Children's diets not healthy enough, say researchers

Belgian children don’t eat healthily enough, according to researchers from the Free University of Brussels (VUB). They investigated the eating habits of 465 children aged between six months and three years, and their results were published in the European Journal of Nutrition.

The team, led by Koen Huysentruyt, examined the most crucial sources of energy and macronutrients – proteins, fats and carbohydrates – in children’s diets and compared the data with the federal government’s official recommendations. They concluded that children’s eating habits don’t meet the standards of a healthy food pattern.

The diets contained too much protein and, thus, too much energy. When more than 15% of energy consumption comes from protein, children can develop health problems in the long term. On the other hand, the study found that children were consuming too little fats and fibres.

The researchers have called for mothers to breastfeed for longer. In the first two years of a child’s life, milk is the most important source of food, they said. Although cow’s milk is a good source of fats, it also contains a lot of protein. If the breastfeeding period is extended, the intake of energy and proteins can remain at a healthy level for a longer period.

The team also said that an excess of desserts and other sweets have resulted in an excessive intake of energy.

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