Beech-Nut Survey Finds Confusion About Starting Solids - And Need For Official Nutrition Guidelines For Infants

AMSTERDAM, N.Y., Sept. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Advice on feeding infants solid foods comes from lots of sources – pediatricians, family, friends, nutritionists...even the Internet. With so many sources to turn to and no official U.S. guidelines for infants under two, it's no wonder many parents are unsure about when and how to best transition to solids. In a new survey of 200 parents with an infant under two or expecting, Beech-Nut also found that more than half of parents think the information available on infant nutrition isn't clear.

"Recent studies suggest a link between the foods babies eat in their first year and future eating habits and childhood health, but our survey shows that parents are often unsure about how, what, and when to feed them," said Jeff Boutelle, president of Beech-Nut Nutrition Company. "We have a real opportunity to set babies on the right track by feeding them a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that actually look and taste like fresh fruits and vegetables to establish those good eating habits early on."

The survey revealed four key areas of concern for parents when it comes to infant nutrition, including transitioning to solid foods, future health, vegetables and protein intake.

Transitioning to Solids: 
Beech-Nut's survey found parents are getting conflicting information on transitioning infants to solids. Parents are equally divided on whether or not four months is the appropriate age to start introducing solids, and one out of 10 parents admitted they "don't know" when to introduce solids. Parents agree on one thing: the need for better guidance. Two-thirds of parents feel there should be official dietary guidelines for infants under two.

Future Health: 
Parents are overwhelmingly concerned about their infants' nutrition and future health. The survey revealed 9 out of 10 parents try to feed their infants better foods to make sure their children end up healthier in the future than they are, and nearly all parents agreed the foods their infants eat now will impact their health later in life. But the desire to feed their infants better doesn't come without confusion about how much and what kinds of foods are needed for a well-balanced diet.

Vegetables: 
Begging kids to eat their vegetables is familiar to many parents. The survey found 77 percent of parents are focused on introducing their infants to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including more unusual and exotic ones, with the goal of influencing their infants' food choices later in life. But that doesn't mean parents have an easy time getting their infants to eat that spinach; 48 percent wish their infant would eat more vegetables, and 1 in 4 are positive their baby already doesn't like them.

Protein Intake: 
Breast milk and formula provide an infant with necessary proteins during the first few months of life, but the transition to solid foods can be a tricky balancing act. Protein plays an important role in an infant's development, as too little protein can hinder development and too much can cause strain on immature kidneys. In the survey, only a quarter of parents said they are confident about the amount of protein an infant needs.

Beech-Nut is dedicated to supporting parents with resources they need to raise a happy and healthy baby. To give parents access to reliable information about the dietary needs of infants, Beech-Nut teamed up with registered dietician and board certified specialist in pediatric nutrition, Nicole Silber. Over the next several weeks, Nicole and Beech-Nut will be posting helpful feeding guidance for parents on the new Beech-Nut blog.

"Feeding a baby doesn't have to be nerve wracking," said Nicole Silber, RD, CSP, CDN, and pediatric nutrition expert for Beech-Nut. "With the right tools and support parents can successfully introduce solids to their infants and set them up for a lifetime of good eating habits."

To learn more, follow Beech-Nut's new blog: www.beechnut.com/blog.

Follow Beech-Nut at Facebook.com/BeechNut or @BeechNutFoods (Twitter and Instagram).

About Beech-Nut  
Producing baby food since 1931, Beech-Nut Nutrition Company has been built on a history of innovation and dedication to infant nutrition. Headquartered in Amsterdam, New York, Beech-Nut is the number two leading baby food brand in the United States and is committed to deliver nutritious food for parents and babies. The company earned 2015 Product of the Year in the baby food category. As a subsidiary of Hero AG of Lenzburg, Switzerland, a global leader in consumer goods and infant feeding, Beech-Nut is able to combine global resources to continuously improve food and nutrition for infants.

About Hero AG  
Hero, an international brand-focused consumer-foods group, was founded in 1886 in Lenzburg, Switzerland, and is committed to producing high-quality, nutritious products in its core product categories of Infant Nutrition and Fruit. Hero's operations are based predominantly in Europe, North America and Middle East/Africa and Turkey/Central Asia. In 2009, the group generated revenues of 1.9 billion with over 4,000 employees. Dr. Arend Oetker is the majority shareholder.

About Nicole Silber, RD, CSP, CDN
Nicole Silber is a Registered Dietitian and board certified specialist in pediatric nutrition. She is currently the Director of Pediatrics at Middleberg Nutrition. Nicole previously worked as a clinical nutritionist at two of New York's top-rated hospitals, The Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University and NYU Langone Medical Center/Fink Children's Ambulatory Care Center. She has worked with hundreds of children and families who face gastrointestinal disease, feeding tubes, prematurity, cystic fibrosis, cardiac disease, food allergies, diabetes, picky eating, underweight and obesity.

Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150920/268572-INFO

SOURCE Beech-Nut

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