Feeding Kids

While most people think of vitamin C as a supplement for when you get sick or something you get from orange juice, when we talk about it for kids, the focus is almost always on its ability to aid with iron absorption. Iron is a critical nutrient for young kids and vitamin C can help our bodies absorb more, especially from plant foods.
Many animals are able to make their own vitamin C, but humans are reliant on foods or supplements to get it. Labels list it as ascorbic acid which is the version commonly used in supplements and as a preservative.

Whether we’re talking about infant feeding, introducing solids, or picky eating, vitamin D is an important part of the conversation. Vitamin D is a vitamin that we can technically make ourselves, but most of us do not make enough. There are also no that many good food sources of vitamin D, meaning that many people need to supplement.

One of the critical nutrients all babies need is zinc. Luckily, many of the foods that contain zinc, also contain iron, so if you focus on iron-containing foods, your baby should get all the zinc that they need.

During the first few years of life, your baby’s brain will grow tremendously. What many people don’t realize is that the brain is nearly 60% fat (1). This is why fat is one of the key nutrients I focus on when starting solids. Limiting fat in your baby’s diet is limiting their potential for brain growth! Now we know that not all fat is the same, so how do you choose the healthiest fats for your baby?

You may have heard that you should limit sodium intake for babies. But what does that actually mean? Will 1 french fry do permanent damage (no). Sodium is a nutrient that we all need, but salt tends to be in so many unexpected places. It’s more common to over-consume it.