Many mothers have questions about salt for their babies: Should babies eat salt? How old can I be to eat salt? How to add salt to your baby? …… elderly people with children always say “babies don’t have strength if they don’t eat salt”, or “babies can’t eat if the food is light”. So how in the end to baby salt? Today we will learn more about it. Salt, as the first of all flavors, is essential in everyday cooking, and mothers always think that children eat food without salt will be very difficult to eat, affecting the appetite of babies, resulting in a decline in the amount of food. But there are so many hazards about adding salt to babies, which makes mothers love and hate salt. According to the “Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents”, the daily sodium intake for babies of different ages is as follows: 1. Within 1 year of age: 170mg for 0-6 month old babies, 350mg for 7-12 month old babies, less than 400mg of sodium per day (equivalent to 1g of table salt). 0-6 month olds have enough sodium in breast milk and formula to meet their body’s needs and do not need additional supplementation. 7-12 month olds The salt present in breast milk, formula and natural foods is sufficient to meet the needs of the baby, and adding extra salt will increase the burden on the baby’s kidneys, which is not good for the baby’s health. 2.1~3 years old Children aged 1-3 years old need 700mg of sodium per day (equivalent to 1.8g of table salt). After the age of 1, children start to gradually integrate into the family diet, so parents can serve a small portion of the child’s food before putting salt in it; of course, parents should also respect the child’s pursuit of better taste, and when he shows less interest in a light diet, a little salt can be added. If the child eats with the adults, then the whole family’s meals are made lighter. 3.4-6 years old Children aged 4-6 years old need about 900mg of sodium (equivalent to 2.3g of salt) per day. In addition to the sodium provided by the food itself, children should not consume more than 2g of salt a day. Warm tip: 1g of table salt = 400mg of sodium 1g of sodium = 2.5g of table salt Some special cases, such as when a baby has diarrhea or vomiting, require more salt intake than usual, and it is best to use oral rehydration salt under the guidance of a doctor. Table salt, also known as sodium chloride, can be eaten to replenish the sodium needed by the body. The main function of sodium is to regulate the body’s osmotic pressure balance and to ensure normal body function and functioning. Babies of all ages need sodium, but sodium supplementation is not the same as eating salt. Therefore, the amount of sodium we mentioned above for each month of age does not simply refer to the amount of salt your baby consumes, but includes all the sodium in the food your baby consumes. Sodium is widely found in many natural foods. Some processed foods, even if they do not taste good, have salt added to them during processing, so special attention should be paid. The “invisible salt” should not be ignored. There is a lot of salt around the baby in an “invisible” way, which can easily be ignored. If babies often eat these foods, they will inadvertently consume a lot of salt, which is harmful to their health. To make your baby’s diet low in salt, you must stay away from these “invisible salt”. 1, snacks invisible representatives: plums, preserves, dried meat, seaweed, potato chips, puffed food, jelly invisible degree: ☆☆☆☆ on the list of reasons: these are the baby’s favorite, but in the production process are added a lot of salt for storage, if the baby often eat, not only will become a “high salt” baby, but also affect the appetite, causing an imbalance in nutritional intake. Cause unbalanced nutritional intake. 2, desserts invisible representatives: bread, cake, cheese, ice cream, cookies invisible degree: ☆☆☆☆☆ on the list of reasons: many mothers see these foods also contain salt, it is likely to say that there is no mistake about it. You know, the reason why cheese and bread will ferment, it is because of the role of salt. The reason why these foods do not feel the taste of salt when eating, because in the addition of a lot of sugar, so do not feel salty. 3, fast food invisible representative: pizza, fries, burgers invisible degree: ☆☆☆☆ on the list of reasons: although these foods are delicious, but most of them belong to fried food, not only fat content is too high, and there is a common feature is a variety of high salt as ingredients, babies often eat will lead to obesity and other diseases. 4, dried fruits invisible representative: melon seeds, pistachios, almonds invisible degree: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ on the list of reasons: these dried fruits although nutritious, but in the production process in order to improve the taste, so that people feel more delicious, the production will add salt to seasoning, mothers should also pay attention to, do not let the baby eat too much, in order to avoid excessive salt intake. 5, cooked food products invisible representative: bacon, sausages, roast chicken, lo-mei products invisible degree: ☆☆☆☆☆ on the list of reasons: the reason why these foods are rich in taste and flavor, because they contain a large number of flavoring agents, the salt has been decomposed and dissolved into the meat, eaten to feel delicious, mothers should not give their babies to eat more. 6, drinks invisible representative: vegetable juice, sports drinks invisible degree: ☆☆☆☆ on the list of reasons: vegetable juice, sports drinks contain salt, most of these salts in the form of “sodium ions”, which will make many mothers ignored. In the daily diet, 2 thin slices of bacon contain 250mg of sodium, so if you give your child a serving of pasta with bacon, he will have taken in nearly a day’s worth of sodium; 1 slice of regular bread contains 200mg of sodium, so if you give your baby two slices of bread, you will have taken in nearly half of the sodium required by a 1-3 year old. Certain packaged foods have sodium identification items in their nutrition labels, so pay attention to the sodium content when you buy. Foods purchased with more than 30% of the NRV (Nutrient Reference Value) for sodium are recommended to be eaten sparingly, for both adults and children. Warm tip: Babies should pay attention to a light diet after the need to add salt, do not judge children’s by adult tastes. For babies who already have taste preferences, be patient and correct them slowly, such as slowly lightening the taste of food, making lighter foods more interesting, eating with other babies, and creating a good eating environment.