What are the most frequent failures in infant feeding? “More than talking about failures, it is more appropriate to see it as aspects to improve,” says José Manuel Moreno Villares, coordinator of the Nutrition Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) , referring to situations that are different according to age.
This expert gives examples of practices that should be reviewed: “ In adolescents , the consumption of sugary drinks, diets with little variety and few fruits and vegetables. Sometimes (up to 10% of minors in adolescence) skip breakfast. At school age , and somewhat less in preschool, there is an excessive consumption of sugary drinks and juices, and they are also eaten ultra-processed as industrial pastries (especially at meals between meals). In the youngest , parents’ attitudes towards food stand out – some are very authoritarian; unconcerned, others-, and the consumption of defendants ”.
In all ages , the fact is repeated that we rarely, if ever, sit down to eat all together at the same table.
The “I Study of health and well-being in childhood” , prepared by the DKV Institute for Healthy Living and the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Barcelona, confirms these data.
Questions parents ask and their answers
Moreno Villares responds to the questions on child nutrition that are most frequently asked by parents:
Up to what age should you avoid adding salt to cooked food? And sugar?
In general, the idea is not to add salt to cooked food for at least the first two years of life, and then use it in a very limited way – as for the rest of the population. As for sugar, it should not be added below two years and this advice could be kept above that age. That is, of course, valid for yogurt: better without sugar.
If they already chew, should you leave the puree and move on to the whole vegetables?
When the child can chew, is it preferable to abandon the vegetable puree and add the cooked vegetables? More than abandoning is replacing. Nothing happens if a child takes once a week a puree of carrots or peas or lentils. And the transition can be gradual. It is not one or the other, but both.
What happens if you give him daily products like cookies?
Adding a cookie to a fruit porridge or occasionally taking Maria-type cookies for breakfast is not a “nutritional crime.” The main reason to limit the consumption of sugary or sweet products is learning or getting used to sweet flavors and what can influence later cravings. Eating patterns are more important than occasional or occasional consumption.
Should they avoid frequent bottled juices?
It should be recommended in children under two years of age not to consume them and in older children to do so occasionally and with limits (no more than 200 ml per day).
Do Spanish children drink less milk than they should?
No. In general, our children take adequate amounts of dairy, which is about three servings a day. Only in adolescents, especially women, the consumption of milk and milk derivatives is below the recommended.
Should sugary soft drinks be banned until a certain age?
We should say that they are discouraged below the age of two or three and their consumption is limited or restricted for all children and youth.
How about chocolate? And the goodies?
Chocolate is another story. If it is high in cocoa and low in sugars , it can be consumed more frequently than milk and sugar chocolates. But occasionally they can be consumed, because a sandwich with chocolate bread is better than an industrial pastry product.
The sweets ? Just sometimes.
What are the implications of using food as a reward and punishment?
You learn to eat. Giving it a value beyond what it means to eat endows some important foods and “punishes” others ( I give you an ice cream for dessert if you eat spinach ). Being overly authoritative at the table doesn’t help either ( You don’t get up until you finish the plate ).
Are there risks in not respecting the fasting times between main meals?
Eating between meals is a small -or great- disorder. The body responds to hunger and satiety signals to eat and stop eating. If we don’t learn to recognize those signs, we will eat out of inertia and more than we should. There is a time to eat and a time to play; a time for everything. Of course it has repercussions!
