We all know that we need to include iron in our meals. Ever wondered what exactly iron does for our body? And why it is so much more important for babies?
Iron makes haemoglobin, a part of red blood cells. And red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body to aid in the production of energy. Feeling tired? Take an iron boost!
What about babies? They have large amounts of iron stored in their bodies from birth to last for about six months. After six months, weaning is introduced to increase their nutritional needs. Which is why you see that some cereals in the market are iron-fortified to meet those nutritional needs.
I was invited to the Nestle Cerelac media launch last week, and they were kind enough to let me bring the boys along. Fortunately I brought enough activities to keep the boys occupied, tho Ollie started listening to the talks given by Dr Janice Wong, Paediatrician from Thomson Paediatric Centre, and Ms France Yeo, Child Psychologist. He was asking me questions about the MRI of the brain, what iron is about..so not only educational for us but for the kids too!
Ollie listening intently to what iron deficiencies is about
He definitely loved the display that Nestle put up to show the various ingredients that goes into their cereals, and the food was really too!
what goes into Nestle’s cereals
Ollie holding on to some oats
Those who have grown up in Singapore, this brand is a no-brainer. My maternal grandma refers to the Nestle Rice Cereal or Brown Rice Cereal as “bee gor” . I obviously grew up on it. It was the first brand I thought about when I was weaning the boys.
Nestle has recently launched a new range of cereal that is now infused with higher iron content, which will meet more than 50% of an infant’s daily iron requirement in just one serving! I remembered racking my brains to make sure that I even out the amount of nutrients, not too much orange food so that kiddo doesn’t turn orange, oh wait..what other kinds of food has protein? Can I offer him beef to amp up his iron intake?
So much headache. Now that the cereals offer more, it is one less thing to think about! But of course you would slowly introduce other foods that are iron-rich too! I had an opportunity to quickly ask Dr Janice Wong some burning questions. I knew that food that are rich in Vitamin C will aid in iron absorption, but all I could think of was oranges and lemons, and we don’t usually offer that to babies at 6 months of age! How now brown cow? Her reply:
“Not only citrus fruits are high in Vitamin C. Other vegetables like brocolli, spinach are also high in Vitamin C. Fruits like kiwi, and strawberries also contain loads of Vitamin C.”
So there you have it! Get those Vitamin C rich food, mix it together with the cereal, and tadah. Don’t waste those darn iron.
I was excited when I saw that they have a Rice and Soya cereal! This would be awesome for parents who have kids that are lactose intolerant! I quickly spoke to the people from Nestle and unfortunately found out that it still does contain milk. But hey, they did say that it would be something they may consider in the future, so there is hope!
It was a really enriching session, to learn more about the lack of iron in a child’s diet can affect their motor, cognitive and socio-emotional development, co-ordination and behaviour of the child.
Oh..and guess what? Nestle Cerelac also has an online iRON Calculator! With the calculator, you can calculate your baby’s dietary intake with just a few clicks! Simply visit the Nestle iRON Calculator website here. Here’s a sneal peak of what to expect!
The New Nestle CERELAC Infant Cereals are now available at all leading stores at a retail price of $4.50, $5.50, $6.50 for 225g, 250g and 350g pack sizes respectively.