Home-Cooked Meals For Infants Are Not Healthier Than Commercially Available Food, Study Says

Commercially-bought ready to serve meals for infants and young children are healthier than home-cooked meals, a study from the United Kingdom claims so. The study compared 278 ready-made savory meals from supermarkets to 408 home-cooked meals based on recipes from 55 bestselling cookbooks for infants and young children.

"The majority of commercial meals met energy recommendations and can provide a convenient alternative which includes a greater vegetable variety per meal," said lead author Sharon Carstairs as per The Telegraph. "Home-cooked recipes provided more nutrients than commercial, however the majority of these recipes exceeded energy and fat recommendations," Carstairs added.

#Home cooked meals not #healthier than prepackaged food for young children, UK study - The Sydney Morning Herald https://t.co/P0VvFUqeEZ

— Global Pharma News (@pharma_global) July 19, 2016

Store-bought Slightly Less Sugary, Slightly Greater Vegetable Variety

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the study showed that almost two-thirds of commercially-bought meals for infants and young children met dietary recommendations for energy density. Over one-third of home-cooked meals met the recommendations while more than half went over.

Recipes for the home-cooked meals had 2.5 grams of sugar per 100 grams. The commercially-bought ready to serve meals for infants and young children had 2.2 grams per 100 grams in comparison. The latter also had an average of three vegetable varieties per meal, one more than the home-cooked meals.

Excess Fats In Home-cooked Meals Can Have Health Impact

According to a report from Medical Xpress, home-cooked meals had 44 percent more protein and total fat, including saturated fat. "Dietary fats contribute essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins together with energy and sensory qualities, thus are vital for the growing child, however excessive intakes may impact on childhood obesity and health," the researchers said, as per the report.

Still, the report said that the authors told parents who are out to give their children a varied diet to not give their child only commercially-bought meals. The study on home-cooked meals versus store-bought meals for infants and young children was published in the in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.