Babies drink too much salt. It is affirmed by a British study that I have recently read commented on in the Consumer magazine and made me realize the mistakes that parents made in the introduction of complementary feeding. British babies doubled and even tripled in recommended sodium intake. The question seems really serious to me and I hope that some basic recommendations will help you avoid it.
It is possible to take measures to avoid this excess salt intake and they would be clear and simple: do not give children industrial food, do not give them cow's milk before the year and do not introduce complementary feeding before 6 months.
Do not advance complementary feeding before six months.
Breast milk and, if it is not possible to breastfeed, artificial milk, are the only food that should be taken by children under six months for multiple reasons. The greater amount of sodium that solid foods have is one more reason and one to keep in mind.
Do not give children industrial food products
Potitos can carry added salt. The ham and cheese, too, as well as many of the other prepared foods even those intended for babies. In conclusion, babies should eat natural foods made at home and to which no salt is added.
Babies should not drink cow's milk or derivatives
Obviously we all know since a child under 12 months should not give cow's milk. But we must also pay attention to the cookies that contain it and the supposed adapted yogurts, since its composition is not recommended if we want to protect children from sodium excess.
Low sodium water for babies
The amount of sodium in the water is an issue that must be taken into account, choosing low sodium waters and, if we consider using tap water, check its composition beforehand and do not boil it more than necessary. You can find advice in some articles that we have published on the most suitable water for babies and the amount of sodium it can have.
In our Special on Infant Feeding in Babies and more we are offering recipes and recommendations on nutrition that will make it easier for you to offer healthy and homemade food to children. One of the benefits will be, one more, not giving them excess sodium by discarding industrially produced food.
Not adding salt to baby food, not buying industrial products, discarding cow's milk and not offering complementary feeding before the year We can control the excess salt, being able, from the year on, to incorporate it in a very measured way, not more than half a teaspoon of coffee per day, including what they carry purchased things, not only what we do at home.
Adults, on average, consume twice as much salt as we should, and that is due to our eating habits and of course, the preference for excess salt established since childhood. Excessive sodium intake is clearly related to hypertension. In children, it damages their kidneys and can be a cause that predisposes to hypertension.
Sodium is necessary, but in its right measure
Sodium is a necessary mineral, essential for the proper functioning of the human body. Regulates the amount of fluid in the body, the absorption of nutrients and also has an important role in the transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction.
Our body receives sodium from food and absorbs it through the small intestine. Thirst regulation is related to the amount of sodium in our body. The hypothalamus has osmoreceptors that induce the sensation of thirst if we have too much concentration of sodium and little water in the body and through the pituitary gland will order the production of the hormone vasopressin that causes us to lose fluid through the urine when there is excess of fluid in the body and, consequently, a low concentration of sodium, regulating this condition with the loss of fluid.
Thirst, therefore, serves to naturally regulate the amount of sodium in our body. That's why we're thirsty and that's why eating foods that are too salty makes us want to drink water. In healthy people, thirst regulates the amount of water we need and it is not necessary to force a healthy child to drink, although offering liquid if it is very hot.
All foods have sodium in their chemical composition, just as they contain other minerals. Foods of animal origin have a higher concentration of sodium than vegetables. However, there are foods that contain it in very high quantities. These foods are the main ones excluded in hyposodic diets and we should not offer them to children in the usual way, even if they are already old enough to take them.
For children, you should pay close attention to the consumption of cold cuts, sausages, pickles, salted foods, canned foods, canned, hard cheeses, mayonnaises, mustards, sauces, soup cubes, powdered soups, lard, margarines, industrial pastry or any food. precooked or prepared.
We have already established that for babies it would be necessary to cook without salt and not give them industrial products that may contain sodium. For children over one year of age and for any age, you should always keep in mind that approximately 75% of the sodium we consume comes from sources other than the salt shaker, so cooking without salt or with very little salt is a good habit and always read the labels of the food we buy.
The baby's kidneys are still too small to handle large amounts of this mineral, so the puree, porridge or other foods that we prepare should be as natural as possible, without preservatives and without added salt.
The recommendation is no salt in baby food. So that it is not bland, you can add spices that provide flavor and good nutrients.
I hope that with these recommendations it will be easier to prevent babies consume excess salt.
In Babies and more | A diet low in salt in children will prevent hypertension in adulthood, no salt in the baby's food
