Can sugar be added to baby food? What seasonings can be added to baby food?

Making complementary food for babies is one of the essential skills for mothers. So can mothers add sugar when making complementary food? What other seasonings can be added to baby's complementary food? How to add seasoning to baby's complementary food?

Myth: Sugar should be added to baby food

Adding sugar to complementary foods can stimulate the baby's appetite, but did you know that babies under four months old cannot actually distinguish tastes? Although sugar can provide energy for the brain, nervous system, and red blood cells, excessive intake will harm the baby's healthy growth.

Sugar is a kind of carbohydrate, which is widely found in natural foods. If the baby is given too much sugar from external complementary foods, it will only hinder the development of the baby's taste buds, making him insensitive to sweetness, and thus causing him to be unwilling to eat food without sugar. Once this partial eating habit continues, it will not only cause the formation of acquired obesity and diabetes, but also cause tooth decay. Therefore, baby's complementary foods should be sugar-free.

The consequences of adding sugar to baby food

If sugar is added to your baby's complementary food, many adverse consequences may occur.

1. Develop a habit of eating sweets;

2. Excessive sugar is converted into fat in the body, leading to obesity and becoming a potential cause of cardiovascular, diabetes and other diseases;

3. Eating too much sugar will produce a feeling of fullness, which will lead to a decrease in appetite and a reduction in the intake of other foods, which will in turn lead to a lack of nutrients such as protein, vitamins, and minerals, affecting growth and development;

4. Sugar is an acidic substance. Excessive consumption of sugar will make the body acidic, thereby weakening the body's ability to resist external viruses and making it susceptible to various diseases.

5. If you do not pay attention to oral hygiene, sugar provides conditions for the growth and reproduction of bacteria in the mouth, which can easily lead to tooth decay and oral ulcers;

6. Excessive sugar reduces the content of vitamin B1 in the body, greatly reducing the activity of nerves and muscles;

In addition, parents should understand that when feeding new food to babies, they often push the food out. This is actually a self-protection instinct of the baby and does not mean that he does not like it. Parents should not assume that the baby does not like the food just because the baby pushes it out, and add various seasonings to the complementary food.

How to add seasoning to baby food

Salt: The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends 200 mg of sodium for babies under 6 months old, which is equivalent to 0.5 grams of salt. Generally, the raw materials of complementary foods contain a small amount of salt, so babies who start adding complementary foods in the early stages do not need to add salt. After 10 months, you can start adding no more than 2 grams of salt per day.

Sugar: Eating too much sugar can damage the baby's teeth and reduce the baby's sensitivity to sweetness, causing the baby to ignore other tastes, resulting in anorexia and picky eating. However, sweetness is the most favorite taste for babies. Therefore, young mothers should control the amount of sugar their babies eat, with a total amount of no more than half a spoonful of sugar per day.

Edible oil: The preferred edible oil for baby food is vegetable oil, such as olive oil. It will not cause side effects to the baby's body and is easily absorbed by the baby. When the baby is about 6 months old, a small amount of 2-3 drops can be used every day.

Soy sauce: It is best to add soy sauce after the age of 1. Do not add it to complementary foods too early. Use only 1-2 drops each time. Observe the baby carefully during the initial consumption to prevent allergies.

Mom, please note that these 5 condiments cannot be added

1. MSG

It is best not to add MSG to baby's complementary food. In fact, it is not suitable for adults or babies to consume too much MSG, because excessive consumption of sodium in MSG will affect health and cause taste dullness over time.

2. Rice vinegar

Most babies don't like the taste of vinegar, so there is no need to add it to baby's complementary food. The strong taste of vinegar will cover the fragrance of the complementary food. When the baby's taste buds are not fully developed, frequent tasting of this taste will make the baby lose interest in complementary food.

3. Cooking wine

Cooking wine contains alcohol, so it is best not to use it in baby food. If the baby eats the same food as adults, it is best to heat the baby's portion for a while longer to make the cooking wine sweet before giving it to the baby.

4. Curry

Curry contains volatile oils, spicy ingredients and other ingredients, which are very irritating and not suitable for babies under 1 year old. If the baby is over 1 year old, you can eat a little bit, but the seasoning should be as light as possible.

5. Pepper

Spices such as pepper powder, mustard, and ginger powder are very irritating and are not suitable for the baby's immature digestive system and should not be used in complementary foods.