Food anxiety, many Italian parents who live it
Until breastfeeding, everything is normal: whether you decide to breastfeed or, when this is not possible, to use formulated milk, the path is already traced and does not generate particular doubts in the parents. weaning, uncertainties and perplexities begin: it is at that moment that parents realize that they will have a direct impact on the food decisions - and, consequently, on the well-being - of their little one. But Italian mothers and fathers are really aware of the importance of making the right choices for building a correct, balanced, balanced diet?
The survey on the behavior of parents regarding the feeding of their children
Confused but happy. Informed, but not enough. Anxious, almost everyone!
This is how Italian parents appear when for the first time they are confronted with the world of nutrition and with the choices for their children. This is the portrait that emerges from the survey carried out by the Edelman Intelligence research and analysis center, on behalf of Mellin, one of the leading companies in child nutrition, to understand the behavior of mothers and fathers when it is time to choose the nutrition of their children. .
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The needs of parents
Increasingly attentive to the nutrition of their children, Italian parents are "hungry" for information: for everyone, in fact, transparency is recognized as a fundamental value and is required of all those who deal with children's nutrition, first of all companies.
In an "age invaded by information and the speed and ease with which it is obtained, parents want more and more clarification on products, quality, raw materials and production processes. greater precision / information on the origin of raw materials; followed by a clearer label, with more information also on the specific stage of the child's life and in 3rd place a packaging that allows you to see the product, its consistency and Seeing what a product looks like / what it looks like before buying it is important for 81% of parents.
It is on the basis of these elements that parents build their trust in a company; an open and confrontational attitude is desirable and useful for them to help them choose in an easier way and to dissolve physiological doubts.
Between saying and doing...
Having obtained this information, do parents make more targeted choices? Not always: if on the one hand there is a higher awareness than in the past, on the other, often, knowledge of the facts does not follow a coherent action. In fact, contradictions are often found in the behavior of Italian parents in relation to the nutrition of their children.
Attention to ensuring a suitable diet for each stage of their child's growth seems to be a universally recognized value but, investigating in everyday life, as many as 7 out of 10 parents choose for their child the same dishes they prepare for themselves and for themselves. the rest of the family, probably more out of laziness than lack of information.
30% of parents, on the other hand, orient their choices towards a specific diet, aware of the fact that, since the child is a growing organism, he has different nutritional needs than the adult and needs foods that guarantee greater safety and simplicity, that do not contain dyes or preservatives and that do not have added sugar or salt.
The child is not a small adult!
How to meet the nutritional needs of the little ones? As you know, the organism of a child in its first three years of life is still in formation: its height doubles, its weight increases over 4 times and its body is more exposed to the absorption of contaminants than that of adults. In fact, the child is not a small adult and must therefore be fed with an "ad hoc diet. This is demonstrated by the fact that the legislation for baby food is much more restrictive in terms of the safety of raw materials than that of food for adults.
In fact, it is good to remember that toxic contaminants in food act in all age groups, but are much more dangerous in the first years of life when the organism grows rapidly and develops from a functional point of view. Nutrition in the very early stages of life plays an important role in the health, even in the future, of the child. Indeed, it is precisely with the first food choices that a correct nutritional education is created in the child, which will represent the basis for his future habits at the table.
Nutrition for the little ones: the right choices to make for the health of our children
For the reasons listed above, it is very important that there is a daily control of the menu proposed to our children: it is essential to guarantee access to all food groups and, gradually, to maximum variety, ensuring the nutritional balance that is needed. in early childhood.
In fact, specific nutrition is recommended for the little ones that guarantees the correct balance in the intake of macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and micronutrients, such as iron and vitamin D. a careful and thoughtful control of the menu for their children, for example that of giving too much protein or exceeding the sodium intake. An excess in the intake of proteins in childhood could in fact increase the risk of the onset of obesity in later ages.
Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure respect for the natural flavors of food, especially in early childhood, when the child begins to get acquainted with new tastes: not adding salt or sugar to food means helping them to develop a correct perception of taste.
Beware, too much information can be counterproductive
It is clear that, when it comes to information, the results can be twofold: if on the one hand the need for more information is recognized, it is also true that almost all the parents interviewed admit that they feel "flooded" and "stunned" by the avalanche of information they receive about it, without being able to get a clear idea of what is important for their health.
So mothers and fathers try to extricate themselves from what is suggested by pediatricians, who sometimes have different positions on the subject, the opinions they find on blogs and sites, the advice of family and friends ... being parents, every day. today, it's really hard! Don't be discouraged though, relying on your pediatrician is undoubtedly the right strategy to avoid running into mistakes or bad habits that can damage your child's health.
