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Infants fed too much salt are at risk of kidney damage, high blood pressure and even an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, children under 1 year of age should not eat salt by adding salt to the diet. After 1 year of age, parents can add a small amount of salt to the child's diet.
1. Should children under 1 year of age eat salt?
Should children under 1 year of age eat spices, including salt and sugar, must be one of the most disturbing things for all mothers. The short answer is that salt should not be given to children under 1 year of age. However, many parents will not be satisfied with this answer, even asking why there is no salt specifically for babies up to 1 year old.
First, let's explain some basic concepts. Most adults assume that children under the age of 1 need salt in their food because they may not eat when food tastes bland. However, this is the view that most of us are confused about. Babies show no interest in food under 1 year of age, because most of them are used to breast milk and do not like to be introduced to new foods. For babies who are exclusively breastfed for 6 months and have never tasted salt before, adding salt to food is not necessary.
There is no need to give salt to children under 1 year old by adding salt to their food. Babies need very small amounts of salt, less than 1g per day for the first 12 months of age. Children's kidneys will be adversely affected if they are given more salt than this. Salt overload can lead to kidney disease and high blood pressure in adulthood. Before the age of 6 months, babies get the required amount of salt from breast milk or formula. When starting solid foods, parents also do not need to add salt when preparing food for children, even though the food has a bland taste. Eating too much salt in childhood can also cause diseases like osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease. Some people recommend that adding a little salt to baby food is equally dangerous. A pinch of salt added to three meals a day can equate to more than 0.75 g of salt, not to mention the amount of salt in breast milk or formula, which can skyrocket a baby's daily salt intake.
2. Reasons to limit the amount of salt provided to children
Many people often add salt to their children's food with the aim of improving the taste and stimulating the child's taste buds. If you adopt an active weaning approach to feed your baby on demand, you can offer foods that contain more salt. However, babies who eat too much salt can face some problems. Children's kidneys are immature and they cannot filter excess salt as efficiently as adult kidneys. Therefore, a diet too high in salt can damage a child's kidneys.
A high-salt diet can also affect a child's long-term health and taste preferences. Newborns are born with a natural preference for sweet, savory, and umami-flavored foods. Continually introducing salty foods can reinforce this natural preference, making children more inclined to prefer salty foods over others. Processed foods, which are salty but often not rich in nutrients, may be preferred over foods that are naturally lower in salt, such as vegetables.
Finally, a diet rich in salt can cause a child's blood pressure to rise. Research shows that the blood pressure-raising effects of salt may be stronger in infants than in adults. As a result, children who are fed a high-salt diet tend to have higher blood pressure levels during childhood and adolescence, which increases the risk of heart disease in adulthood. In some severe cases, very high salt intake can expose a child to emergency situations that require medical treatment, which can even lead to death.
In conclusion, too much salt can damage a child's kidneys, raise blood pressure and possibly increase the risk of heart disease later in life. A high-salt diet can also cause your child to start a long-term salty habit.
Cha mẹ cần hạn chế cho trẻ dưới 1 tuổi ăn muối
3. How much salt is considered safe?
Sodium, the main ingredient in table salt, is an essential nutrient. All people, including infants, need small amounts of sodium to function properly. Infants under 6 months of age meet their daily sodium requirements from breast milk and formula. Babies aged 7-12 months can meet their needs from breast milk or formula and a small amount of sodium found in natural, unprocessed fortified foods. Therefore, experts recommend that you do not give salt to children under 1 year of age.
The occasional meal with salt is fine. Sometimes you can offer your baby some packaged or processed foods with added salt or let them try some of your food. In short, try not to add salt to foods prepared for babies under 1 year old.
After 1 year of age, recommendations will change slightly. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers 1,100 mg of sodium per day – about half a teaspoon (2.8 grams) of table salt – to be safe and sufficient for children aged 1–3 years. In the United States, recommendations for children of the same age with an average need for sodium are 800 mg per day, which is equivalent to about 0.4 teaspoons (2 grams) of table salt per day.
In short, children under the age of 1 should not be given extra salt through their diet. An intake of 0.4–0.5 teaspoons of salt appears to be safe in children under 4 years of age.
4. How to tell if your child is eating too much salt?
If a meal is too salty, the child may seem more thirsty than usual. Usually, you won't notice the effects of a high-salt diet right away, but need to monitor it for a while. In some extremely rare cases, a baby who eats too much salt can have increased blood sodium levels. If left untreated, hypernatremia can cause an infant to progress from irritability and agitation to drowsiness, coma, and even death.
Mild forms of hypernatremia may be more difficult to detect in infants. Signs that your baby may have mild hypernatremia include extreme thirst and a mushy or velvety texture. Babies a few months old may start to cry if they accidentally eat too much salt. If you think your baby may have eaten too much salt or is starting to show signs of hypernatremia, call your pediatrician.
In a nutshell, if your kids only eat a salty meal once in a while, you might notice they're thirsty. In extremely rare cases, infants who eat large amounts of salt may develop hypernatremia and require medical attention.
Cho trẻ dưới 1 tuổi ăn muối cần kiểm soát chặt chẽ lượng muối hàng ngày
5. How to limit the amount of salt in your child's diet
As a parent, you can limit the amount of salt your child eats in several ways. Most baby foods can contain small amounts of natural sodium. If children are being fed fresh foods, they are not eating too much salt. If you make your own baby food, skip adding salt, choose fresh foods, and check labels on frozen or canned vegetables, fruits, or canned foods for products that are high in sodium. lower. Also, be sure to rinse canned foods, such as beans, lentils, peas, and vegetables before adding them to dishes or snacks. Doing so will help reduce their sodium content.
Parents should get in the habit of checking the sodium content of commonly purchased foods, such as breads, cereals and sauces. Lower-sodium versions are available for most packaged foods, and comparing labels can help you find brands with less salt. Frozen meals, like takeout or restaurant food, are often higher in salt. Sometimes these are fine, but when eating out, a lower-salt alternative is to bring food from home.
