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4 ways to manage junk food

Written by Jill Castle, MS, RDN

Sugar, salt, and your baby

You can make your life easier by putting off that first taste.

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.

References

  1. 2008 FITS study.
  2. Castle & Jacobsen. Chapter 2. IN: Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School.
  3. American Academy of Pediatrics. Energy Drinks (caffeine) intake and children.
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preschooler obesity rates.
  5. KidsHealth.org. Caffeine and Your Child.
  6. National Institutes of Health. Caffeine Use in Children: What we know, what we have left to learn, and why we should worry.
  7. MedScape. AAP Guidelines Nix Energy Drinks for Children, Teens.

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