What foods should babies eat to supplement iron? What you know may not be right

During the period of supplementary feeding, babies are prone to iron deficiency. So, is it enough to \”supplement iron through diet\” and eat more foods \”high in iron\”? Come and upgrade your concept! Iron deficiency will have serious adverse effects on children\’s physical and mental health. This effect cannot be completely reversed after correcting the iron deficiency, so it is very important to prevent iron deficiency! In fact, for children, it is possible to prevent iron deficiency anemia by just adding complementary foods and paying more attention to their diet. Let’s take a test first to see if your iron supplement knowledge needs to be upgraded – which foods are suitable for iron supplements? Breast milk fortified with iron, rice flour, egg yolk, red meat, animal blood, animal liver, chocolate, spinach, dates, cherry, brown sugar, did you make the right choice? Just look below to find out. 5 reminders on iron supplementation for babies 1. Prioritize the absorption rate of iron in food. When it comes to \”eating\” food to supplement iron, many parents\’ first reaction is to eat more foods rich in iron. Yes, iron-rich foods are very important for iron supplementation, but above that, the absorption rate of iron in food should be a priority. For example, many parents will give priority to egg yolks when providing iron supplements and complementary foods to their children, because scientifically verified data show that egg yolks are animal foods and are rich in iron. According to the \”Chinese Food Nutritional Facts Table 2016\”, ordinary egg yolks contain 6.5 mg of iron per 100 grams, and duck egg yolks contain 4.9 mg of iron. Therefore, parents generally choose to add egg yolks to supplement iron for their children. However, many parents do not know that the egg yolk contains a protein called \”yolk phosphorus protein\” that inhibits the absorption of iron, making the iron absorption rate of the egg yolk only about 3%. So, egg yolks are not a good source of iron. So, what is iron with high absorption rate? Simply put, it’s “heme iron,” which is iron derived from animal hemoglobin. For example, red meat, animal liver and animal blood. Heme iron can be directly absorbed by intestinal mucosal cells and is not easily interfered by other factors in food, so the absorption rate can exceed 20%. These types of foods themselves are also very rich in iron, so they can be called iron supplements. Best source. Some plant foods (fruits and vegetables) that seem to have high iron content only contain \”non-heme iron\”. After entering the human body, they need to go through a series of decomposition and reduction before they can be absorbed. In the process, they are also susceptible to other factors such as oxalic acid, Tannic acid and dietary fiber affect the absorption rate. Therefore, it can only be used as a complementary food for iron supplementation. Dietary supplementation of iron should still be based on animal foods. 2. Remove foods that interfere with iron absorption. Various inorganic acids and excessive dietary fiber present in plant foods are factors that interfere with iron absorption. This is because inorganic acids can combine with iron to form insoluble compounds, and too much dietary fiber may also interfere with iron absorption. After noticing this interference factor, the solution is actually simple: before your baby eats high-oxalate foods such as spinach and amaranth, blanch the food to remove most of the oxalic acid in the food, and do not eat foods rich in cocoa that inhibit iron absorption at the same time. , such as chocolate, cocoa milk, etc. 3. When supplementing calcium, pay attention to the baby\’s iron absorption, which is also related to improper calcium supplementation. Current research shows that daily supplementation of 1800Milligrams of calcium will not affect iron absorption, but excessive calcium supplementation may affect the absorption of iron, zinc and other trace elements. 4. Eat more foods that promote iron absorption. Experiments have shown that some organic acids and vitamins can promote iron absorption. Organic acids such as citric acid, lactic acid, etc. In addition to vitamin C, which is well-known for promoting iron absorption (itself is also an organic acid), increasing the intake of vitamins A and B vitamins can also promote iron absorption. Fruits are rich in vitamin C and various organic acids. Eggs, milk and beans are rich in vitamin A and B vitamins. Increasing the intake of these foods while eating high-iron foods can help promote iron absorption. 5. Stay away from unreliable \”iron-supplementing\” foods. Red foods such as dates and cherries, as well as traditional \”blood-supplementing\” foods such as brown sugar, do not actually have the legendary effects. It seems that red does not mean high iron content. According to the \”Chinese Food Nutritional Composition Table 2016\”, every 100 grams of fresh dates contains 1.2 mg of iron, dried dates contain 2.3 mg of iron, and cherries contain 0.4 mg of iron. It is said that there is a kind of cherry called Wild White Thorn that contains 11.4 mg of iron. It looks very powerful, but the problem is that even aside from the absorption rate, this kind of wild cherry is difficult to find, and the taste of wild fruit is difficult for babies. It’s also hard to accept. Brown sugar’s ability to replenish blood is just a legend. Brown sugar is the crystallization of crude sugar cane juice. Compared with refined sugars such as white sugar, it retains some vitamins, trace elements and flavor substances, but the vast majority of ingredients are still sucrose. Drinking too much brown sugar water not only has no blood-enhancing effect, but also It is easy to cause excessive sugar intake. Baby Iron Supplement Program The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends iron intake for infants and young children: the recommended intake (RNI) for 7-12 months old is 10 mg per day, and 1-3 years old is 9 mg per day. Complementary food should be added after 6 months of age. First, add iron-fortified infant rice cereal, gradually introduce red meat, animal liver, fresh animal blood, etc., and supplement with appropriate amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. First, add fortified iron rice cereal. The first complementary food should be \”fortified infant rice cereal\” instead of fruits, vegetables, juice, egg yolks, etc. It should be noted that \”infant rice cereal\” refers to \”infant cereal supplementary food\” that complies with \”GB 10769-2010\”, rather than home-made rice cereal, rice noodles, or various flavors of infant rice cereal purchased at random in supermarkets. It is important to eat iron-supplementing foods while they are fresh. Whether red meat, liver, animal blood with high heme iron content, or fruits and vegetables that promote iron absorption, \”eating while they are fresh\” should be a key consideration for every family. You know, for any food, storing it for one more minute means losing one more nutrient. In particular, divalent iron ions and vitamin C, which have physiological functions, are easily oxidized. If stored for too long, it may It has been exhausted and cannot be replenished. Animal liver, to eat or not to eat? Many parents are very confused. They say that animal liver is a high-quality food for supplementing iron. However, at the same time, as the largest detoxification organ in mammals, the liver is often said to be rich in toxins. So should we still eat liver? It is no exaggeration to say that this actually makes experts in the fields of medical treatment, nutrition and food confused.Regarding the problem of pain, their advice is: Unless you can ensure that the source of liver is reliable, you should try to buy products from big brands and companies, and pay attention to the number and frequency of consumption, such as supplementing your children once a week. In addition, the way to eat liver is also very important. It must be cooked thoroughly while trying not to destroy the nutrients in it. For example, boil the liver in plain water and chop it into puree, or cut it into small pieces, which is more suitable for babies. The methods of braised, sauced and air-dried food are not recommended for children. Not only will the nutrients be destroyed a lot, but the taste is too strong and is not suitable for children. Why is the iron content in breast milk not high? Many people have heard that \”breast milk is the best food for babies\”, but if you look closely, you will find that the iron content in breast milk is not high. According to the \”Chinese Food Nutritional Composition Table 2016\”, every 100 grams of human milk contains 0.1 mg of iron. Why is this? The reason is that the iron stored in the liver of a full-term fetus is enough for the child to use until 6 months old. After 6 months, the child adds complementary food. Complementary food, not breast milk, should become the main source of iron. Generally speaking, the proliferation of infectious bacteria depends on iron, so the low iron content of breast milk is actually to better protect the child. Even though the iron content in breast milk is not high, the iron exists in the form of lactoferrin, which has a very high absorption and utilization rate. This actually proves that breast milk is indeed a \”smart food\” and the most suitable food for babies. Tip: If a deficiency has already occurred, Iron or even iron deficiency anemia, on the basis of dietary iron supplementation, rational use of iron supplements is necessary to correct iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia as soon as possible