"The first 1000 days of life" is defined by the World Health Organization as an "opportunity window period" for a person’s growth and development, which can not only affect the physical development and brain development in infancy, but also affect the health of children after adulthood — — Therefore, it is very important to carry out nutrition and health actions in early life for the baby to grow sturdily.
The United Nations Nutrition Executive Committee pointed out that the period from pregnancy to the baby’s two-year-old birth (1000 days early in life) is very important, and it is a key window period to prevent adult chronic diseases. If we can avoid the influence of bad factors, especially nutrition, at this stage, it will be one of the best investments for global healthy development. Therefore, it is very important to carry out 1000-day nutrition and health action in early life to improve the nutrition and health level of pregnant women and infants.
At the recent "Forum on Nutrition and Health in Early Life", many experts in the maternal and child industry shared the research results on the spot, solved the puzzles of novice parents, and helped everyone on the road of raising babies.
"Opportunity Window Period" of Growth and Development
The first 1,000 days of life refers to the period from a woman’s pregnancy (280 days in October) to the baby’s two years old (720 days), which is defined by the World Health Organization as an "opportunity window period" for a person’s growth and development.
"The first 1000 days of life affect the baby’s life. Good nutrition and scientific feeding are very important for the baby’s physique, intellectual development and immune system, and it is also very important to improve the population quality of the whole country, so we should pay attention to these 1000 days. " Li Xiaowen, deputy chief physician of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, said.
Studies have shown that the growth rate of human brain cells began to accelerate obviously at about 6 months of pregnancy, and it became more and more gradual until the age of 2. At the age of 2, the differentiation of brain nerve cells is basically completed, which can reach 80% of that of adults. Therefore, this period needs to give the baby rich nutrition.
In the early 1000 days, the child’s physical development is also very fast. Usually, the weight of a 1-year-old child is about 3 times that of his birth, and it can reach about 4 times that of his birth when he is 2 years old. In terms of height, the average length of a baby at birth is 50 cm, which can grow to 75 cm at the age of 1 and basically reach 85 cm at the age of 2.
The National Nutrition Plan (2017-2030) issued by the General Office of the State Council proposed that six major actions should be taken to improve the nutritional health level of the population. The first one is to promote the nutrition and health action in the early 1000 days of life and improve the nutrition and health level of pregnant women and infants.
So, what are the precautions for women during pregnancy?
Li Xiaowen said that if the early pregnancy reaction is relatively large and you have no appetite to eat, don’t worry about eating fish and eggs first, but ensure at least 150 grams of carbohydrate intake a day; At the same time, some vitamins should be supplemented, such as vitamin B6, which can stop vomiting, and vitamins B2, B1 and C can reduce the early pregnancy reaction. With the help of a reasonable diet, the ideal weight gain interval during pregnancy should be 11.5 to 16 kg. It should be pointed out that you can exercise properly during pregnancy, especially in the middle and late pregnancy, so as to facilitate the final delivery.
Li Xiaowen suggested that mothers should try their best to insist on exclusive breastfeeding of babies within 6 months of age; The choice of complementary food for infants aged 7 to 24 months should follow the principle of "step by step, from thin to thick, from fine to coarse, from small to large, from single to multiple".
"Smart" breast milk
Zhang Yumei, a professor of nutrition and food hygiene in Peking University College of Public Health, told the Economic Daily that breast milk contains many components, which can promote the immune maturity and nerve development of children, promote the intestinal development of children and promote their metabolic health.
"Generally speaking, we call the breast milk 5 to 11 days after delivery transitional milk, and the breast milk in front of transitional milk is colostrum. Colostrum contains many active ingredients, which can resist infection, allergy and remove meconium. " Zhang Yumei said.
Compared with formula milk powder, breast milk is a smart baby nutrition source. Because breast milk will change dynamically as children grow up. Alpha milk protein in breast milk is particularly high in the first three months. Scientific research has found that alpha milk protein has the functions of immunomodulation and anti-pathogenic microorganisms. At the same time, breast milk is very careful and stable. Studies have found that breast milk contains nutrients that can promote the maturity of gastrointestinal tract and immune development of infants.
Having said that, we must talk about the importance of the intestine. Biologists believe that there are two brain systems in human body, one is the well-known head brain, and the other is the intestine, also known as "intestinal brain" or "second brain".
Scientific research has found that many chemicals produced by intestinal bacteria (such as acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid) can stimulate nerve cells and generate electronic signals to be transmitted to the brain. Intestinal flora may pass through a special kind of intestine — The brain axis affects the brain structure of the body and the occurrence of many brain-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, autism and so on. More and more studies show that a person’s mood can affect the composition of intestinal flora; On the contrary, some intestinal microorganisms may also affect a person’s emotional state.
"The surrounding skin during breastfeeding can also produce some healthy flora, which is of great help to the formation of intestinal flora in infants. In addition, children will be better if they give birth naturally, which will brand their children with microorganisms and help them grow up healthily in the future. " Zhang Yumei said.
How to choose milk powder
What is the difference between breast milk and milk powder in terms of nutrients? If there is no breast milk, how to choose a good milk powder?
Huo Junsheng, a researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Health, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that from a nutritional point of view, the protein content of breast milk is lower than that of cow’s milk, but its protein is mostly whey protein, which is a small molecular protein that is easily digested and absorbed by infants and does not easily cause any discomfort. And 80% of milk is casein with huge molecular weight, which is their main core difference in protein.
In terms of fat, the fat content of breast milk is higher than that of milk. When a baby is born, his stomach is only the size of a ping-pong ball, and he can’t eat much, while breast milk with high fat content can provide more energy. In terms of carbohydrates, there is a kind of small molecular carbohydrates in breast milk, called oligosaccharides, which are rich in content, and the types and quantities are higher than those of milk. In addition, the vitamin C content of breast milk is much higher than that of milk, which is more suitable for infants. Everyone will say that milk contains high calcium, but high calcium does not mean that it can be absorbed. The calcium absorption rate of milk is lower than that of breast milk.
Breast milk has many benefits for babies, but when breastfeeding cannot be achieved, formula milk powder becomes a substitute for breast milk. But how to choose milk powder?
Xie Qinggang, R&D manager of Heilongjiang Feihe Dairy Co., Ltd. introduced that a good milk powder suitable for babies should have the following three characteristics: good milk source, good formula and good technology.
Among them, a good milk source depends on whether the milk source of this milk powder comes from an exclusive pasture and whether it has the whole industrial chain. A good milk source can make a good formula milk powder.
A good recipe depends first on the ingredient list. Is raw milk the first in the ingredient list? If so, it can be judged that this is a raw milk formula. The formula of raw milk is better, it takes raw milk as the main raw material, and then adds other raw materials to mix and spray it into powder at one time. For example, the first ingredient list is not raw milk, but the formula of whole milk powder or skim milk powder: enterprises buy back milk powder, then add water to restore these milk powder into milk liquid, add other raw materials, and spray dry it into powder again. The difference between them is that the rice cooked with raw rice and the instant rice bought in the supermarket are reheated. At the same time, the ingredient list should be "three noes": no maltodextrin, no corn syrup and no sucrose.
Good technology needs to observe the color of milk powder first, milky white or milky yellow is good, and the color is gray and dark. Observe the particles again: loose particles are good, but fine particles or clumps are poor; Finally, look at the solubility of milk powder: the solubility of milk powder is better after blending. Some milk powder, after the baby drinks it, will leave a lot of insoluble lumps in the bottle, and the production process of this kind of milk powder is poor.
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