We have talked about the baby brain nutrition. In this topic we will specifically address your energy needs To think and function. The brain spends 30% of the energy used by the body, in addition to 40% of the oxygen we inhale with breathing. It is the most important part of your body.
Providing, through a proper diet, the correct amount and distribution of carbohydrates in the feeding of the baby and the child, who have greater demands than adults, will allow their brain to make the neural connections in which it uses, primarily, All that energy.
He carbohydrate Initially used by the baby's brain is lactose, the "sugar" in milk. It is interesting to note that the amount of lactose in the milk of each species is directly related to the size of your brain in percentage to your body weight; that is: the bigger the brain, the more lactose in milk. In humans, milk's energy content of breast milk comes from 40% of lactose.
Milk energy
The lactose It consists of glucose and galactose, and accounts for 90% of the amount of carbohydrates in milk (there are others, but at a minimum percentage). The amount of lactose remains constant in breast milk, day and night. Human milk also has oligosaccharides, which have a protective function of the intestinal tract and prevent the adhesion of bacteria (bacteriostatic factor).
For this reason, milk should be the fundamental food of the baby and if it is fed with formula milk it should be advised directly by the pediatrician.
In the case of babies, milk being their main food, we must follow the recommendations of the pediatrician but with flexibility. By this I mean that it does not matter if instead of grouping food in a single intake of porridge we divide them throughout the day into small portions the correct feeding of the child will be equally good.
Also, in part for this reason, the requirements of night feeding of babies, who can ask for milk during the night, understanding that their need for food does not cease in sleep. Especially in infants, night shots are very important, both to maintain proper breast milk production and to avoid lowering glucose at night.
Carbohydrate classes
The carbohydrates (carbohydrates) the body breaks them down into glucose and uses them as a source of energy. The brain, although it needs fats for other functions, draws its energy from glucose.
Carbohydrates called simple, in a simple way, we can say that they provide a stable amount of glucose in the bloodstream and for that reason they are very necessary for children. In contrast, refined sugars provide a rapidly rising but poorly maintained glucose level, so they are not the optimal nutrient for them.
The sources of hydrates Basic carbon, in addition to breast milk or formula, are cereals and tubers. Cereals are a type of plants called grasses, which are characterized because seed and fruit are the same thing practically. The man became sedentary when he learned to cultivate them because, in addition to being a safe source of energy, they are easy to prepare, consume and conserve. They must be the basis of a healthy diet both for nutrition in general and to provide the brain with the energy it needs.
Sources of carbohydrates
The most common cereals for human consumption are wheat, corn and rice, as well as other cereals such as oats, barley, rye, millet or sorghum. Refining cereals for consumption and turning them into whiter flours eliminates the germ (rich in protein, vitamins and fats) and bran (which has fiber and vitamin B). The kernel contains starch and in the case of wheat and other cereals, gluten, a type of protein that in babies should be introduced when the pediatrician indicates it.
The cereals We can take them in the form of bread, cookies, flour, pasta or cooked directly. There are also industrial products prepared for babies, which combine the ease of preparation with a simple digestibility, but in which it is necessary to monitor the non-inclusion of sugar or fat and that should not necessarily replace natural food.
As for the tubers They are an excellent source of carbohydrates for children, cooked or prepared in the form of pasta. Potatoes, tapioca (cassava flour) or sweet potato are the most used.
Also the vegetables They are excellent and balanced sources of carbohydrates. Chickpeas, lentils, beans and peas, in addition to soybeans, provide 60% of their calories as carbohydrates, in addition to providing other essential nutrients. They contain polysaccharides or complex sugars such as starch and simple sugars such as sucrose, glucose, fructose and galactose.
Conclusions
Infants need an adequate supply of carbohydrates and small children should take carbohydrates at all meals to keep their blood glucose level constant, leave no more than three or four hours between intake and intake and start the day with an adequate ration to your body weight and appetite.
As we have seen, nourish the baby's brain It completely includes providing adequate energy, which should be in the form of carbohydrates. In the following topics we will analyze other substances that your brain will need to be well fed and function in this new world that opens before them.
