Make Every Bite Count

Make Every Bite Count

5 reasons to integrate proteins and solid foods into the diets of infants and toddlers

By Ann Foster Thelen

Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publish Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).

For the first time, the DGA (2020-2025) recommends introducing solid foods, like meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, and soy foods, to infants and toddlers to pack in every bite with protein, iron, zinc and choline. High quality nutrients in these foods support growing bodies and healthy brain development in babies and toddlers. The DGA joins the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Women Infants and Children’s Program in making these recommendations.

Data within the study shows why integrating solid foods is essential, including these five key reasons:

1: The time from birth until a child’s second birthday is a critically important period for proper growth and development and establishing healthy dietary patterns for the life course. During this period, nutrients critical for brain development and growth must be provided in adequate amounts.

2: In the U.S., a lack of some common nutrients, such as protein, iron, zinc and choline, are of public health concern for infants and toddlers. Animal source foods are a fundamental food for healthy growth in the early years, prioritizing the consumption of meat, poultry, eggs, dairy along with soyfoods to help children close the gap on critical nutrient shortfalls.

3: A 9-month-old infant needs nine times more iron than an adult male, yet, only 10% of infants are starting to eat meat – a key source of iron – at this age. There are safe and wholesome ways to introduce meat into infants’ diets, and Iowa’s protein-rich commodities can serve as excellent mealtime resources.

4: Protein supports nutrition for children under the age of 2, who are at a crucial period of growth and development. Iowa-produced foods can play a vital role in fulfilling nutritional gaps in infants and children.

5: Meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, seafood, nuts, seeds and soy products are essential sources of iron, zinc, protein, choline and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically omega-3 and omega-6, influence the infant’s fatty acid status and are among the key nutrients needed for the rapid brain development that occurs through the infant’s first two years of life.