Child nutrition

If we care about the health of the whole family, we will have raised this issue on more than one occasion. When does a food have too much salt, fat or sugar? Where is the limit established between what is and is not healthy? The Pan American Health Organization has published a "Nutrient Profile Model," which sets the criteria for defining how much "too much" salt, fat and sugar is in food and beverages.

Many times, when I am faced with the dilemma of what to give my children breakfast, if something healthy and start the day fighting or go easy and give them cookies or buns, I try to find some type of breakfast that is simple to prepare, healthy and that they like it. Cereals may be a good option, but of course, cereals they sell for children have a quantity of sugar that in many cases I don't know if I'm giving them breakfast or jelly beans.

The "eat by the eyes" is something that happens to all of us. In advertising and sales, it is also often worth the "picture is worth a thousand words" and when it comes to addressing children it was not going to be less. The brands know this and are very careful in how a certain product is presented to children, which, although they still do not charge any salary, has a lot to say when buying.

Light or light foods are those that represent a version with fewer calories of the same food or drink (at least 30% less than the "original" caloric content). They usually reduce the intake of calories, sugars and fats, but are light products suitable for children? The answer is that these light foods are not part of healthy nutrition and although eating them sporadically does not carry any risk, they should not be abused.

Too much salt and too much sugar. We consume them in excess and this can affect our health and especially that of the little ones. Therefore, ignoring the recommendations of the World Health Organization in this regard does not seem the most sensible. And yet it was what the European Commission intended to carry out, a proposal that has finally been halted in the European Parliament.

It is common that since we learn that we are going to be parents we try to change those things in our life that we consider unhealthy or harmful to our child. For example we usually quit smoking or change the place where we do it, we do not go with our son to places that we consider harmful, we monitor our behavior on the road and the most common is that we try to eat a healthy diet, or at least healthier than we had.

That the excesses are the order of the day in these holidays is a fact that few can deny. I recognize that I find it difficult to imagine a Christmas without roasts, nougat, good wine and food to feed half the community. Then it will be when the lamentations arrive and those plans (which I never fulfill) to take away those extra kilos.

We continue with our review of the best post of 2015, a compilation that brings together the content that you liked the most during this year. Today it is the turn to infant feeding and we see that the most read of the year has to do with complementary feeding, childhood obesity and the most common habits of our children at lunchtime.

One of the consequences of the crisis is the increase in children with obesity. Only in extreme cases does malnutrition occur, but malnutrition is much more frequent and we have it closer than we think. Economic difficulties are enemies of good food on many occasions, since it is cheaper to fill the shopping cart with junk food.

When we have occasionally found ourselves in need of a snack at an unplanned moment and we have gone to the vending machines, we have found it difficult to choose a product that is not too sweet, too salty, with too much trans fat ... If the machines Vending machines were healthier, we could tell our children to choose what they wanted.

Last Monday the WHO (World Health Organization) issued a statement that has revolutionized the networks and lives of many of us. In the statement, which you can read in full here, WHO put processed meats such as sausages, cold cuts and bacon in the carcinogen group, where other products such as tobacco and asbestos and red meat are found in the " possible carcinogens. "

Like every Thursday with a few recipes of the best we have found in our network. We bring you the best recipes of our companions of Direct to the Palate and Vitónica with which you can prepare varied and healthy dishes. Perfect to get out of the routine and surprise your little ones.

The pace of life that we are leading is not only taking its toll on us but it is doing so with the future of our children. According to a study by the National Center for Health Statistics in the United States, 12% of the calories our children consume comes from fast food and is something that will have consequences for the health of our children in the medium and long term.

At this time, surely you feel like trying some of these delicacies. As every week, we bring you a selection of the best recipes published by our colleagues from Vitónica and Directo al Paladar so that you can try them with your friends. They are healthy and varied recipes that will expand the range of options when preparing the menu of recipes for the whole family.

We have seen it in popular reports that show people who decide to feed exclusively on fast food for a while. Short time, because they cannot extend it much if they do not want to turn the experiment into suicide. But what about the children's menus of fast food chains?

It has been the first of many times that this girl will enjoy the pleasures of chocolate throughout her life. And the premiere could not be better. The mother wanted to do it big, so she prepared a good cake, put it in front of her and started recording it. We have already seen other reactions of babies when trying some foods for the first time.

The incorporation of new foods can be very natural for some children, but quite traumatic for others. There are those who love to try new flavors and others who find that they like only a couple of foods and do not leave there. It is healthy for the child to try everything, but it is no problem that he does not want to do it and we must not force him, because we will cause the opposite effect: that he takes mania and rejects that food even more.

That the exposure of children to television predisposes to obesity is a fact that we already knew, but it is interesting to know that in addition, cartoon characters can influence the nutritional health of children in one way or another. According to research from the University of Colorado, overweight cartoon characters such as Homer Simpson, Peppa Pig or Pedro Flintstones could have a negative impact on children's diet by acting as a trigger for calorie-rich food consumption and predisposing to Overweight in children.

Since it is in the womb, the baby receives the flavors of the maternal diet through the amniotic fluid. Towards the end of pregnancy, she is even able to react with facial expressions to bitter flavors and to show a sweet tooth. It is an innate preference. At birth, it shows a preference for the sweet taste of breast milk, something that is maintained during childhood.

At this time, it is likely that you are having breakfast with your children or about to do so. We often hear about the importance of breakfast ("the most important meal of the day", "eat breakfast like a king" ...) and especially for the little ones, who are growing and full of energy. Precisely because they have spent many hours resting and without taking any food and have the day ahead, children need a full and varied breakfast.