Ultra processed foods: A new front in the baby weaning battle
Parents are already bewildered by conflicting advice on what to feed babies – now researchers are warning against veggie puffs, despairs Phoebe Arslanagić-Little
Last week, researchers from the University of Leeds warned parents that they are “setting their children up for a lifetime of obesity” by feeding babies ultra processed food, or UPFs. The researchers are calling for the government to actually intervene to stop parents from giving their children these foods by banning them.
UPFs are defined rather hazily. Celebrity doctor Chris van Tulleken popularised the term a few years ago and describes UPFs as containing ingredients that one would not usually find in a home kitchen, or as any food created for profit rather than to provide nutrients. Eating UPFs is associated with negative health outcomes, but the evidence on direct harm is weak and it’s very hard to control for confounding factors.
The main type of food criticised by the Leeds researchers are snack foods, like fruit and maize-based puffs, that are designed for babies to be able to feed themselves. I strongly suspect that the vast majority of parents are not serving their children these as meals, but as light snacks designed to serve as distractions, such as when a child needs to stay in their pram for a little longer than they want to. That they should become the subject of hostile legislation seems disproportionate.
The Leeds researchers also took a swing at baby food pouches containing pure fruit purée, which they condemned as too sugary. Breast milk and baby formula are very sweet too, with 7g sugar per 100ml. That’s nearly as sweet as orange juice (8g of sugar per 100ml) and comes close to a number of hot chocolate mixes.
Panicky parents
I don’t claim that a banana purée in a pouch has anything close to the nutritional value of breast or formula milk, but I do question the extent to which worrying parents about these foods is useful. Feeding children can be complicated as it is, without prodding parents into panicking that a preference for veggie puffs and blended berries is putting their adorably plump baby on the path to a much less adorable adult plumpness.
As I watched my friend swing his little girl up into his arms last year, she spotted something on the table that horrified her. Burying her little blonde head into his shoulder, she pointed at it and wailed in distress and protest. The offending object? A cheese pizza. She calmed down once it was explained that the pizza was for her parents’ guests and that she would not be asked to eat it. Happy again, she toddled off. This particular child (who is thriving), also gags if she so much as sees someone else eating ice cream. Young children can have strange preferences, and the goal of parents is often simply to make sure their child eats enough and enjoys their meals.
The foods criticised by the Leeds researchers are those particularly used in early weaning, but it is only when you are trying to sell a baby on the transition from milk to solid foods does the complexity of the task become apparent. Food must be chewed, formed into a ball by the tongue, and then swallowed. To achieve this, a baby who hasn’t yet fully understood he has hands, let alone worked out the mystery of his feet, must use fine and gross motor skills in a perfectly coordinated dance.
The proponents of these two schools wage bitter war with each other, particularly on forums like Reddit. Each side claims that the other’s method risks a picky child, or one with a lifetime of food issues ahead
Parents are also bewildered by the many different approaches to getting babies onto solid foods. The traditional way is to start on smooth purées and then work up to lumpier textures. Standing in opposition to this method is baby-led weaning. This involves giving young babies lots of whole foods early on, so that they practice chewing and get used to feeding themselves.
The proponents of these two schools wage bitter war with each other, particularly on forums like Reddit. Each side claims that the other’s method risks a picky child, or one with a lifetime of food issues ahead.
My own baby has so far inherited her parents’ Labrador-like attitude to food and is delighted to be eating solids, from curried cauliflower to porridge. But if she’s peckish while I’m running an errand in the next few months, I won’t shy away from giving her a delicious UPF puff.