The first 1000 days

Closeness, care and security are needs that most people think are obvious for a child to develop optimally. It is perhaps less well known that the food the children eat is absolutely crucial for them to develop optimally. The first 1000 days (from conception to two years) lay the foundation for the child's physical and mental health for the rest of his life (1).

The first 1000 days mean the most because the baby is in a strong growth phase and many of the changes that occur during this period will not occur later in life (1).

“That is why this time is called the window of opportunity”

For example, folate (vitamin B9) plays an important role in closing the spinal cord in the fetus during pregnancy, iodine is important for language development and enough vitamin B12 is important for good motor development. The first 1000 days are the period in life that we have the greatest opportunity to influence and facilitate optimal development, but it is also the period in life that the child is most vulnerable to malnutrition. That is why that time is called "the window of opportunity".

You could say that you get more in return for the time you spend in the kitchen today than the time you spend tomorrow. It is simply an investment in your child's health that will last a lifetime. It can easily become a little overwhelming to think of all the things that could have been done better when it comes to food for the child.

“The stress of striving for a “perfect” diet can ruin the positive health benefits of a good diet”

One change at a time is a good rule of thumb. The stress of striving for a “perfect” diet can ruin the positive health benefits of a good diet - here you need to find a balance that suits your family.

The brain you end up with for the rest of your life develops until you are two years old. The brain grows and changes throughout life, but the period when the brain grows the most and is most plastic (malleable) is the last three months of pregnancy and until the baby is two years old.

Five months into the pregnancy, the baby's brain looks very simple and smooth, like a coffee bean. At nine months, the brain has grown considerably and is more like an adult brain, like a walnut. Even if the development of the brain continues throughout life, the child at the age of two will have undergone an enormous restructuring and many of the changes that occur during this period will not occur later in life (1).

Nutrients that have been shown to support neurological development are protein, zinc, iron, choline, folate, iodine, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins A, D, B6 and B12. (1). Understanding the complex interplay between nutritional and neurological development is a key factor in understanding that it is not enough to simply recommend “a healthy diet” to parents of young children.

But no one expects you as a parent to have to familiarize yourself with all this. 🙂

Therefore, we want to make it as simple as possible by instead giving you tips on foods that contain a little extra of these important nutrients!

Nutrient-dense foods

Foods in which you will find several of these nutrients are cod, saithe, haddock, eggs, avocado, liver, broccoli, citrus fruits, cocoa powder, beans, flaxseed, chia seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, walnuts and Brazil nuts. Vitamin D is most easily formed in the body by getting sun on the skin, without sunscreen (everything in moderation).

Another reason why it is good to invest in food in the first years is that the intestinal flora is established around 2-3 years of age and food is one of several factors that affect the intestine (2,3).

One last reason why it is good to prioritize food is that good habits and behavior patterns are established at an early age and can last a lifetime. Health and living habits that are established early in life have also been shown to affect the possibility of success in school and professional life (4).

Sources:

(1) Schwarzenberg, SJ. & Georgieff, M. (2018). Advocacy for Improving Nutrition in the First 1000 Days to Support Childhood Development and Adult Health. Nature. Hentet fra: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/141/2/e20173716

(2) Stanislawski, M., Dabelea, D., Wagner, B., Iszatt, N., Dahl, C., Sontag, M., Knight, R., Lozupone., C., Eggesbø, M. (2018). Gut Microbiota in the First 2 Years of Life and the Association with Body Mass Index at Age 12 in a Norwegian Birth Cohort. Hentet fra: https://mbio.asm.org/content/9/5/e01751-18

(3) David, LA., Maurice, CF., Carmody, RN., Gootenberg, DB., Button, JE., Wolfe, BE., Ling, AV., Devlin, AS., Varma, Y., Fischbach, MA., Biddinger, SB., Dutton, RJ., Turnbaugh, PJ. (2014). Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome. Nature. Hentet fra: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24336217?dopt=Abstract

(4) Finansdepartementet. (2018). Muligheter for alle – Fordeling og sosial bærekraft. Meld. St. 13 (2018–2019). Hentet fra: https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/meld.-st.-13-20182019/id2630508/sec1