s sleeping patterns. Many nutritional experts claim that a baby whose diet consists solely of commercial food will not receive enough of the right calories for healthy growth, which would account for such babies waking up genuinely hungry. For example, a home-made recipe for cauliflower cheese contains cauliflower, flour, butter, milk and cheese. A commercially prepared jar of cauliflower cheese may also contain these ingredients, but in lower amounts, and in addition is more than likely to be bulked out with other fillers such as rice, potato and maltodextrin. (Maltodextrin is a sweet bulking agent, usually derived from potato, corn or rice and used to enhance the artificial flavours in many adult foods. It is also used in the gum on postage stamps and envelopes!) None of these bulking agents adds anything of note to commercial baby foods.

If you want to establish lifelong healthy eating habits for your baby, try to restrict the use of commercially prepared baby meals. The occasional use of organic commercial foods without additives and fillers in conjunction with a variety of home-cooked meals is not a problem, but a diet made up mainly of jars and packets may not only create a fussy feeder, but also cause sleeping problems.

The following guidelines will help you choose the best commercially prepared foods on the market.

  • Always check the labels for the list of ingredients, which are listed in order of quantity, the largest quantity always coming first. Avoid anything containing preservatives, artificial colourings, sugar, or fillers such as maltodextrin or water. Watch out for hidden sugars such as fructose, dextrose or sucrose.
  • Choose pure baby cereals that are free of sugar, starch and maltodextrin. For babies under six months, cereals should also be gluten-free and not contain ingredients such as eggs, citrus fruits or tomatoes, which can trigger allergies.
  • Always check the safety button on the top of jars. If the button is raised or the lid can be removed, do not buy it. Never feed your baby food straight from the jar or can. Put the amount he needs into a bowl and the remainder into a separate dish and refrigerate. Carefully follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for heating, serving and storing leftovers.

Foods to be avoided

During the first two years of your baby’s life, certain foods are best used sparingly, or avoided altogether, as they may be harmful to your baby’s health. The two worst culprits in this regard are sugar and salt.

Sugar

During the first year of weaning it is best to avoid adding sugar to any of your baby’s food, as it may make him develop a taste for sweet things. A baby’s appetite for savoury foods can be seriously affected if he is allowed lots of foods containing sugar or sugar substitutes. But when buying commercial foods these ingredients can be hard to avoid. A survey by the Consumer’s Association magazine, Which?, tested 420 baby products and reported that 40 per cent contained sugar or fruit juice, or both. When choosing baby cereals or commercial foods check the labels carefully; sugar may be listed as dextrose, fructose, glucose or sucrose. Watch out, too, for syrup or concentrated fruit juice, which are also sometimes used as sweeteners.

Too much sugar in the diet may not only make your baby refuse savoury foods, but can also lead to serious problems such as tooth decay and obesity. Because sugar converts very quickly to energy, babies and children who have too much may become very hyperactive. Products such as baked beans, spaghetti hoops, cornflakes, fish fingers, jam, tomato ketchup, tinned soups and some yoghurts are just a few of the everyday foods that contain hidden sugars, so care should be taken that when your baby reaches toddlerhood, he does not eat these foods in excess. It is also important to check the labels of fruit juices and squashes.

Salt

Children under two years of age should not have salt added to their food – they get all the salt they need from natural sources such as vegetables. Adding salt to a young baby’s food can be very dangerous as it can put a strain on his immature kidneys. Research also shows that children who develop a taste for salt early in life may be more prone to heart disease later. When your baby reaches the stage of joining in with family meals, it is important that you do not add salt to the food during cooking. Remove your baby’s portion, then add salt for the rest of the family.

As with sugar, many processed foods and commercially prepared meals contain high levels of salt. It is important to check the labels on these foods carefully before giving them to your toddler.

 

Introducing solid food

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