The cost of food continues to make headlines. A sad observation is clear: food insecurity is becoming the reality of new Quebec households and is amplified among those who already knew it. The usual survival strategies are no longer enough and in many cupboards, foodstuffs bought in $1 stores sit alongside those obtained at the Food Bank.
In addition, the impression that it is always more difficult to eat healthy is accentuated. Many are aware that to achieve this, you have to deploy a panoply of tricks such as chasing discounts and planning your meals in detail, at the cost of tenfold pressure.
Thousands of people will feel this accumulation of stress and guilt every day in their grocery cart, their kitchen, their plate and their ability to find pleasure and comfort around the table.
But does food insecurity affect our babies and toddlers differently? The answer is yes and lies in understanding what happens during pregnancy and the 24 months following birth: the first 1000 days of life!
These 1000 days are an intense period of physiological development, especially of the brain. Failure to meet the nutritional needs of the mother leads to an increased risk to the health and development of the child, such as preventable chronic diseases or childhood obesity. Moreover, it is well established that what happens in the womb influences gene expression throughout life. If food insecurity affects the plate, in quantity and quality, the baby could be impacted, now and later.
These first 1000 days are also those during which they acquire healthy eating habits that will help the baby grow up healthy, develop their full potential and become a fulfilled adult. A sneaky consequence of food insecurity is that it affects babies’ first experiences at the table, and therefore their ability to build healthy foundations:
While these first months are crucial in the development of taste, the fear of wasting foods that the child will not like could reduce the variety of foods to which he is exposed.
The parent’s ability to be the model for his child is weakened because this role is exercised during family meals, where everyone eats a variety of foods. However, parents will prefer to feed their child before themselves or offer him the best food. They will possibly eat later and out of sight.
Parents, anxious to avoid food losses, may be less attentive to their child’s signals of satiety. No one is deliberately exerting harmful pressure, but the feeling of having to make a profit from any food purchase could get in the way of the best intentions.
All of these situations are the reality of many families. Moreover, they take place in an accumulation of stress, fatigue and perpetual doubt that the love of a newborn maintains in a fragile balance.
To counter food insecurity, we need emergency assistance to feed, learning opportunities to equip, networking to support and strong public policies to reduce inequalities.
It is also necessary that our babies, in the making or in full discovery, have special attention. Fortunately, a solution exists everywhere in Quebec and has proven itself: Olo tracking. Despite 30 years of impact and 250,000 healthier babies born, nothing should be taken for granted.
In these times of increasing food insecurity, let us thirst for equity for thousands of babies. Because a healthy future is built from the first 1000 days, their future is being prepared now… one bite at a time.