Can Fruits Be Given For An Overweight Infant?

Posted on Sat, 6 Jun 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 6 Jun 2015 Answered on

Fri, 26 Jun 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Hello Doctor,

I consulted you about my baby's weight a few days back. She is 1 year now and weigh 16 kg. We consulted a Endocrinologist and she told us to consult a Dietician and wait for couple of months before going for blood tests.

But I have few questions about the diet prescribed.

The dietician prescribed complete stoppage of breast milk and no fruits. As my baby is allergic to outside milk, thus now her diet becomes completely without milk.

My doubt is that at this age, babies need food not only for physical but also brain development. My Endocrinologist suggested not to stop feeding completely but to cut down slowly. Also, does not the baby need at least one fruit everyday?

I am confused. Should I consult another dietician?

Please suggest.

Answered by Dr. Ajish TP (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Please give her a comfortable diet

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Welcome back.

Trust me. Being a pediatric endocrinologist,I see these type of cases every day.

To my experience it's not the weight that always matters. I give more importance to type of body structure, presence of pigmentation over neck and arm pits and above all the genetics - family history of diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol etc.

I don't give any diet restrictions till age of 2 years. Breast milk, infact reduce the risk of childhood obesity. She should take atleast 1 fruit a day. Avoid fruit juices as it has less fibre and high sugar.

Avoid processed food, commercial tin foods, excess sweets. Modify the diet to small quantities 6-8 times a day which will decrease weight gain. Cutting down the food will not help her to loose weight, but will affect her brain growth and health. Starvation followed by excess eating increases the risk of obesity, so I suggest frequent low calorie feeds to keep the hunger down.

Have a growth chart for height and weight plotting. Increase the play activities once she grow up. Most of these kids will return to normal weights by the age of 5-6 years.

So don't worry. Give her a normal diet - with slight modifications I suggested. We shall reassess her at 2 years and 5 years.

Hope I have answered your questions. If you have any further queries I will be happy to help you

Regards,

Dr Ajish TP [MD,DM]
Consultant Pediatric Endocrinologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar