At about 4 months and 6 months, when babies begin to eat solids, parents wonder how to sweeten their baby’s food either by adding sugar, salt, or honey.
Babies are born with a sensitive sense of taste. They naturally prefer sweet and resist bitter tastes, but taste preferences develop and evolve over time for a reason of both biological factors and experiences.
Sugar
Children under 2 years are not meant to be offered ‘added sugars’ in their diets. Many sweetened beverages are the main sources of these added sugars. On the label, sucrose, fructose, syrup are all sources of sugars.
Avoid offering packaged foods and beverages with added sugars to babies. This is different from naturally existing sugars in foods like fruits and diary products. The natural sugars contained in these foods form part of a baby’s healthy diet.
Added sugars are bad for your babies because they offer empty calories with no nutritional value. They cause diseases such as diabetes and obesity; tooth decay and early cavities are results of too much sugar.
Even in children older than 2 years, limit their intake of sugars, but it is okay to give them an occasional sweet treat.
Salt:
Babies below one year have no business with salt intake as their kidneys are still immature to process sodium efficiently.
Even after a baby’s first year, only a small amount should be introduced to their diets because excessive salt intake can cause high blood pressure later in life. Avoid high-sodium foods like processed foods. Prepare meals with less seasoning and rather enhance flavors with herbs and spices.
Honey:
Honey is a ‘no-no’ for babies under one year as it contains spores of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and can cause infant botulism, a fatal illness. The good microorganisms in the intestines of babies are not fully developed, and they are responsible for keeping harmful bacteria from growing, which is why it is dangerous for babies to eat honey. Once the child is older than one year, honey is okay for them to have.
Instead of offering bland baby food, introduce a wide variety of flavors by adding subtle herbs and spices. This can help babies become more adventurous eaters.