Slow Growth in Infancy Information

Introduction

There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.

Dietary causes of slow growth in infancy:

Slow growth

During their first years, infants have a lot of qrowing to do. It is during this time that their brains grow as well. All this growth is dependent on the nutrition — proteins, fats, minerals, trace elements, and vitamins — that they absorb from the food they eat. Children also need a lot of energy. But infants' stomachs are too small for anything but an energy and nutrient-dense diet. It is imperative, therefore, that what they eat has little waste.

It is here that 'healthy eating' can be at its most dangerous. Because, even if the low-fat, calorie-poor, carbohydrate based 'healthy eating' recommendations help adults (they don't), they certainly are harmful to growing children.

Phytate-rich fibres (cereals and soy) which inhibit the absorption of minerals, are the greatest contributors to growth problems.[1] Next is probably a lack of fat. Not only is fat the best supplier of the energy a growing child needs, fats are essential for the proper development of the growing brain.

And any form of nutrient starvation can add to the problem.

There is only one source of food that supplies all the nutrients a growing child needs, without a lot of waste material that takes up valuable space in that child's stomach: that is foods from animal sources. Foods such as eggs, particularly egg yolks, butter, meat and poultry with its fat, cream, full-fat hard cheese, and oily fish.

Reference

1. Lifshitz F, et al. Nutritional dwarfing in adolescents. Semin Adolesc Med 1987; 3 (4): 255-66.