When babies start adding complementary foods, many mothers have questions about whether to add salt to their baby's diet and how much. Let's listen to the professional advice from pediatricians.
1. Adverse effects of babies eating salt too early
Babies' bodies are not yet fully developed, and they are much more fragile than adults, so it is not good for them to eat salt too early. Let's take a look at the adverse effects of babies eating salt too early.
1. Baby's kidney function is not fully developed and is not capable of filtering excessive salt. Consuming too much salt can burden the kidneys and increase the burden on the heart, affecting the baby's growth and development.
2. Excessive salt intake can inhibit the proliferation of epithelial cells in the oral mucosa, reduce saliva secretion, and reduce the amount of lysozyme in saliva. Lysozyme has bactericidal effects, and its reduction can weaken the oral defense against bacteria and viruses, thereby weakening the baby's ability to resist diseases.
3. Babies have very sensitive taste buds, and even a little bit of salt can make food taste flavorful to them. If they consume too much salt, even if they feel it is salty, they cannot express it and can only gradually adapt to this level of saltiness, which ultimately affects the development of their taste buds.
4. Excessive salt intake can affect the absorption of zinc and increase the excretion of calcium and other minerals.
5. Developing a habit of consuming high-salt diets from an early age is difficult to correct in adulthood and can easily lead to diseases such as hypertension.
2. At what age can babies eat salt?
【Babies under six months should not eat salt】
Babies under six months of age need less than 1 gram of salt per day, which can usually be obtained from breast milk or formula. Babies under one year old should not have salt added to their complementary foods as it may harm their kidneys. Babies under three months old have weak kidney function, and eating salty foods excessively can increase the burden on the kidneys and affect normal development. After three months, babies can eat a little salty food, but the daily salt intake should be limited to less than 1 gram, gradually increasing after one year old but not exceeding 2 grams per day. If the baby sweats a lot or has diarrhea or vomiting, the salt intake can be increased as appropriate. For babies aged 0-6 months, the daily intake of sodium should not exceed 200 milligrams. Since the main foods for babies under six months are breast milk and formula, which already contain sodium (the main component of salt) in sufficient amounts to meet their needs, there is no need to add salt separately. The same applies when adding complementary foods to babies, natural salt content should be taken into account.
【Babies over six months can start adding a small amount of salt】
Infants and young children are more sensitive to salt than adults. When the salt content in food is 0.25%, adults find it tasteless, but infants and young children find it salty. Over time, the baby's taste will become heavier. At the same time, the human body has limited salt requirements. Before six months, the baby's digestion and kidney function are not fully developed, and excessive salt intake can burden the kidneys. This is also a factor that leads to high incidence of upper respiratory tract infections in infants and young children and may hinder the absorption of zinc by the body.
At around six months, the development of taste buds and preference for flavors is crucial. At this time, it is important to encourage children to accept a variety of foods and experience the original flavors of different foods. According to the recommendations of the Chinese Nutrition Society, the sodium intake of infants and young children within six months is about 200 milligrams, equivalent to 0.5 grams of salt. Breast milk or formula, as well as the sodium stored in the metabolism of infants and young children, can provide sufficient sodium for their growth without the need for additional supplementation.
Around one year old, when soft noodles and rice gradually become the main food for babies, a small amount of salt can be added, but it is better to add it later, and the total amount should not be compared to that of adults. It needs to be strictly controlled, with a maximum of 1 gram and not exceeding 2 grams. Children with heart disease, nephritis, and respiratory tract infections should limit salt intake even more. Before the age of three, monosodium glutamate should not be given to babies. If monosodium glutamate is added, the amount of salt should be reduced. Of course, you can also choose infant soy sauce, which can be converted as 15 milliliters of soy sauce is equivalent to 1 gram of salt.
If you want to control the salt intake for your baby, you can consider adding salt to the food after it is cooked and served. At this time, the salt will only be attached to the surface of the food, and a little bit will give it a salty taste.
【One-year-old babies can supplement salt in moderation】
Sodium in salt is necessary for babies over one year old. Especially in summer or when sweating a lot, a lack of salt can cause dehydration. At around one year old, when soft noodles and rice gradually become the main food for babies, a small amount of salt can be added, but it is better to add it later. The total amount added should not be compared to that of adults, and it needs to be strictly controlled, with a maximum of 1 gram and not exceeding 2 grams. Children with heart disease, nephritis, and respiratory tract infections should limit salt intake even more. Before the age of three, monosodium glutamate should not be given to babies. If monosodium glutamate is added, the amount of salt should be reduced. Of course, you can also choose infant soy sauce, which can be converted as 15 milliliters of soy sauce is equivalent to 1 gram of salt.
It is worth noting that between 7-12 months, babies' salt needs increase slightly to around 1 gram; children aged 1-3 need less than 2 grams of salt per day (equivalent to 0.8 grams of sodium per day). Some mothers add less salt when cooking for their children but overlook the invisible salt in certain foods. The most common invisible salt comes from pickles, salted fish, and cured meat. To keep your baby's taste light, try to remove these foods from their diet.
3. Precautions for adding salt to complementary foods
1. Babies have a very small need for salt. An adult only needs 6 grams of salt per day, and babies should consume much less. A little bit of salt in the complementary food is enough. As the baby's age increases, the salt content in food can be moderately increased, but a light diet should still be maintained.
2. Babies under six months do not need to add salt to their complementary foods.
3. For babies aged 1-3 years, when cooking dishes, try to add as little salt as possible. The daily salt intake for children aged 1-6 years should not exceed 2 grams. In fact, for the very sensitive taste buds of babies, the natural flavors of vegetables and fruits are already delicious, and these foods also contain enough salt.
4. It is recommended to control salt intake by adding salt during meals. This means adding less salt when cooking the dishes or not adding salt until the dishes are cooked and served. This way, the salt will only be attached to the surface of the dishes, and adding a little salt will still give them flavor. This can control salt intake and avoid iodine loss during high-temperature cooking.
