Foods to Avoid in Under Ones
It’s the start of Weaning Week 2023! and I thought I would start with foods to avoid in under ones. Yes, it might already feel like you’re avoiding many foods what with following a milk free diet but there are some foods that also need to be excluded. Whether this is your first, second or third bub…it’s always good to remind yourself on what to avoid.
Let’s begin….
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Honey can contain a bacteria that causes a serious condition called botulism and so should be avoided in under ones. It can be added into the diet after one years of age but be mindful as it is still sugar.
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You will see sugar in many everyday foods such as bread and cereals but also in foods such as cakes and biscuits. Recommendations within the UK are that ‘free sugars’ should not make up more than 5% of our total daily intake.
There is no guideline on upper sugar limit for those under four years.
It can get confusing as sugar is naturally present in foods such as fruit, vegetables and cow’s milk. Yet there are also ‘free sugars’ which are sugars that are added to food (e.g syrups, nectars and honey (when allowed)) but free sugars also includes fruit and vegetables found in smoothies, juices, concentrates, purees or powders.
You might be thinking why are whole fruits ok but a fruit juice isn’t? This is because sugars in fruit are maintained in a cell structure and are released slowly when eaten as they contain fibre, yet sugars in fruit juices are released through processing, meaning they are absorbed much quicker and we can then consume too much.
We want to limit intake of free sugars as this is linked to tooth decay. If we also consume more than we should this can lead to an overall higher intake of calories and possible weight gain which is linked to certain conditions as we get older.
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Lots of foods have added salt such as sausages, crisps, cereals and sauces. Its impossible to completely avoid salt (e.g found in bread) but be mindful when reading labels. For little ones under one the recommendation is no more than 1g of salt a day.
To put this in perspective, higher salt foods like sausages have around 0.55g or more per sausage. For example, 1 Sainsburys sausage contains 0.6g of salt and a Richmond’s thin sausage has 0.55g, both contain over half of recommendations.
Why do we worry about salt? For bubs its not good for their kidneys as they are not fully developed to process it.
Try to avoid adding salt to food and meals and instead why not experiment with herbs and spices!
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You might be looking for an alternative milk to use in cooking from 6 months especially if your little one is on a milk free diet. Rice milk should be avoided in <5 years due to the inorganic arsenic levels.
Arsenic is found naturally in the environment such as soil. Too much arsenic can be harmful to our health.
It is impossible to eliminate it completely from some food. However, there is strict legislation in the UK and even stricter for those aimed at children.
Watch out! As rice has started to creep into blended alternative milks which puts those under 5 years using alternative milks at risk. It can be easy to get caught out so please double check the label.
You might be thinking what about rice and rice products? Whilst its good to be mindful, rice itself can be offered as part of a balanced diet. Rice products such as rice cakes and baby rice are closely regulated and are deemed safe.
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Lots of foods can be considered a choking hazard, in particular those that are small and round such as grapes and cherry tomatoes, instead cut them length ways and into quarters.
Choking hazards can also be found with hard foods such as apple, carrots and whole nuts. Foods such as carrot and apple can be grated and for nuts blend down to a powder or use nut butters instead.
My one top tip if you are anxious and not sure how to serve food to your baby, download the ‘Solid Starts’ app, its free and you can search specific foods so you know exactly how to serve it safely to your baby.
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Shark, swordfish and marlin contain high levels of mercury that can impact on a baby’s nervous system and should be avoided.
Oily fish (such as sardines, mackerel and salmon) are super nutritious, but it is recommended that girls should have no more than 2 portions a week and boys 4 portions a week. This is because the level of pollutants that oily fish contain can build up in the body.
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Some examples include:
• Uncooked egg- its fine to offer soft egg if they have the UK red lion stamp, however if they aren’t stamped just ensure they are cooked all the way through
• Uncooked meat such as a burger or used in pate
• Raw fish and shellfish such as sushi
• Unpasteurised milk (many of you will be following a milk free diet but I wanted to state this just in case) this includes blue cheeses, ripened soft cheese like brie and goats cheese as there is a higher risk of listeria
Weaning Waitlist!
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I’m a Specialist Paediatric Allergy Dietitian with over 10 years experience within the NHS and private practice supporting over 1000 families.
My passion is to cut through the nutrition noise so that you feel confident and empowered on how to feed your baby on a milk free or multiple exclusion diet.