There are several common misconceptions about children and food. Especially when it comes to small children/babies. It is of course confusing with all the different channels sending different messages. Which in turn creates a lot of anxiety among parents. Here Elin Oresten answers 5 myths about children and food.
“Babies should not eat fried food”
It is true that you should not give hard-fried or burnt food to a baby as they have sensitive stomachs. Less beneficial substances are also formed when food is burnt. However, it is fine to fry the food so that it gets a golden brown color/surface. Here you can test what works for your child.
“You have to wait to introduce allergens until the child is one year old”
The answer is actually quite the opposite - modern research points to positive effects with early introduction of allergens, especially when it comes to peanut. It is best to introduce all types of food groups before the child is one year old, for nutritional reasons.
“Babies are not allowed to eat dairy products”
The Swedish National Food Agency advises against giving pure milk as a drink or large amounts of yoghurt/curd to children under one year of age. However, using cream in cooking, for example, is perfectly fine as it becomes part of a meal and not a main ingredient.
“Babies can't eat spicy food”
In fact, babies can eat almost any spice - except salt. Large amounts of chili can be avoided, but a little bit of heat is fine. Many young children appreciate food that has a lot of flavor, so avoiding spices can be devastating to their enjoyment of food and taste training.
“Babies need teeth to be able to chew food”
When children get their first teeth varies greatly. Waiting to introduce chunky and more textured foods until they have teeth can be detrimental to their development. In fact, babies and toddlers can chew a wide variety of textures without teeth - their gums chew very efficiently and they can also crush food in their mouths.
“Children need a lot of protein to grow and develop”
Society's current "protein obsession" can create unnecessary anxiety among parents but also have a negative impact on children's health. Modern research shows that children in the Western world often consume too much protein, especially animal protein. And that reducing animal protein can be positive for children's health. There is protein in almost everything (even pasta), which means that trying to eat a variety of foods is more than enough.
"There's protein in almost everything (even pasta), which means that trying to eat a varied diet is more than enough."
Read more here
- Good food for children under 1 year old - Swedish National Food Agency Good food for children 0-5 years old - Swedish National Food Agency Skjerven HO, et. al.
- Early food intervention and skin emollients to prevent food allergy in young children (PreventADALL): a factorial, multicentre, cluster-randomised trial. Lancet. 2022. Lind, T., Johansson, U., Öhlund, I. et al.
- Study protocol: optimized complementary feeding study (OTIS): a randomized controlled trial of the impact of a protein-reduced complementary diet based on Nordic foods. BMC Public Health 19, 134 (2019).
/Elin Oresten
Lic. nutritionist and founder of Knatteplock.
