As infants move from milk to a more solid diet, meats such as pork ensure healthy growth
If you are a strong proponent of vegetarianism, this isn’t for you. But new research shows that a meat-based diet ensures babies’ growth is not affected during the time when they are being weaned.
According to a research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, addition of meat-based diet such as pork, can be an important source of much-needed protein in an infant’s diet during the transition to solid foods.
Weaning or complementary feeding is the transition of the human infant from breast-feeding or bottle nursing and commencement of nourishment with other food. Although WHO recommends exclusive breast feeding till the baby is 6 months of age, many paeditricians believe weaning can be started between 4 to 6 months of age. They are of the opinion that protein and energy needs as supplied by breast milk or formula alone become insufficient for the growing baby.
A combination with semi-solid and solid foods rich in proteins, and many vitamins and micronutrients like vitamin D, iron and zinc is advised during this phase of growth for infants.
The study directly compared the effect of protein from 2 common complementary food sources, meat and dairy, on infant growth and weight trajectory.
“Meat, such as pork, provides important micronutrients, is an excellent source of protein and can be an important complementary food for infants who are ready for solid foods,” said lead study author Minghua Tang, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz, in the US.
The study directly compared the effect of protein from 2 common complementary food sources, meat and dairy, on infant growth and weight trajectory.
64, healthy term, formula-fed infants were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups – meat or a dairy complementary food group from 5 to 12 months of age.
“Our research suggests introducing higher amounts of protein and introducing meat, such as pork, into the diet at five months could be potentially beneficial for linear growth (length gain),” Tang said.
