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Child Care Nutritional Articles
salt intake
salt and preschoolers
When your littlie is aged 0-6 months their kidneys are NOT mature – this means they can not remove any excess sodium from the urine. A high level of sodium can lead to dehydration and can be dangerous. So the rule for littlies is ‘Bland Food is Best!’
recommended salt (sodium) intake for children
Breast milk and infant formula are important sources of sodium in the infant diet. As solids are introduced the sodium content of the diet increases. Salt is used in the preserving of food so all processed foods have greater sodium content than those in a more natural state. If a child’s diet is not monitored it is easy for them to exceed the recommended limit. Data from the NZ Total Diet Survey estimated that sodium intake in 1-3 year olds could be 1518mg (not including salt added to cooking or at the table)!
85g pkt chicken flav. instant noodles 1920mg 1 sausage 700mg 1 slice lean ham 275mg 1 slice luncheon 306mg 1 cup Cornflakes 304mg 1 cup choc puffed cereal 300mg 1/8 of a tomato & cheese pizza 360mg 2 fish fingers (baked) 218mg 6 chicken nuggets 792mg 1 small potato fries 148mg 1 teaspoon ‘Vegemite’ 427mg 1 teaspoon ‘Marmite’ 286mg 50g packet flavoured potato chips 335mg 1 cup chicken noodle soup 600mg 5 rice crackers 220mg 25g cheese dip with crispbreads 238mg
foods prepared in the home Commercially made infant foods do not have salt added during processing. However, salt may be sneaking into a littlie’s diet when they are eating family food made at home. It is suggested that a child’s food be removed from the family food before salty flavourings are added. sample diet – 4 year old breakfast morning tea lunch afternoon tea dinner total 860mg salt and iodine Iodine
is vital for the regulation of the body’s metabolism
and is concentrated in the thyroid gland. Iodine was added to salt to prevent iodine deficiency – Goitre. Most dietary iodine is derived from breast milk, infant formulae, eggs, fish, shellfish, dairy products and iodised salt. However fish and shellfish are not favoured by many children so therefore iodine consumption may be impaired due to dietary preferences. Food containing seaweed (sushi) is an excellent dietary source of iodine – however seaweed supplements are NOT recommended. There is concern that New Zealander’s may be experiencing reduced levels of iodine due to less salt (especially iodised salt) being used and the decreased usage of iodophors used as detergents in the dairy industry. It is important to avoid sodium overloading in littlies diet when preparing food in the home or purchasing processed food however iodine still needs to be considered due to New Zealand soils being deficient. A few grains of iodised salt (not rock salt) added to cooking water is all that is necessary to achieve adequate iodine status. It doesn’t need to be added to their food directly and only needs adding to mixed meals (parent and littlie food combinations – for example the evening meal). It’s not about eating more salt to achieve adequate iodine status – its about selecting iodised salt when cooking! (The above article was prepared by - Nikki Hart, NZ Registered Dietitian)
Further Child Care Nutritional Articles
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