From the Guidelines
It is healthy for babies to consume some fats as part of their diet, but with important considerations, prioritizing breast milk or formula as the primary source of nutrition, and introducing other fats like butter and bone marrow in small amounts after 6 months, while avoiding bacon fat due to its high sodium content and processed nature. Babies need fats for brain development, energy, and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. However, the types of fats matter significantly.
- Key considerations include:
- Introducing butter in small amounts after 6 months when solid foods begin, but not replacing breast milk or formula 1.
- Bone marrow can provide nutrients like iron and healthy fats when properly prepared and given in age-appropriate portions.
- Avoiding bacon fat for babies due to its high sodium content, potential nitrates, and processed nature.
- For babies under 1 year, breast milk or formula should remain the primary source of nutrition, with these additional fats serving only as occasional supplements in small amounts 1.
- When introducing any new food, including fats, do so gradually and watch for allergic reactions.
- The focus should be on providing a variety of nutrient-dense foods with healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, and fatty fish rather than processed animal fats 1.
- It is also important to consider the overall dietary recommendations for children, including balancing dietary calories with physical activity, eating vegetables and fruits daily, and reducing the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and foods 1.
From the Research
Fat Intake in Infants
- Fat is necessary in the diets of infants and young children due to their high energy needs and limited dietary capacity 2
- Essential fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, are important for the maturation of the central nervous system, including visual development and intelligence 2
Types of Fats
- Human milk contains about 50% of energy as fat, a large portion of it saturated fat 3
- Commercial infant formulas mimic this proportion but use vegetable sources, and most of them also duplicate the saturated fat fraction 3
- The fat content of commercial milk formulae differs from maternal milk in that it contains no long-chain polyunsaturated derivatives or cholesterol 4
Specific Fats like Butter, Bacon Fat, and Bone Marrow
- There is no direct evidence to suggest that it is healthy for babies to consume fats like butter, bacon fat, and bone marrow 2, 5, 3, 4, 6
- However, it is known that infants require a certain amount of fat in their diet, and that essential fatty acids are important for their development 2
Recommendations
- Fat should not be restricted in the diets of infants and young children 2
- Restricting fat to approximately 30% of the calories consumed is reasonable after the age of 2 years, but the benefits of this recommendation remain to be proved 2
- The fat content of milk formulae for infants should be between 3.0 g and 4.0 g/100 ml, and the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids should be similar to that in human milk fat 5