New Dietary Guidelines Launched by the US Government Include Babies and Young Children for the First Time: What Do They Recommend | The State

Like all year-ends the DUnited States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, they issued new dietary guidelines for next 2021. What this time has called special way attention, is that for the first time they included recommendations for babies and Small children. These guidelines were established by health professionals and policy makers, bearing in mind that these standards dictate much of what will the americans eat of All ages during the next five years and provide a foundation for federal nutrition programs; it is worth being informed.

Last Tuesday said guidelines were published and focus on “customize and enjoy nutrient-dense food and beverage options, with the firm goal of reflect personal preferences, cultural traditions and budget considerations. It is also important to promote healthy calorie limits.

According to the statements of the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex Azar: “The science tells us that good nutrition leads to better health outcomes, and the new dietary guidelines use the better evidence available for toast the Americans the information they need to take healthy choices for them and their families. “

In such a way that both he USDA and HHS, have gathered your efforts to expand this edition of the dietary guidelines and have provided a new guide for babies, toddlers and pregnant and lactating women, inspired by the mission to help all Americans Improve your health, regardless of their age or stage of life.

Specifically, the recommendation of the US advisory panel, for baby feeding it is: avoid at all costs products rich in added sugar. The committee emphasizes that no amount of added sugar is suitable for development of a baby and the recommendation of course is focused on parents and guardians who are responsible for avoid added sugar in a child’s diet. The high consumption of refined sugars in today’s society and therefore in the new generations, is directly associated with the childhood obesity and future chronic diseases. Instead, in a general way and focused on adults the recommended amount of added sugar stayed in the 10% of daily calories in the guidelines, although the guidelines added a recommendation for the children under 2 years do not consume added sugars at all.

The new guidelines suggest that from 2 years, a child should consume less than 10% of daily calories from added sugars, while children under 2 years should avoid foods or drinks with added sugars. However, previous research has found that, on average, babies consume a teaspoon of added sugar a day, while young children consume around 6 teaspoons a day. In a child this is a high consumption, than in adolescence and adulthood ends up being much older.

Let us remember that added sugars found in all kinds of processed foods and beverages to sweeten and they are highly harmful for health, of course they differ from natural sugars found in whole-grain foods like fruit, some vegetables and dairy, like milk.

According to information released by the American Academy of Pediatrics, cthus 70% of the intake of added sugars comes from the following five food categories: sugary drinks, sweet desserts and snacks, coffee and tea (with additions), sweets and sugars, and breakfast bars and cereals. It is because of that recommendation of read the nutrition label of food is no small thing, consider that added sugars can include terms like: brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, honey, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, unrefined sugar and saccharose.

He main goal is to promote that from childhood human beings follow a healthy dietary pattern, at every stage of life. Therefore the committee insists on the importance of feed the babies during the first 6 months of life exclusively with breastmilk and if possible during the first year of life. If for any reason breast milk is not available it is important that parents and guardians feed babies formula “Fortified with iron” during the first year of life.

Additionally there is a theme of special relevance: the arsenic levels in baby rice cereals. The new FDA limits do not adequately protect children, in such a way that the recommendation is to introduce foods “Rich in nutrients” to babies to 6 months old, With “Potentially allergenic foods”. Recommendations support breastfeeding exclusive maternal for about 6 months with the food introduction what contain peanuts between the 4 and 6 months in babies with high risk of peanut allergy, is a key time to detect possible food allergies in infants. The introduction of cnuts, eggs, dairy products, nuts, wheat, soybeans, and shellfish and fish, could reduce the risk of a child developing a Food Allergy.

At the same time the growth stage presents possible areas of nutritional concern andn the development of the baby, the main ones may be iron, zinc and vitamin D. Taking into account that the breastmilk it does not have adequate amounts of vitamin D Unless the mother is taking supplements at high levels, the guidelines recommend provide babies with vitamin D supplementary starting shortly after birth.

In a way the food inclusion is a fundamental point in the infant and child feeding, since it encourages them from an early age the importance of following a balance diet. That without a doubt it is a habit that determines the state of health, body weight and prevention of any chronic condition.