The first and most important thing you can do is put off your child’s first taste of junk food for as long as possible. Your baby was born with a strong preference for sugary and fatty flavors, so the first taste (and subsequent tastes) will only reinforce that preference. As early as 6 months old, your baby can develop a taste for something salty. The longer you can avoid giving your child junk food, the easier it will be to keep it out of his or her diet.
4 ways to manage junk food
Sugar, salt, and your baby
References
- 2008 FITS study.
- Castle & Jacobsen. Chapter 2. IN: Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Energy Drinks (caffeine) intake and children.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preschooler obesity rates.
- KidsHealth.org. Caffeine and Your Child.
- National Institutes of Health. Caffeine Use in Children: What we know, what we have left to learn, and why we should worry.
- MedScape. AAP Guidelines Nix Energy Drinks for Children, Teens.
Comments