Research data from the early childhood research on early childhood nutrition ENP early life nutritional programming shows that 80% of the immune system, brain and metabolism formed with epigenetics from the first 1,000 days in life as building blocks of life in the healthy brain development.

The nutrition in the first 1000 days makes a huge impact on the long term health of your child. In this time frame, many important factors can lead to the rapid development for central elements of your baby natural defences. Take the future health of your child into your hands and read more on how you can support the development of the natural defences for your child.

Your baby’s natural defences has yet to mature after birth, before it can effectively take on its functions and fight diseases, your child’s body will undergo an important immunological maturation in the first year of life. For example, determination of the type of birth (whether vaginal or caesarean) and diet in the first year of life already decides the type of bacteria to colonize on your baby. The stomach has a central role to play in the building of the natural defences for your child besides the digestive function. By promoting a healthy diet for your baby in the first year of life, you can build a strong natural defence for the future of your child. 

Did You Know?

Did you know that our genes have a much lower impact on the long term health of your child as external factors do? Early childhood diet (from the beginning of pregnancy until about the age of 2 years) is one of the key factors to the future health of your child. 

Supplementary diet

An addition of plenty of vitamins and trace elements for the food of your baby at the latest of after 7 months of age is required as your baby’s immune system will build up slowly.

Fruits and vegetables are essential for a strong immune system as Vitamin C helps to fight off infections by stimulating the immune system to protect the immune cells. Besides that, Vitamin A in carrots and Vitamin E in cereal germ helps to put up a shield of defence for the health of your child.

Iron, zinc and selenium are important trace elements for the immune system. The iron requirement in particular, is essential as iron deficiency reduces the number of lymphocytes and immune cells, formation of antibodies (immunoglobulins) will then be reduced. Therefore, the supplementary food should contain a lot of iron. It is mainly found in meat. Crops like millet or beetroot, broccoli and legumes are also high in iron. 

Nutrients are a great importance for the immune system of your child.

Zinc strengthens the immune system by forming the skin and mucous membranes to form a protective barrier against pathogens. In addition, selenium stimulates the production of antibodies. Zinc is found in meat, while Selenium can be found in shrimp and sardines, brazil nuts, egg yolks, dried soy beans and porcini mushrooms.

You should introduce the new food for a week before jumping to the next food to know if your child can accept a new food with new nutrients and protein. For example, in the first week, only carrot is fed, then carrot and potato. Meat could be mixed among the food at a later date if all was well during the introduction of the food.

The microbial composition is diversified in the gut, increasing interaction as the environment stimulates the immune system as the diet expands with increasing age. 

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