Iron deficiency in children is related to excessive milk intake, junk food consumption, says expert
DR Atiya Bashir is a consultant pediatrician at Al Ahli Hospital. She specialises in treating children up to 15 years of age. While she treats childhood diseases, she stresses on disease prevention by consuming healthy food and lifestyle changes that bring a child and family close to nature and health. She is of the opinion that several conditions among children as well as in adults like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, malnutrition, anxiety and depression are all preventable by following a good lifestyle that includes regular exercise and a diet rich in natural sources of iron, protein, carbohydrates and fats as well as just simply following the rules of nature in terms of sleep wake cycle. In an interview, Dr Atiya spoke in detail about iron deficiency -- anemia -- in children and its relationship to excessive milk intake and junk food consumption. Excerpts:
How much milk intake is recommended for infants and children?
Exclusive breast-feeding is excellent for babies until age 6 months of age. However, milk is a poor source of iron. Infants who are given more milk after 6 months of age, even if it’s mother’s milk, with no iron-rich foods like vegetable, lentils, meat being added to diet, will cause deficiency of iron from the body and develop iron deficiency, anemia. The ideal pattern should be: Birth to 6 months (breast milk), 6 months to 9 months (4-5 times milk and introduction of chicken, lentil, vegetable and fruits), 9 months to 1 year (milk 3 times, breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 servings of fruits) 1 year to 15 years (milk x 2 total maximum 450 ml, 3 meals and 2 snacks per day).
Why is iron necessary for the body?
Iron is a very important part of haemoglobin which is present inside red cells in blood. Haemoglobin carries oxygen to all parts of our body including brain and heart. When a child or an adult has iron deficiency, their haemoglobin drops and the brain does not get enough oxygen resulting in difficulty in learning, memorising, critical thinking and problem solving. Overall well-being and growth suffers a lot in children who are iron-deficient. They are always fussy, irritable, unhappy and look pale. They have poor appetite and cannot speak well. They are unable to gain appropriate height and weight compared to their non-iron deficient peers. They are also prone to frequent infections and their development in all areas especially in the area of expressive language, lags behind. They can develop PICA (eating disorder) in extreme cases which is a desire to eat non-food items like soil, plastic, paper, ice and paint.
Why do children develop iron deficiency?
The main cause of iron deficiency is drinking milk more than two times after one year of age and eating food like processed meats like nuggets and hot dogs and refined sugars such as sweet biscuits, chocolates, packed parathas made of white flour, candies, ice creams juices etc. Fast food, which is very poor in iron and protein but loaded with bad quality carbohydrates and fats, not only make a child fat and chubby but also pale. Parents assume that the child is healthy because he she is heavier and looks bigger than other children but in reality the child is only depositing bad fats in liver and blood vessels are deprived of good nutrients and vitamins.
How can parents ensure that their children eat balanced food that is rich in iron?
A simple way of making sure your children and other members of the family eat only healthy food is to avoid bringing unhealthy items. When bad items are not available, children will only eat what’s available in the house and will eat fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy snacks. No fruit juices or sweetened drinks should be given. Water should be offered as a drink all the time besides milk twice per day. What should be done if a child is not hungry or does not like healthy food? Most parents complain that their children do not eat when it’s time to eat and prefer only junk food. This happens when the child is offered too much milk in a bottle and sugary drinks and snacks that are loaded with unhealthy fats and sugars. This kills the child’s appetite for real food and does not allow him or her to feel hungry at proper meal times with the family. My simple advice for that is to avoid sugary drinks, juices and milk in a bottle and to offer only water for 3-4 hours between meal and snack.
Should children sleep with their parents and be given milk all night?
Children should never sleep with the parents from birth. Sleeping next to the parent in their own crib is the best method. This will allow the child to go in deep sleep and not use a bottle or a mother as a pacifier. When children get milk all night, they do not sleep well because of habit rather than hunger. As a result they do not get the maximum benefit of growth hormone that’s only released in deep sleep from 7pm to 7am. Milk sugar destroys their teeth. They are always fussy, unhappy, have damaged teeth and refuse to eat food in the day because of poor quality sleep at night. Poor sleep and too much milk causes poor growth for weight height and brain.
What is the best source of iron in food?
Iron-rich foods include red meat, white meat, fish, lentils, beans, spinach, fresh green leafy vegetables, pomegranate and iron fortified cereals.
What is the worse food that has no iron in it?
Processed meats like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cold cuts, bread and paratha made from refined flour are deficient of iron and loaded with salt and bad fats. Sugary drinks, candies and milk are also poor source of iron.
When should a child have a blood test to check for low haemoglobin?
All children must undergo blood test to check their haemoglobin between 12 and 1 months or at any time if child appears pale or underweight. Early detection of iron deficiency is very important to prevent the damage to the brain and body that may occur as a result of undetected iron deficiency.
What will happen if the child continues to be iron-deficient?
The child’s brain and body growth will be retarded and the child will not grow to his her full potential. That’s why it’s very important to diagnose iron deficiency early and get it treated completely. The best measure is to avoid iron deficiency from developing in the first place.
Why is milk at night bad for a child’s health?
The sugar in milk is eaten by bacteria present in the mouth which also damages the outer covering of the teeth called enamel. This destroys the child’s teeth. Children cannot bite or chew food which leads to malnutrition. No milk should be offered to children at night or during nap after 1 year of age.
Should formula be continued after first year in case the baby is not having mother’s milk?
There is no benefit of giving formula to healthy children after 1 year of age. Full fat fresh cow’s milk should be given in a sippy cup or straw cup twice per day. Chocolate or strawberry milk should be avoided.
Are juices recommended for infants and toddlers?
Juices and sugary drinks should be avoided completely. Juice is just water and sugar with no real fruit in it. Juices offered in bottle damage teeth the same as milk. Sugary drinks and juice kill the child’s appetite. Eating sliced whole fruit is the best way of getting maximum benefit and fiber.
What should be the ideal sleep pattern for children?
Sleep time for toddlers and children should be from 7pm to 7am. Older children and adolescents can sleep at 9pm maximum. This will ensure maximum growth hormone release from brain.