Feed babies and toddlers fruits and vegetables to prevent them from getting obese later in life

Sep 5, 2006 13:54 GMT  ·  By

Feeding babies and toddlers natural foods such as fruits and vegetables laden with vitamins and other various nutritive compounds keeps them from developing unhealthy lifestyles and diets later in life, states Julie Lumeng, M.D., from the University of Michigan Health System. She recommends parents to be very careful about their babies' diets and to avoid as much as possible giving them unnatural foods. The best way of preventing overweight and obesity in children and adults is to permanently watch their diets since they are in early infancy.

"There is a tremendous problem today with childhood obesity in the United States, one that medical researchers and physicians are trying to address head-on by identifying the factors that are contributing to this epidemic. One area of focus has been the possible connection between early feeding practices and a child's risk for overweight or obesity. Certain aspects of the way children are fed and what they eat very early in life may be related to their later risk for obesity," pointed out Dr. Lumeng.

Julie Lumeng, M.D., a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician at the University of Michigan, highlighted the fact that new mothers should make all efforts to breastfeed their babies, as this is the first anti-obesity solution. She strongly believes that "parents need to keep in mind that, for infants, breast milk still provides the best source of nutrients at a young age."

Then, women should feed their babies rice cereal and go on with vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes or pureed green beans. "It's really important for your child's first flavor experience to be something that's healthy. And the more a child tastes a particular food, the greater liking they'll develop for it," explains Dr. Lumeng.

On the other hand, mothers should not give their little babies sweets or other unhealthy foods, as their infants will develop a great taste for this kind of food and this is very likely to develop into an unhealthy, sugar and junk-food based diet. "Pudding or ice cream should not be the first foods your child experiences. The more kids eat sweets and sugar, the greater liking they'll develop for them and the more they'll want to consume them. Plus, there is some evidence that suggests that the type of food children eat early in life could contribute to their risk for obesity," the University of Michigan pediatrician cautions.