Baby bloom is food for thought

MOTHERS and babies inspire one of the large show gardens at Bloom in the Park this bank holiday weekend.

The Kerry/Concern 1000 Days garden, created by designer Paul Martin, is based on the idea that good nutrition during the 1,000 days from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday can save a million lives a year and transform the futures of millions more.

“The garden’s the story of how resourceful people in poverty are,” explains Martin. “It’s also the story of how things could be — where nutrition is the trigger for health, education and opportunity.”

British-based epidemiologist David Barker is a leading proponent of the ‘foetal origins’ theory of disease — that lifetime health is a product of the first 1,000 days, the nutrition window comprising 270 days of pregnancy and the first two years of a child’s life.

Barker’s research found a baby’s period in the womb can permanently affect everything, from a child’s chances of developing diabetes or having a heart attack in old age, to their future weight and life expectancy. When food’s in short supply or there’s poor pre-natal nourishment, vital organs such as the heart can be weakened and odds of developing diabetes rise.

His study also found lighter birth-weight babies were more pre-disposed to heart attack in later life.

“Nutrition in the womb almost maps your future health,” says dietitian Aveen Bannon. While most vital stages of development occur pre-natally, the brain, skeleton and immune system continue developing until the child is two. Mindful that being overweight/obese is a risk factor for disease, Bannon advises breast-feeding for the first six months of baby’s life.

“If an infant’s breastfed for three to six months, they’re 38% less likely to be overweight when older,” she says.

From six months, babies need iron in their diet — found in dark green veg and meat.

“Iron’s vital for mental development. Also, all children should take a Vitamin D supplement in their first year,” says Bannon, who urges parents to feed children protein at two daily meals and four helpings of fruit and veg a day.