Food Taboo for Children – No No for Children Under 10

As parents, we are constantly figuring out when to start letting our babies try out new food. Sometimes, we forget to pay attention to what food babies cannot eat in the process. Here are some food taboo for children under the age of six that you need to pay attention to.

Salt

There is absolutely no need to add any salt, including soya sauce, into infant’s food. The intake of salt for infants under one year old may stress both the kidneys and the heart, and prevent bone development. In addition, once the baby is accustomed to eating salty food, it is difficult to change the habit and is harmful for health in the long run.

The recommended limits for salt intake is:

• Infant under one year old – No salt
• Toddlers age 1 to 3 – less than 2g/day
• Children aged 4 to 10 – less than 3g/day

Honey

This is fairly common knowledge that infants under the age of one should not consume honey. Honey can contain spores of a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, which can germinate in a baby’s immature digestive system and cause infant botulism, a rare but potentially fatal illness. After eating honey, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can occur.

Tea

Children under the age of 3 should not drink tea. Tea contains large amount of tannic acid, which will interfere with the absorption of protein, minerals and calcium, zinc and iron in food. This results in a lack of protein and minerals in infants and young children, and affects their normal growth and development. The caffeine in tea is also a strong stimulant that may induce attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

Nuts

Children under the age of 3 should also avoid nuts such as peanuts, beans, melon seeds and so on because their molars are not fully developed at the age. This poses a safety hazard when they are unable to chew the nuts into smaller pieces. In addition, nuts may cause allergy and should be avoided or taken in small amounts.

Tonic/Herbal Soup

Many Chinese families like to have herbal soup for the family once a while. While it is good for older children and adults, children under the age of 5 should not be taking these herbal soup/food.

The first 5 years of the child’s life is a critical period for baby development. The tonics may contain many hormones or hormone-like substances, which can cause the epiphysis (ending part of the long bone) to close prematurely, thus shortening the growth period of the epiphysis. This results in the children being shorter than they potentially can be. Hormones from the tonic can also interfere with the growth system and lead to precocious puberty. In addition, taking tonic at a young age can also cause bleeding gums, thirst, constipation, elevated blood pressure and abdominal distension.

Preserved Food

Children under the age of 10 should not eat preserved food. There are two reasons: First, salted products (salted fish, bacon, pickles, etc.) have too high salt content, high salt diet causes hypertension; Second, salted products contain a lot of nitrites, aflatoxin and phenylpropanoid. These three are three major cancer causing substances in the world. Research has shown that children who started eating salted products before the age of 10 are three times more likely to develop cancer in adulthood than the average person.

Eggs

Egg is rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron and a variety of vitamins which are beneficial for the growth of the baby. However, giving too many eggs will have adverse consequences for baby toddlers under the age of 2.

As a general guide, the amount of eggs given should be:

• For babies from 1 year old to 1 year and a half, it is best to eat only egg yolks, and no more than one per day
• 1 year and a half to 2 years old, 1 egg (including egg yolk and white) every other day;
• After the age of 2, the toddler can eat 1 egg a day. If egg white-like substance is found in the toddler’s stool, the child’s stomach is not absorbing egg proteins well.

Fresh Milk

Infants under the age of 2 should not be fed fresh milk or adult milk powder. Breast milk is the best if it is not available, baby’s formula milk powder should be given.

Nowadays, owing to the rising cost of formula milk powder, the government is encouraging families to switch to fresh milk after the age of one. This is extremely unscientific. The protein composition of fresh milk is mainly globulin, albumin is only 20%; while the protein in breast milk is mainly albumin, this proportion is as high as 60%. In addition, the other ingredients and content of milk are also different from human milk.

Chocolates

The proportion of nutrients in chocolate does not meet the needs of children’s growth and development, especially for children under 3 years old. Chocolate has a low protein content and a high fat content. Excessive consumption of chocolate before meals can cause a feeling of fullness, which affects appetite, but soon feels hungry after a meal, which disrupts normal lifestyle and eating habits. It therefore affects the health of children.

Chocolate contains a lot of fat, does not contain cellulose that can stimulate normal gastrointestinal motility, thus affecting the digestion and absorption function of the gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, chocolate contains substances that excite the nervous system, making it difficult for children to fall asleep and cry often. In addition, eating more chocolate can cause tooth decay and increase intestinal gas and cause abdominal pain.