Long Term Effects Of Early Nutrition

Every mother’s goal is to provide the love, care and nourishment needed for her toddler’s comfort and happiness. What your toddler eats today has a striking impact on his health throughout adolescence and adulthood. It's crucial that your child is consuming a variety of foods from all the food groups to receive the essential nutrients needed for proper physical growth and development. Research indicates that nutrition in a child’s early years is linked to their health and academic performance in later years. Undernutrition makes your toddler ability to fight infection and reduces the risk of severe illnesses.

Micronutrient deficiencies in toddlers can often cause cognitive, physical, and developmental delays. Undernutrition has a long-term impact on a child’s growth and development. Thus providing your toddler with a well-balanced and nutritious diet will have a positive effect on his health and performance in the long run.

The mother's critical role in her toddler's development

There are many approaches you can take to develop healthy eating habits in your toddler, such as:

1) Make mealtime a happy time

Try to make your toddler look forward to mealtime by avoiding scolding and arguing when it comes to consuming healthy meals.

2) Involve your toddlers in meal preparation

Involve your toddler with grocery shopping and meal preparation as it gives you an opportunity to educate your toddler about nutrition and learn his food preferences and will make him more excited to try dishes that he helped make.

3) Introduce planned snacks

Introducing well-planned healthy snacks will provide your toddler with the nutrition he needs without ruining his appetite for mealtime.  

4) Don’t use food as a reward 

Avoid rewarding your toddler with sweets to avoid falling into this habit frequently and increasing their sugar intake throughout the day.

 

The role of Guigoz Expert 3 in early nutrition

Guigoz Expert 3 is fortified with essential nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E and K, Iron, Calcium and Zinc needed for healthy growth and development.^1-5It is also rich in L. Comfortis, a probiotic,  that helps your toddler’s body fight infections and digestive discomfort.^6-11 Early nutrition will give your toddler’s tummy the comfort he needs and make meal time a happy time.

References:
1.    Thompkinson DK, Kharb S. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2007;6(4):79–102.
2.    WHO | Vitamin D supplementation in infants.
3.    Weber P. Vitamin K and bone health. Nutrition. 2001;17(10):880-7.
4.    Beard J. J Nutr. 2003;133(5):1468S-1472.
5.    Baker SS, et al. Pediatrics. 1999;104(5 Pt 1):1152-7.
6.    Prakash S, et al. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, vol. 2011, Article ID 981214, 12 pages, 2011.
7.    Weng M and Walker WA. J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2013 Jun;4(3):203-14.
8.    Indrio F, et al. Eur J Clin Invest. 2011;41(4):417–422.
9.    Faure M, et al. R & D Report, RDLS-RD 110047. NRC 2011.
10.  Vaupel P and Ewe K: Funktionen des Magen-Darm-Kanals. In: Schmidt, R. F. and Thews, G.: Physiologie des Menschen;16. Auflage, Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York 1995; S. 806-848.
11.  Kamiya T, et al. Gut 2006;55(2):191-6.
12.  Chulack, A. (2016, September) The Importance of Nutrition in Early Childhood Development. Retrieved from https://novakdjokovicfoundation.org/importance-nutrition-early-childhood-development/.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: 
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and continued breastfeeding for as long as possible. Growing up milks are formulated to meet nutrition needs of healthy young children older than 1 year and should not be fed to infants.