Iron-rich foods for baby's diet

Iron rich foods

Nutrients as important as iron, which plays a fundamental role in development as well as in general health, cannot be lacking in the baby's diet. During the first months of life, the baby gets the iron and other nutrients it needs through milkTherefore, it is essential that the mother follows a very varied and balanced diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

But once complementary feeding arrives, that fun stage when the baby discovers solid foods, it is essential to make sure that the diet meets the nutritional needs that the baby requires. Among them, the contribution of iron so important to avoid, among other problems, anemia, a disorder that in the first months of life can cause serious disorders in brain development.

Iron-rich foods to include in complementary feeding

Before looking at the most recommended foods rich in iron for the baby's diet, it should be remembered that the main food during the first year is lactation. Therefore, you should not be obsessed with the proportions of food, the amount of food your child eats or whether he likes a product more or less. That will be solved little by little, because discovering solid food is a gradual process and the nutritional contribution will be covered with milk during that first year.

However, the sooner your baby gets used to eating all kinds of food, the easier it will be for you to offer your child a varied and balanced diet. Taking into account that for many children food is a problem, getting them not to object to any food is an absolute triumph. Will it be a guaranteed success if he accepts all foods as a baby? No, nothing is certain in this life, but there is your child will be more likely to reject few foods.

In this diet that begins around 6 months, foods are introduced little by little. First easily digestible fruits and vegetables, cereals and other foods that will appear gradually. Iron is present in all of them, although not in the same proportions. To improve the supply of iron in the baby's diet and reduce the risk of anemia, you should include these iron-rich foods.

Foods rich in heme iron

Iron is a mineral that is present in many foods, although not to the same extent, nor is it assimilated by the body in the same way. Differentiating iron is very important so that the baby's diet is balanced and his consumption of this nutrient is adequate. On the one hand we have heme iron, which is what prevents iron deficiency anemia.

This type of iron is found in foods of animal origin., especially in red meat and organ meats. The foods with the highest heme iron component are liver, kidney, blood, heart or sweetbreads. However, they are not suitable foods for a baby's diet. For this reason, it is preferable to start with other foods such as red meat in small amounts and supplement with non-heme iron.

non-heme iron

In this case the ore comes from plant-based foods, so the concentration of iron is lower and for the body to assimilate it well, it is necessary to supplement with foods rich in vitamin C. Among the vegetables rich in iron we have spinach, broccoli, chard and other foods of vegetable origin such as lentils or cereals.

A balanced diet to maintain correct iron levels

In order for the baby to grow and develop optimally, it is essential that its diet is varied and balanced, because only so you get all the nutrients your body needs. Iron, as we have already seen, is essential, as are other nutrients such as calcium, vitamins or proteins. For this reason, once the introduction to solid foods begins, it is best to help the baby discover all kinds of foods so that her diet is totally varied, balanced and healthy.


Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.