As many as eight out of 10 toddlers are not meeting their daily recommendation of iron intake, which could have serious implications for their health and development, according to a report from baby food firm Cow & Gate.
The Big Iron Count Report analysed the diets of 220 toddlers aged between 12 and 24 months in the UK. It revealed that their average daily intake of iron was 5.6mg, which fell below the recommended 6.9mg. “Having inadequate dietary iron can lead to an iron deficiency. Iron is essential for healthy growth and development,” said Fiona Wilcock, nutrition consultant and author of the report.
She explained that studies have shown that iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) slows down normal development and young children with it are less able to perform both mental and psychomotor tasks. “It is also thought that children who have impaired mental and motor development due to IDA in the first two years of their life may not be able to catch up, even if the deficiency is corrected through iron supplementation. This is why this study is so important,” she explained. “We found that most parents are not aware of the importance of an iron-rich diet and that there were a lot of misconceptions about which foods are rich in iron.”
When parents were asked which foods they believed were rich in iron, 77% held the misconception that broccoli was a richer source of iron than red meat. The report also showed that almost a third, 28%, of toddlers aged between 12 and 24 months were never fed red meat, while 56% only ate it once a week.
“It is really important that infants around six months are offered a range of iron-rich foods such as red meat, oily fish, green vegetables, pulses and fortified breakfast cereal,” added Wilcock.