Everyone knows just how essential fruits and vegetables are to our health regardless of age, but they are more so important for infants The early stages of life are characterised by rapid development. During this time, a variety of factors, most importantly nutrition, can influence their growth. These early influences can have lasting effects on their physical and mental wellness in their adulthood. As such, providing them with a healthy start through an early introduction to fruits and vegetables is key to ensuring they enjoy a lifetime of good health. Read on as we delve deeper into the importance of getting your little one acquainted with and cultivate a fondness for the fruits and vegetables on their plate.

Why good nutrition needs to start early

According to an article published on FamilyDoctor.org, good nutrition is the fuel that ensures your baby’s growing body gets everything it needs to become well-developed.  From improved cognition to growth-promoting sleep, your baby’s diet influences many aspects of their health and well-being today and into the future. The following explores in more detail how a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables contributes to your little one’s development.

Cultivate healthy sleep patterns

Sleep is a critical phase for your baby’s growth and development, and getting sufficient and high-quality rest may favour their optimal cognitive function as it helps with memory consolidation and brain maturation. Deep sleep, is especially crucial to memory consolidation as it plays a role in early language acquisition.

Good nutrition is an important building block of optimal, growth-promoting sleep and furnishes the key elements necessary for promoting healthy sleep patterns in your child. Calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B are just some of the vital nutrients that can guarantee your baby gets a good rest. These are easily found in many leafy greens and fruits like avocados and bananas, which are present in the good quality baby food in Singapore.

Positively influence epigenetics

Epigenetics explores how environmental factors affect an individual’s gene expression without making any changes to the DNA sequence in their cells. Nutrition is one of these many factors and can significantly impact epigenetic changes in infants and young children, particularly in shaping their health.

For instance, the period when your baby is ready to wean and try solid foods represent a crucial time where nutrition can influence their epigenetics. Feeding infants a diet of added sugars and processed foods has been linked to an increased risk of metabolic disorders and obesity in children later in life. In contrast, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables have the opposite effect and reduces the future risk of these conditions.

Moreover, the increasing prevalence of environmental pollution can have a negative effect on a baby’s epigenetic processes. Antioxidants and other helpful nutrients found in fruits and vegetables help combat the detrimental effects of these contaminants on genetic expression and various other health issues.

Instil good habits early

Following a healthy diet should become a lifetime habit for your child, not just during their early childhood. After all, they still have plenty of growing to do during their adolescence and beyond. Hence, instilling good habits surrounding food is best done early as they are more likely to persist, saving you the trouble of finding creative ways just to get your child to eat their vegetables when they get older.

Studies support this claim as it has been discovered that infrequent intake of fruits and vegetables during infancy is associated with infrequent intake of the same foods at 6 years old. Such findings highlight the need for feeding guidance that promotes fruits and vegetables in your little one’s diet as early as possible.

A colourful diet is key to a healthy baby

Every parent wants to give their child the best start in life, and one of the ways they can do so is by making sure they grow up healthy and strong. Introducing them to a variety of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables is the simplest way to achieving such a goal. Thankfully, there are now many ways to include these healthy choices into your little one’s diet, ranging from the more time-consuming DIY route to simply buying good quality baby food pouches.

If you are looking out for premium infant food delivery in Singapore, check out Taleii’s range of products that are fresh, nutritious and made locally in Singapore. Busy parents can also explore the convenience of our baby food subscription box. Begin by curating your personalised collection of 6, 8, 10, or 12 pouches, combining a variety of flavours tailored to your little one's palate. Easily customise the delivery frequency to suit your needs, ranging from every 1 to 4 weeks.

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