New research presented at the Experimental Biology conference shows that babies are not eating enough vegetables or whole grains. The study, which analyzed 11 years of food and beverage consumption data among babies aged 0–24 months in the United States, shows that on any given day only 40% of babies are eating vegetables, and most get only about one-third the recommended amount of whole grains.
Furthermore, the analysis, taken from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, shows that as infants transition from baby food to whole food at around nine months, there is a significant increase in sweets, salty snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages. By 12 months, infants and toddlers are consuming more than five teaspoons of added sugar and more than 1,500 mg of sodium a day.
“Mounting evidence shows that what children eat in the first two years of life is critical to obesity prevention and long-term good health, which makes what we’ve found in this analysis that much more concerning,” said Victor Fulgoni III, senior vice president at Nutrition Impact and lead researcher on the NHANES analysis.
Intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains increase during the 6–8 month “baby food” window, but by 12 months, here is how their diet breaks down on any given day:
More than 60% of babies are consuming fruit; half comes from 100% juice, followed by bananas and apples.
Less than 30% of babies are getting vegetables, and the primary source is potatoes (whole/mashed); by 23 months, the primary source is potatoes in the forms of french fries and potato chips.
Close to 30% of babies are drinking sugar-sweetened beverages (fruit drinks and soft drinks); by 23 months that increases to almost 45%.
Almost 40% of babies are eating brownies and cookies.
Nearly 40% of babies are eating crackers and salty snacks.
The primary sources of sodium are hot dogs, cured meats, crackers, cheese, and mixed pasta dishes.
The primary sources of added sugars are fruit drinks, soft drinks, cookies and brownies, yogurt, and ready-to-eat cereals.
