Why is it so important "what they don't carry" the first complementary foods of the baby

Every day we are more aware of what we should and should not consume to lead a healthy diet. The media, Internet and social networks disseminate almost daily studies on consumption habits and their impact on our health, as well as new recommendations from the health authorities about which foods should dominate our diet and which ones we should banish from our shopping cart.

The processed, and even more ultra-processed, are targeted by experts and consumers due to some of the ingredients that add to our diet: sugars, salt, saturated fats, etc. As a consequence, reading the labeling of the products we buy in the supermarket has become an increasingly present habit among users. Meanwhile, the industry has taken note and strives more and more for offer new foods with a more natural profile, especially in children.

This is the case of the new range of Hero Baby cereals, which is committed to natural baby foods while maintaining a firm nutritional commitment, selecting whole grain flours (whole grains) and eliminating ingredients such as added and produced sugars from their recipes. In this way, they align with pediatric recommendations and market trends.

The tendency to more natural foods

But What do we call "natural food"? According to some available studies, the consumer is based on three factors: the way in which it has been cultivated, the technology and ingredients used and the properties of the final food.

This trend has prompted brands specializing in infant feeding to offer less processed foods

As we mentioned a few lines above, this trend of consumption has also encouraged brands specializing in infant feeding, such as Hero, to work hand in hand with nutrition experts with the aim of offering less processed foods and that conform to the new recommendations of health authorities. Because, increasingly, professionals specialized in child nutrition warn us that the composition of the first foods we offer our babies is vital when it comes to educate in healthy habits.

And, after six months, when the infant begins to receive complementary feeding to milk, cereals and fruit are the first to arrive to your new menu.

What baby cereals should not carry

Parents should be able to distinguish which are the healthiest options. attending in detail to the composition and nutritional contribution of the food we give to our children. Input, the shorter the list of ingredients, the more natural the product will be.

Obviously, each ingredient for human consumption has undergone all kinds of controls before being approved and the legislation also specifies the allowed dose. The controls are regular and, in addition, the regulations adapt to new scientific discoveries.

When consulting the labeling of our baby's cereals, although we can extrapolate it to other packages, we should repair, at least, these two components:

  • The sugar: According to the recommendation of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) in children under 2 years old, added and free sugars should be avoided, as well as reducing intake to less than 5% of total caloric intake in those over that age. And it is that important studies like this of the American Heart Association link in consumption of added sugars "with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in children."

  • The salt: The WHO indicates that the maximum amount of salt a baby can consume per day up to 12 months is less than 1 gram, while one to three years is 2 grams per day. The international health authority relates a salt intake above these levels as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or respiratory diseases.

Hydrolysis, an endangered process

Firms specialized in child nutrition more solvent have been adapting to this evolution in the nutritional recommendations of professionals with the design of less processed infant food. In fact, recipes like those of the new Hero Baby cereals have taken a new step towards a more natural diet without hydrolysis in its elaboration.

The brand thus opts for a recipe with zero added sugars (except in the variety with honey), but also without produced sugars. The latter are the result of the hydrolysis process, in which enzymes are added that cause the starch to break into small pieces. Depending on the degree of hydrolysis, dextrins will be produced - to a lesser extent -, maltose and / or sugars such as glucose - at the highest.

Traditionally children's cereals have been hydrolyzed with the purpose of improving its digestibility by the baby. It is currently considered an unnecessary step in manufacturing, as babies can digest starch without difficulty. By giving up hydrolysis, the assumption of more correct habits is also favored by adopting early preferences for not so sweet flavors.

Better the integral modality

On the other hand, WHO and other relevant organizations advise eating cereals especially in their integral version, that is, in the form of full grain. We refer to the whole cereal grain as well as to that ground, broken or in flakes whose main components (endosperm, bran and germ) are presented in the same proportions as in the original grain, with all its nutrients.

Basically, it is much more nutritious than the original in its contribution of carbohydrates, proteins, soluble fiber (betaglucan) and insoluble (lignin), vitamins B and E, minerals (zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium), antioxidants and lipids (essential acid grades). Its regular consumption is associated with a reducing the risk of diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease or cancer of the digestive system, regardless of the power of the fiber to control overweight.

Whole grains are much more nutritious than those refined in their contribution of fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and lipids

Within its nutritional commitment, Hero Baby has evolved in its recipe towards healthier cereals for babies made with wholemeal flours and therefore with a high fiber content. Your recipe is also enriched with vitamins, calcium and iron to prevent possible deficiencies derived from a diet not sufficiently varied or balanced.

And, for example, iron stores begin to decrease in the baby after six months, so enriched cereals can be an alternative to guarantee their supply if foods rich in this essential mineral are not consumed.

Now that you know all the advantages of the new natural recipe of cereals Hero Baby, you just need to know that you can try for free by requesting a sample on their website.

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