Although every parents is doing one’s best to maintain a healthy diet of one’s child, it is definitely not an easy task. On the one hand, no matter how hard we are trying to feed our children exclusively with healthy products, there is always someone ready to give them some delicious food which is not necessarily a good choice for a young child. On the other hand, we might not realise that some products, although appearing as safe, can actually bring some harm to children. If you want to know more about this topic, you will find some useful information in the current article.
Some types of fruits
The majority of parents are thinking about harm that can be caused by eating fruits only in the context of a possibility of developing an allergic reaction. For that reason, parents generally do not give any barriers having a read colour or citrus fruits to infants or toddlers. It turns out that a food allergy is not the only possible problem concerning fruits.
One of the concerns of eating fruits, albeit not all of them, is an excessive amount of sugar. You might not be in the know about the fact some species of fruit contain really large amounts of sugar. Although these fruits might be packed by crucial nutrients including fibre, vitamins and other chemical elements, they are not suitable for regular consumption, especially if a child already suffering from obesity or diabetes. Some of the most popular fruits in this group are bananas and grapes.
In addition to it, bananas can cause constipation. Although this fruit is regarded as one of the least allergic products and, thus, is safe for infants and toddlers, because of the reasons listed above, you should still be careful with giving bananas to your small children. For example, a one-year-old child can eat a half of the fruit several times a week.
Nuts
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, nuts are not only a delicious product, but they are also packed with various nutritional elements and chemical compounds so beneficial for the health of children and adults. However, both children and adults should consume nuts carefully and not to overcome a recommended daily limit.
First of all, nuts are an extremely concentrated kind of a product which makes them rather heavy food for digestion. Needless to say, that young children, especially toddlers and infants are still developing their digestive system, so, it is not a good idea to feed them with nuts. While for adults a daily norm of nut consumption is a maximum amount of 30 g, pre-schoolers shouldn’t eat this product on a daily basis in the first place. Actually, it is advised not to give nuts to them more frequently than one a week.
Certainly, another great issue of concern when it comes to nuts is a food allergy. Nuts are one of the most popular food allergen, especially peanuts which can cause rather severe allergic reactions and even death.
Processed meat
Today, processed meat, for example sausages, meat sauces or cutlets ready for consumption are the major sources of protein for many people. Unfortunately, not all parents know about the harmful substances contained in the processed meat and because of that feed their children with sausages as well.
A good idea is to reduce the consumption of processed meat to a minimum and choose fresh meat for your family.
Firstly, the majority of products made of processed meat do not contain an equal amount of meat compared to the same amount of meat of the same weight. Sad to say, food manufacturers have to add mechanically separated meat in order to achieve a desirable consistency of their products. Mechanically separated meat is regarded as a highly allergic product and it usually includes not only internal organs and skin of the animals, but also grounded bones.
Certainly, another issue connected to the processed meat is all the chemical additives in such products. Chemically synthesised flavours and colourants are not the worst of them. One of the most potentially harmful substance is actually nitrates that are used for meat preservation because of its antimicrobial properties. In addition to it, nitrates help to maintain an attractive colour of the meat and make its taste more intensive.
According to dietitians, you shouldn’t feed your baby with processed meat before the age of 1,5 at all. Afterwards, you can give him or her meat products made especially for young children from time to time.
Cookies
Many parents do not realise cookies are not the best choice for feeding a young child because such products as, for example, simple tea biscuits, do not seem to be as sweet as other confectionery. Moreover, if you look at the jarred desserts produced for infants available on the market, such as various yogurts with fruits, they usually include some cookies as well. This suggests that cookies are an appropriate food even for infants.
In the reality, the daily norm for a seven-month-old child is only 3 g of cookies per day. Children older than 1.5 years shouldn’t eat more than 20 g of cookies per day