Do You Know What Your Toddler's Eating?

Some parents might not be so certain about what their children are eating for lunch. New research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that many toddler foods are loaded with salt and/or sugar.

Researchers studied 1,074 infant foods currently on the market, including dry cereals, toddler dinners, snacks, vegetables, fruit juices and desserts.

Findings revealed that about 72 percent of the toddler dinners are high in sodium, with more than 210 mg per serving. They also found that about 32 percent of toddler dinners and toddler cereal bars, snacks, desserts or juices are very high in sugar content.

"It was surprising that more than seven of 10 packaged toddler meals contained too much sodium," lead study author Mary E. Cogswell of the CDC in Atlanta said, via Reuters.

Recommended daily sodium intake ranges from 120 milligrams (mg) for infants 0 to 6 months, 370 mg for ages 7 to 12 months and 1,000 mg for ages 1 to 3 years. Many of the added sugars in some of the products also came from fruit juice concentrate, cane, syrup, sugar and malt.

"Regretfully, parents need to read labels carefully to avoid added salt and sugars in food commercially prepared for toddlers," added Dr. Susan S. Baker of the Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Center at the University at Buffalo in New York. Baker coauthored an editorial published with the report.

Reading the label can always help determine if you're making a healthy choice for your little one(s). Make sure to check the back of a product and keep daily ranges in mind.

For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).