 Study shows toddlers diet unhealthy
Source: thewest.com.au Date: 2/27/08
Australian toddlers are eating too much salty, calorie-rich food and
missing out on fibre and some essential nutrients, a landmark diet
study has found.
The nation has its first clear picture of what children under two are
eating with researchers behind a new major survey saying there are
obvious areas where
parents are falling short.
Australian toddlers are eating too much salty, calorie-rich food and missing out on fibre and some essential nutrients, a landmark diet study has found.
The nation has its first clear picture of what children under two are eating with researchers behind a new major survey saying there are obvious areas where parents are falling short.
A public health team tracked the diets of about 430 toddlers aged 16 to 24 months over three days and found almost all were exceeding the recommended daily intake of calories, or energy, by at least 10 per cent.
Intake was considerably higher for boys, but both sexes were getting too much, said researchers from Sydney University's Centre for Public Health Nutrition.
High consumption of milk, milk products and cereals were largely responsible for the excess energy.
Lead researcher Dr Karen Webb said this was concerning “because small cumulative excesses of energy intake may result in increasing body mass index (BMI) and overweight in the longer term”.
In 90 per cent of cases, toddlers were getting adequate levels of most micronutrients.
However, Vitamin C and iron fell below average in 14 per cent and 23 per cent of children respectively.
Dr Webb said the iron intake was particularly worrying.
She called for more efforts to help pregnant women and new mothers make better food and supplementation choices and for mothers to breastfeed their babies for longer.
Also of concern was data showing 62 per cent of those surveyed were getting more than the average recommended daily dose of salt.
High sodium intake has been linked to high blood pressure in adults and children.
“And dietary fibre intake was only half the adequate intake of 14 grams,” Dr Webb said.
The study, published in the journal Nutrition and Dietetics, is the first to map the diets of Australian children aged one to two.
The researchers said they hoped it would be used to help compile much-needed official dietary advice for parents with children moving from milk to a solid diet.
AAP
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