5 Essential Nutrients That Every Baby Needs

But, very few of us know what constitutes a healthy diet and the importance of these nutrients in ensuring long-term health. Here are five essential nutrients every child needs:

Protein:

Protein, along with carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids form the building blocks of life. They’re essential not just for babies, but for adults as well. Proteins help repair damaged cells and build new ones. In a baby’s body, this essential nutrient breaks down food to convert it into amino acids that are used to grow and maintain bones, muscles, hair growth, etc. While breast milk and formula is an important source of protein for babies until 4 to 6 months, they should be supplemented with protein-rich baby foods. Some of the fruits and vegetables rich in proteins include broccoli, cauliflower, apricots, kale, and peas.

Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates are a very important nutrient for babies. They’re an infant’s major source of fuel and essential for its growth and development. In fact, breast milk contains 6.9% to 7.2% of carbohydrates. Foods rich in carbohydrates include rice, sweet potato, bananas, avocados, and lentils.

Fats:

Fats are essential for a baby to ensure healthy brain development. The baby’s brain grows rapidly in the first 1,000 days of its life. A diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids helps in the development of brain cells and is good for the retina as well. Food such as avocado, coconut milk, coconut oil, and pumpkin seeds are very good fats for infants.

Iron:

While breast milk and formula provides enough iron for babies until they are 4 to 6 months old, they need to be supplemented with iron-rich foods after this period. Iron helps the body produce hemoglobin, an essential nutrient of red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout our body. Anemic babies are known to experience behavioral and cognitive development. And that is why the American Academy of Pediatricians recommends iron-fortified foods for baby.  Foods rich in iron include leafy greens, peas, berries, apricots, and lentils.

Calcium:

What Essential Fatty Acids are to the brain, calcium is to the bones. It not only helps build bones but is also essential for the baby’s muscle growth and helps promote nerve function. It helps the blood clot properly, thereby preventing bone-related issues later in life. Besides milk and cheese, some other important sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables, butternut squash, and chickpeas.

You could either spend time preparing baby blends that include all these nutrients or call us to order fresh organic baby food. All our ingredients are preservative-free, certified organic and non-GMO and made using cutting-edge technology that preserves the food’s nutritional quality.

Littlespoon offers organic baby food delivery to your door. Every baby food blend is personalized to suit your baby’s nutritional and development needs. For more details visit www.littlespoon.com