No cornflakes please for your infants! Here's why....
Created by Huda Shaikh Updated on Jun 27, 2020
What I should feed my child? How much should I feed my child?What foods would be nutritious enough? These are all very important questions that most mothers ask. Cornflakes with milkhas long been propagated as a healthy breakfast option, but honestly speaking, is it worth the hype?
Let’s do a reality check because here are 3 simple reasons why cornflakes are not made for your child’s digestive system:
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Your baby cannot digest cereal efficiently:Let’s get this straight— in order to digest a grain like corn our body needs an enzyme named amylase which is responsible for splitting starch.But guess what! Your little one is incapable of producing amylase in large quantities as it takes about 1-2 years for it to come into play. There might be some salivary amylase production during the first 6 months, but pancreatic amylase, which is required for digesting a grain, is not produced until molar teeth appear.
Most importantly the undigested grain can pose a huge threat to the intestinal lining, leading to an imbalance of gut bacteria which in turn leads to food allergies, mood issues and so on.
2. Loss of important nutrients:Basically, by feeding them a grain like corn, you are simply giving your tiny tot undigested meals and keeping him/her away from nutrient dense foods. Giving your child something that his/her body cannot utilise makes no sense absolutely;the body can become devoid of nutrients that are essential for growth.
3. It is high in sugar and preservatives:Cornflakes are loaded with sugar, malt flavouring and high fructose corn syrup, which your small child does not require. Too much of sugar in any form can cause discomfort, diarrhea and might fill up your baby quickly without imparting adequate nutrition. The system of your child is not developed enough to get rid of these ingredients, and hence it’s best to keep your child away from them.
So what should you feed your child instead?
It is best to feed your baby foods like dal pani,rice water, pureed fruits, mashed bananas, mashed potatoes, vegetable soups,milkshakes,fruit smoothies, apple porridge, vegetable porridge or carrot/banana kheer.
Was this blog useful? What do you feed your child instead of cornflakes? Let us know in the comments below!
This content has been checked & validated by Doctors and Experts of the parentune Expert panel. Our panel consists of Neonatologist, Gynecologist, Peadiatrician, Nutritionist, Child Counselor, Education & Learning Expert, Physiotherapist, Learning disability Expert and Developmental Pead.
| Mar 30, 2017
Hi Aru,I am a nutritionist myself. Its ok to give dal pani and rice water than giving cereals which are loaded with preservatives. Your child needs to become accustomed to the taste of particular foods hence instead of giving rice water/dal initially you can start with the water. Also you can give fruit puree/vegetable puree,mashed potato and so on. And mostly importantly you would be surely breast feeding your baby along with the food you give. The calorie intake needs to increase as your child is growing but early on you cannot force your little one to eat purees. Start slowly and steadily ,lets not be too strict on our little ones :)
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