IRON: essential nutrient for your child’s health!
Iron is an essential nutrient that our bodies cannot produce. This is why it should be supplied through food intake. Therefore it is important to choose the right meal for your child to ensure he consumes food rich in Iron.
Iron, why is it essential?
- Iron plays a vital role in supporting your child’s growth and brain development.
- Between the age of 1 and 6 year, your child’s brain is developing rapidly and is 2 times more active than that of an adult.
- To support this development, it is important to ensure he consumes enough iron by giving him the right meals with iron rich foods. Your child needs 9 mg of iron per day.
Iron deficiency is the number one nutritional deficiency, affecting 1 out of 3 children, in Lebanon.
How can we ensure the proper intake of iron?
- Provide nutrients rich in Iron and specifically heme iron, which is easily absorbed by the body
- Be sure to include a source of Vitamin C to foods containing non-heme iron, in order to increase iron absorption e.g: cereals with strawberries, hummus with tomatoes, spinach with lemon…
- In recipes of muffins, biscuits or pancakes, replace a portion of flour with an equal portion of cereals enriched with iron
- Avoid offering excessive amounts of dairy products to your child, which contains high amounts of calcium; since calcium decreases iron absorption
- Avoid nutrients that prevent iron absorption: tea, coffee, or cocoa powder
- Make sure you provide the right amount of milk that is suitable for your child’s growth and brain development, such as Blédi Up 4. Do not introduce adult milk to your child at an early age, because it does not contain Iron. Moreover, it contains very high amounts of Protein and Calcium which limit iron absorption.
It is recommended to give your child 9 mg of iron per day. The best way to reach to your child’s required needs is by alternating between nutrients rich in Iron and 500ml of adapted milk appropriate to your child’s age such as Blédi Up 4, which contains twice the amount of Iron found in adult milk. This is an excellent way to reach your child’s required daily Iron intake.
