IS YOUR BABY EATING ENOUGH IRON AND ZINC?

This post is a collaboration with Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. managed by NCBA, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.

Photo Credit: Jackie Stofsick

There aren’t many life events that can be as equally exciting and nerve wracking as feeding a baby. While it is so cute and satisfying to watch your little one taste different flavors for the first time, in the back of many parents’ minds, the thought of choking or an allergic reaction is always lurking in the shadows. 

Thankfully, the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, provides expert opinions on what families should be feeding their children, and offer specific tips for every age range. So, we finally have evidence-based guidelines to follow when it comes to infant and toddler feeding – something us parents have been needing for a very long time!

What do the new guidelines say? 

The guidelines begin by encouraging breast milk as the only source of nutrition for a young baby. Around the 6 month mark, caregivers should assess whether baby is ready to eat solid food by monitoring readiness cues. Some signs to look out for include: 

·       Being able to control head and neck.

·       Sitting up alone or with support. 

·       Bringing objects to the mouth. 

·       Trying to grasp small objects, such as toys or food.

·       Swallowing food rather than pushing it back out onto the chin. 

If baby is checking all of the boxes and appears to be ready to chow down, a variety of foods from all food groups should be provided – not just fruits and veggies. Foods rich in iron and zinc should be offered frequently. 

The Importance of Iron and Zinc In Early Feeding

Infants are typically born with body stores of iron adequate for about the first 6 months of life, depending on gestational age, maternal iron status, and timing of umbilical cord clamping. By age 6 months, however, infants require an external source of iron apart from human milk. Choosing foods that fill this nutrition gap is key to supporting baby’s neurologic development and immune function. 

The dietary guidelines highlight that although the zinc content of human milk is initially high and efficiently absorbed, the concentration declines over the first 6 months of lactation and is not affected by maternal zinc intake. During the second half of infancy, approximately half (54%) of U.S. infants fed human milk have inadequate zinc intake. 

The expert authors of the guidelines explain that prioritizing zinc-rich foods starting at 6 months of age to complement human milk feedings will help infants meet their requirement for zinc and support their growth and immune function.

How can you make sure your baby is getting iron and zinc in his/her diet? 

Having your baby eat a wide variety of foods rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and more is a great habit to get in to help keep  healthy and nourished. But if you are laser-focused on getting enough iron and zinc into your kiddo’s diet (as you should be), offering beef to your little one is a sure-fire way to give them a boost. 

In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 specifically calls out meats, like beef, as an excellent food choice for babies and toddlers. 

Of course, you wouldn’t give your toothless baby an 8-ounce ribeye and expect it to chow it down with no trouble. However, there are a wide variety of ways to offer beef to your baby that are both safe and appropriate, including:

-       Pureed with some liquid as a first food

-       Fully cooked stewed meat pieces that are soft and juicy

-       Minced ground beef mixed with mashed avocado

And once baby is developmentally ready, you can offer more adventurous dishes like beef stew, meat loaf, and veggie-packed meat fingers like the recipe listed below.

Veggie-Packed Beef Fingers With Peanut Dipping Sauce

-a perfect dish for babies to grab onto easily. And a homemade dipping sauce – because I have never met a baby who doesn’t love to dip!

Makes 12 fingers

Ingredients:

For Beef Fingers

-       1 pound ground beef

-       ½ cup cooked quinoa

-       1/4 cup shredded carrot

-       ¼ cup shredded zucchini

-       1 egg, lightly beaten

-       ¼ cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

For Dipping Sauce

-1/4 cup seedless grape jelly

-1/4 cup low-sugar ketchup

-dash of Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

For Beef Fingers

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F)

2. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray

3. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl

4. Wet hands slightly and form 16 meat “fingers”.  Place on cookie sheet

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until cooked all the way through to 160°F (no pink!)

7. Once cooled, serve

For Dipping Sauce

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium low heat until everything is combined. Put in small bowl and cool before serving with the beef fingers.