Importance Of Iron In Babies’ Dietary System

Iron is a vital and extremely important nutrient for blood health and normal development of the body and its capacities. And for babies growing faster than adults, iron is one of the most beneficial nutrients for promoting healthy brain function, developing cognitive and neural capacities, and transporting oxygen effectively from the lungs to the various organs and tissues of the body. And whoever doesn’t receive his need of same develops anemia that may hinder his growth and motor skill development and make him more prone to fatigue, exhaustion, stress and infections.

There is no doubt that babies are born with enough iron stock to meet their needs until they’re 4 month old. But this stock starts to deplete between 4 and 6 months after birth, recalling the need to introduce them to solid foods and extend their diet that consisted till this stage of breast milk rich in minerals and vitamins only.

High quantity of iron can be found in lots of dietary sources, such as red meat, chicken, turkey, fish especially salmon, oat, chickpeas, soy beans, shrimps, pasta, eggs, grilled unpeeled potatoes, dry fruits, nuts of all kinds, spinach and legumes, like beans and lentils.

Not all these types of food are suitable for babies being introduced to solid foods for the first time, but they will be as time progress and with ongoing food taste experience.

So, if you would like your baby to grow healthily and stay away from iron deficiency and its critical complications, you have to teach him, right from the start, the basics of a healthy diet, free from saturated fats, cholesterol and added salt and sugar, and enriched with the above mentioned iron sources in addition to vitamin C sources that can help his body absorb iron, while taking into consideration the daily consumption rate required for each age group as follows: 11 mg a day for babies between 6 and 12 months; 7 mg a day for toddlers between 1 and 3 years, as the increase of iron in the body can be harmful for your kid and it is advisable that you refer to the doctor for any such matter.

If someday you feel that your child’s nutrition is not enough and doesn’t meet his needs of iron and other minerals, vitamins and nutrients, don’t try to give him extra doses of supplements, yet look at his dietary system, maybe it needs some adjustments!

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