We all know that fruits and vegetables play an extremely important part in the diet – not just in infancy, but throughout adult life too. Packed with a wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals, fruits and veggies have been proven over and over again to be key in preventing major diseases and maintaining a healthy heart.
But there’s another lesser known benefit to including lots of vegetables and fruits in the diet – and it’s one that is particularly important during infancy.
They provide your baby with vitamin C which, in addition to its other functions within the human body, plays a major role in iron absorption.
This means that giving your baby fruits and vegetables with his meals helps him effectively absorb the iron from the OTHER foods he eats with them.
This is especially important to take into consideration if your baby is following a vegetarian diet. The iron from plant sources (like vegetables, legumes, cereals and grains) is known as non heme iron and is absorbed far less easily by your baby’s body than heme iron (which comes from meat).
In this situation, boosting your baby’s iron intake by serving him foods rich in vitamin C is highly beneficial.
Good sources of vitamin C include
- broccoli
- bell peppers
- strawberries
- avocado
- citrus fruits
- mangoes
- onions
- collard greens
- kiwi fruit
- cauliflower
- tomatoes
*(Please note that not all of these fruits and vegetables are appropriate throughout your baby’s first year).
It is, therefore, wise to try to include at least one of the above items with every meal – that way you can be sure that your baby is deriving the maximum benefit from the iron-rich foods you give him.
Read more information about the important role that iron plays in the human body…
Visit our page about iron supplementation
David Goldbeck
Tuesday 13th of May 2008
Dear Christine, There is no doubt that the foundation of a healthy diet and weight control is the significant consumption of vegetables and fruit. Unfortunately, many adults do not like these fine foods - so we must make sure kids don’t develop these attitudes. Parents and teachers interested in getting kids to develop friendly feelings towards fruits and vegetables should take a look at a new book called “The ABC’s of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond.” Out only a few months and already being bought in quantity for class use. Suited for kids of all ages as it is two books in one – children first learn their alphabet through produce poems and then go on to more mature activities including 43 recipes. It is coauthored by best-selling food writer David Goldbeck (me) and Jim Henson writer Steve Charney. Say hello to us at HealthyHighways.com