Issues In Complementary Feeding

This publication covers a wide range of topics connected with the concepts of complementary feeding. To start with, the focus is on breastfed infants as reference, looking at human milk as a model for the development of optimal foods in the complementary feeding period. The nutritional safety and quality of complementary foods, as well as the role of cereals, meat, dairy fermented products and local resources are discussed next, together with the possible implications for the use of functional nutrients. Within this context, the dietary requirements of children with certain medical conditions (from malnourished infants to those suffering from food allergy or celiac disease) are critically reassessed in the light of most recent observations. The presentations, coming from developing and transition to well-developed countries, remind us that the complementary feeding recommendations are still influenced by a mixture of tradition, history, policy, practice and science, and that any innovation should take into account all these points to be successful. This publication provides pediatricians, neonatologists, nutritionists and dieticians with a complete update on what is known and what is still unknown about the period when complementary feeding is implemented.

The Model Chapter on Infant and Young Child Feeding is intended for use in basic training of health professionals. It describes essential knowledge and basic skills that every health professional who works with mothers and young children should master. The Model Chapter can be used by teachers and students as a complement to textbooks or as a concise reference manual.

This publication is a training resource that deals with the period prior to successful weaning when a child continues to receive breast milk but also needs increasing amounts of addtional complementary foods to ensure healthy development. It is intended as a practical learning tool for all those responsible for the health and nutrition of young children, particularly health and nutrition workers, and their trainers.

This publication covers a wide range of topics connected with the concepts of complementary feeding. To start with, the focus is on breastfed infants as reference, looking at human milk as a model for the development of optimal foods in the complementary feeding period. The nutritional safety and quality of complementary foods, as well as the role of cereals, meat, dairy fermented products and local resources are discussed next, together with the possible implications for the use of functional nutrients. Within this context, the dietary requirements of children with certain medical conditions (from malnourished infants to those suffering from food allergy or celiac disease) are critically reassessed in the light of most recent observations. The presentations, coming from developing and transition to well-developed countries, remind us that the complementary feeding recommendations are still influenced by a mixture of tradition, history, policy, practice and science, and that any innovation should take into account all these points to be successful. This publication provides pediatricians, neonatologists, nutritionists and dieticians with a complete update on what is known and what is still unknown about the period when complementary feeding is implemented.

This review is intended primarily for health professionals and others concerned with nutrition, health and well-being of children. The objective is to provide the background information that is necessary for the development of scientifically sound feeding recommendations and appropriate intervention programmes to enhance children's dietary intake and nutritional status. Although much of the information may be relevent for young children in industrialized countries, the review focuses on the particular needs of children in low-income sttings, and the recommendations hve been formulated with consideration for the economic and environmental constraints that are common in developing countries. [Author] The review is organized in nine sections : 1. Introduction. - 2. Breast-feeding and complementary feeding : a continuum. - 3. Energy required from complementary foods and factors affecting their intake. - 4. Protein and micronutrients required from complementary foods. - 5. Caregiver feeding behaviours. - 6. Food processing safety and quality. - 7. Global data on child-feeding practices. - 8. Programmatic interventions to improve complementary feeding. - 9. Conclusions

The complementary feeding period from 6 to 24 months is a crucial part of the first 1000 days of development. It marks the transition from exclusively milk-based liquid diet to the family diet and self-feeding. During this period, healthy food preferences and feeding practices are formed. The papers in this book were presented at the 87th Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop in Singapore, May 2016. Divided into three parts, they provide updates and recommendations, as well as insights into strategies and interventions, from all around the world. The first part addresses the role of complementary feeding in healthy development, focusing on food types and the timing of solid food introduction. The second part examines determinants of growth restriction and discusses effective interventions in infants and children in low- and middle-income countries. The last part focuses on development and 'programming' of behavioral and psychological aspects to prevent childhood obesity in high socioeconomic settings.

WHO and UNICEF jointly developed this global strategy to focus world attention on the impact that feeding practices have on the nutritional status, growth and development, health, and thus the very survival of infants and young children. The strategy is the result of a comprehensive two-year participatory process. It is based on the evidence of nutrition's significance in the early months and years of life, and of the crucial role that appropriate feeding practices play in achieving optimal health outcomes. The strategy is intended as a guide for action; it identifies interventions with a proven positive impact; it emphasizes providing mothers and families the support they need to carry out their crucial roles, and it explicitly defines the obligations and responsibilities in this regards of governments, international organizations, and other concerned parties.

An ever-controversial subject, Children's nutrition is eloquently discussed by Gabrielle Palmer, author of The Politics of Breastfeeding, in this brief, compassionate and well-researched book. An invaluable insight into the current politics of complementary feeding.