Proper Nutrition For Children

When a child is getting closer to 1-year old age, some parents want to pamper their toddler with various “goodies” and expand their diet with adult food.

Unfortunately, the most common everyday parents’ food may contain substances which are extremely harmful to children’s health.

Infant food is directly related to the metabolic processes in the body and is one of the main factors which determines the growth rate of the child, their balanced development, the stable performance of the immune system, resistance to the adverse environmental factors, the ability for various types and forms of education.

Children under three are particularly sensitive to the effects of malnutrition because this is the period of their most intense growth when many body systems are still forming. Thus, the digestive system of small children is characterized by relatively low activity of enzymes and high permeability of the mucous membrane.

The excretory system is still underdeveloped, and therefore the release of harmful substances from the body is slow. The immune system of the gastrointestinal tract is still forming, and the adequacy of the nutrition your baby gets during the first years of their life determines the nature of the future immune response to the inflow of allergens, toxins, and microbes. The body’s reaction to allergens, the increased load on the liver, pancreas, and kidneys in the early years of the baby’s life can cause the development of chronic illnesses later in life. Thus, a healthy diet for a child ensures their well-being not only in the short term.

During the first three years, taste of the child deepens and improves. It is important to remember that eating habits and basic eating behaviors acquired in the early childhood largely determine the overall duration and quality of the person’s life.

In this article we will talk about products unacceptable in the diet of small children, as well as food components that should be limited in the early childhood.

What Children Must Not Eat

Nutrient additives are substances with natural and artificial origins, purposely added into food products to achieve certain technological effects (e.g., color, smell, spoilage resistance, preservation of the structure and appearance of food products during long-term storage). Nutrient additives have a negative impact on children’s health, so most of them are prohibited for use in early childhood.

Preservatives E220, 221, 222 (may be found in canned fruit and vegetables, as well as in dried fruit, where they are added to preserve the natural color and smell) have irritant effect on the respiratory tract.

Additives E104, E110, E120 (function as colorants and may be included into soft drinks, dragee, sugar candies, jelly, chewing gum, smoked and canned fish, packaged half-cooked soups) may be reasons for child’s hyper excitability and hyperactivity.

 Tartrazine, monosodium glutamate, colorants (E102) can trigger allergic reactions and worsen the condition of children with allergic diseases.

 Nitrites, which are included in half-cooked meat products, are potentially carcinogenic, and they can cause asthenia, headaches, and also aggravate allergic processes.

 Nutritional supplements E221-226, E320-322, E407, E450, E461-466 (may be contained in juice drinks, half-finished products, canned, cooked sausages, jelly, jam, ice cream) cause irritation to the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, contributing to the development of chronic diseases of the digestive system.

Only natural colorants, made from plants, are acceptable in infant food (beet, paprika and similar).

 Synthetic flavors can often be the reason for allergic reactions. Moreover, these chemicals can completely mask the smell of substandard food products.

 Acidity regulators: acetic, phosphoric, orthophosphoric, tartaric, synthetic malic and lactic acids (information about them should be indicated on the package) form the basis of the carbonated drinks taste and serve as preservatives. However, be aware that they can damage the delicate mucous membrane of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Likewise, they destroy tooth enamel, contributing to early tooth decay. Orthophosphoric acid also leads to leaching of calcium from the bones, which makes them more brittle and ductile.

When cooking for a child it is not recommended to use any baking powder except for baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate).

Products that may contain supplements dangerous to children’s health:

• smoked meat gourmet products, sausages, store-bought ground meat and products made from it
• fast food (e.g., French fries, pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches, chips, and so on)
• canned food and half-cooked products
• ketchup, mayonnaise, and other factory-made sauces
• some sorts of pastry
• soft and juice drinks

Sugar substitutes. It is prohibited to use aspartame, xylitol, sorbitol, and other sugar substitutes in the infant food, because they spoil the metabolic processes in children’s body. So, xylitol and sorbitol contribute to the development of urolithiasis, aspartame triggers allergic reactions and adversely affects the retina, saccharin and cyclamate, presumably, have a carcinogenic effect.

Products, which may contain sugar substitutes:

• chewing gum
• sweet carbonated juice drinks
• “light” products – low-calorie snacks, drinks and sweets

Mashrooms. The use of mushrooms in the infant diet is prohibited due to the statistics of severe poisoning which is usually fatal for small children because of the immaturity of their kidneys and liver. Along with the incidental use of poisonous mushrooms, there are currently incidents of severe poisoning with edible mushrooms. Why is it happening? The structure of a mushroom’s mycelium functions like a sponge and it actively draws harmful substances from air and soil: heavy metals, refined gasoline, pesticides, insecticides, and so on.

Furthermore, it is difficult for children’s body to digest and absorb mushrooms because mushroom cells have digestive enzymes substance chitin that is particularly resistant to chemicals.

Food products which contain trans-isomers of fatty acids (trans fats). Trans-isomers of fatty acids are obtained by hydrogenation (saturation with hydrogen atoms) of vegetable oils. Currently this method of processing fats is widely used to increase the shelf life of food products containing vegetable oils. Because the trans fatty acids are not oxidized by oxygen, they cannot spoil. However, the process of hydrogenation eliminates the beneficial properties of vegetable oils and gives them new, unfavorable features: trans-isomers enhance the level of bad cholesterol in the blood, break the normal operation of the cell membrane, and contribute to developing of vascular pathology, negatively affect sexual development, and so on.

Products which may contain trans fatty acids:

• margarine and products containing it
• mayonnaise
• baked foods with a long shelf life (more than 2-3 days)
• fast food

 Fatty sorts of meat. Goose, duck, lamb meat, fatty pork and bacon should not be used in the diet for children under 3 because their intake is associated with significant stress for the digestive system, the liver and pancreas.

Products containing caffeine. Caffeine contributes to increased excitability of the nervous system and sleep disorders, heart palpitations and high blood pressure; it causes undesirable additional load on the cardiovascular system of the child, so caffeine is prohibited for the infant diet.

Products containing caffeine:

• coffee
• candies with coffee filling
• chocolate with the high content of cocoa
• energetics – various non-alcoholic or low-alcohol cocktails, advertised by the manufacturer as “giving strength and energy”. Specific effect of such beverages on the central nervous system is provided by the high content of caffeine (which is sometimes stated as guarana, yerba mate, matein, theine) and other stimulants – theobromine, theophylline, that are similar to the caffeine.

Products containing GMO. GMO is genetically modified organism obtained as a result of artificial change of its genotype by genetic engineering. Food products are often manufactured with the use of plant GMO which may be included into vegetable and fruit mixtures, chips, flakes, popcorn, and also as genetically modified soybeans in the canned meat and fish, sausage, various semi-finished food products. Since the delayed effect of these products on human health has been insufficiently studied, they are not allowed to use in the infant diet.

 All sorts of tea. Black, green, and herbal teas are prohibited in the diet for small children up to 2 years old, because they contain substances that slow down the absorption of iron in the bowels, as well as tannins that increase the excitability of the nervous system. At the age of 2, in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization, it is necessary to exclude tea during meals to prevent malabsorption of iron.

Restrictions In the Infant Diet

Sugar and all products containing it. Daily value of sugar consumption is not more than 1-1.5 oz for children at the age of 1-1.5, 1.4-1.5 oz – for children at the age of 1.5-3. It is better if a child receives it with products such as fruit, dried fruit, pastille, low-fat cookies, marmalade, jam, fruit puree, honey (from the age of 2, if the child is not allergic to it). Do not add sugar to daily meals (porridge, puddings, cottage cheese, etc). Always remember that excessive intake of sugar in the child’s body forces pancreas to work more intensively (which is a risk factor for diabetes), contributes to overweight, dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, and tooth decay.

Salt. Daily value of salt for small children cannot exceed more than 0.1 oz per day, which is half a teaspoon. So dishes fed to a child should be under-salted to the “adult taste”. Salt excess causes fluid retention in the body and has an excessive load on the immature kidneys and cardiovascular system of the child. The following products with high salt content should be completely excluded from the diet of the small children: salt fish, smoked products, various pickles, “adult” canned food, chips, salted crackers, and so on.

Seasonings. To improve the taste of food and stimulate appetite the following natural seasonings can be added to the child’s diet: parsley, dill, cilantro (1.5 years), garlic, onion, sorrel (2 years). However, their amount in the infant diet should be limited. Condiments and spices, including vinegar, mustard, horseradish, black pepper, should be completely excluded from the diet of small children as they irritate the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract and contribute to increased secretion of hydrochloric acid by gastric cells (creating the preconditions for the development of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer), and can also lead to the motor dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract and have a negative impact on the child’s urinary system, damaging the delicate epithelium of the tubules of the kidneys.

Baked food. Rolls, buns, pies, etc. should be limited because of their high calorie content and large amount of sugar. Dough food abuse leads to overweight, slows intestinal motility, for some children it can be a reason for coprostasia. Healthy small child can get 1.8 oz of pastry products a day (for example, a muffin or a cake during snack).

Citrus fruits, raspberries, strawberries, honey (and other bee products), chocolate. They contain ingredients that contribute to the development and release a special substance in the child’s body called histamine, which increases the permeability of blood vessels. Small amount of these products is acceptable for healthy children at the age of 1.5-2 and older. In case of allergy histamine liberators should be completely excluded from the diet of the baby.

Current wide spreading of allergic diseases makes it necessary to constantly pay attention to the content of allergenic food products in the children’s nutrition. Allergy with small children is most frequently caused by whole milk, eggs, chicken meat, nuts (including peanuts), soybeans, seafood, fish, and wheat. These products should be eaten by healthy children strictly in accordance with their age norm. For children with allergic diseases it is necessary to prepare an individual diet, which has these products partially or completely excluded.

In conclusion, we would like to note that the use of the “proper” food products should be combined with their safe cooking. Please, remember that it is better to have the children’s food boiled, stewed, steamed and baked, while frying and smoking should be completely eliminated. In addition, if a child has any disease, their diet should be prepared in compliance with the relevant recommendations.

From magazine “Mother & Baby” , #2, 2012