Every day you give your child three meals and a snack or two. That’s four to five “plates” in which to provide your growing child all the micronutrients he needs to grow healthy to develop as he should. Here are a few tips to meet your child’s daily micronutrient needs!
Knowing that your child’s tummy can only hold so much baby food, make sure what you provide isn’t ‘empty’ calories. Instead, offer lots of micronutrients in a small serving. Red meat and dark green leafy vegetables are really good sources of iron1,2,3 – you can grind the meat into a tomato-based pasta sauce. The red sauce contains vitamin C which helps with better absorption of iron4,5!
Breakfast is the perfect chance to give your child half of his daily iron6 in one small bowl of cereal. Iron-fortified baby food such as CERELAC, with vitamin C that help in iron absorption, are a delicious way for your child to start the day.
References:
1. WHO/FAO Vitamin and Mineral Requirements in Human Nutrition. Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. Second edition. WHO/FAO. 2004.
2. Guidelines on Forulated Supplementary Foods for Older Infants and Young Children (CAS/GL08-1991) (update in process in 2013), in the absence of references values in the related standard for processed cereal based foods for infants and children (STAN74-1981).
3. Malaysia RNI 2005, daily iron intake for children aged 6 to 11 months. One serving of NESTLÉ CERELAC (50g) contains 5mg/serving of iron.
4. WHO/FAO. Guidelines on food fortification on micronutrients. Edited by Allen L de Benoist B, Dary O, Hurrell R. WHO/FAO 2006
5. EFSA, 2014, Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to vitamin C and increasing non-haem iron absorption pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC No 1924/20061, EFSA, 12111, p. 3514.
6. Malaysia RNI 2005, daily iron intake for children aged 6 to 11 months. One serving of NESTLÉ CERELAC (50g) contains 5mg/serving of iron.
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