INTRODUCTION
Nutrition is the study of food in relation to health. Adults require the same type of nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fats but children however, need different amounts of specific nutrients at different ages for the child’s growth. Due to this, the need for dietary guidelines are set for all age groups and sometimes gender .The child category can be divided into 3 ; an infant stage , childhood stage and adolescent stage.
INFANCY
Babies at this age can be breast fed for the first six months without any solid food incorporation because the breast milk contains all the optimal nutrient mix for the infant. Breast milk has antibodies, antimicrobial factors, enzymes, and anti-inflammatory factors along with fatty acids (which promote optimal brain development). Two benefits of breastfeeding are for both the infant and mother;
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- Breast feeding helps the baby develop and grow without complications and fight off diseases such as gastrointestinal and respiratory infections.
- It helps stimulates the release of beneficial hormones such as oxytocin and prolactin, which helps the mother lose weight and bond with her baby.
Breast milk or infant formula is the only nourishment needed by most healthy babies until they are 4-6 months old. Cow's milk or other dairy products should not be given until at least one year of age. Breastfeeding is recommended to begin within the first hour of a baby life and continue as often and as much as the baby wants. During the first few weeks of life babies may nurse roughly every two to three hours, and the duration of a feeding is usually ten to fifteen minutes on each breast.
An infant that receives exclusively breast milk for the first six months rarely needs additional vitamins or minerals. However, vitamins D and B12 may be needed if the breastfeeding mother does not have a proper intake of these vitamins. The infant may now be introduced to solid food at 6 months and should be preferably consume solid food with iron since the iron the infant stored from the womb will have been depleted at 6 months.
Using formula
This form of nutrition may be used instead of breast milk due to life style choices or the fact that other women cannot breast feed due to pathological reasons .An infant who may have an allergy or may be premature may get a formula specific for their state not forgetting the lactose intolerant babies who may turn to soy based formulas or lactose free formulas.
The formulas can be consumed in the following quantities;
Newborns consume half an ounce for the first 2 days after birth but will gradually increase to 1 or 3 ounces until 2 weeks after birth. They will begin to drink 2 to 3 ounces.
- Babies at 2 months of age will begin to drink 4 to 5 ounces every 3 to 4 hours
- A 4 month old baby should drink 4-6 ounces every 4 hours.
- A 6 month old should drink 6-8 ounces every 4–5 hours.
CHILHOOD PERIOD [2-11 YEARS]
This includes children who have started school and require to eat healthy in order to nourish the brain since their brains are rapidly developing and without the right nutrients they might struggle to develop the skill of concentration.
A toddler whose age is between 2 to 3 years there servings is as follows;
- Grains and cereals is 3-4 ounces
- Fruits 1to one and a half cups
- Vegetables is 1-2 cups
- Meat and beans 2-4 ounces
- Dairy is 2 cups
When choosing proteins, consider lean meat, sea food, poultry, eggs, beans, soya products and unsalted nuts and seeds for maintenance and building of body tissues. When it comes to fruits variety of fresh, canned, frozen or dried fruits are preferred rather than fruit juice.
Serve a variety of fresh, canned, frozen or dried vegetables. Aim to provide a variety of vegetables, including dark green, red and orange, beans and peas, starchy and others, each week. The grains should be whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, or brown or wild rice and limit refined grains such as white bread, pasta and rice. Dairy should be fat-free or have low-fat for example milk, yogurt, cheese or fortified soy beverages.
ADOLECENT [12-18 YEARS]
In this stage a surge of appetite is noted in both genders and eating healthy is important as body changes hence need healthy food to meet their growth needs. The best way an adolescent can maintain a healthy weight is to eat a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, no-fat or low-fat milk products, beans, eggs, fish, nuts, and lean meats.
This includes a meal with the following quantities;
- Fruits and vegetables every day where the serving should be 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables every day.
- Proteins should be 5½ ounces of protein-rich foods every day from good sources such as lean meat, poultry, or fish.
- Iron-rich foods example lean beef, iron-fortified cereals and breads, dried beans and peas, or spinach are good sources of iron. For boys , they double their lean body mass between the ages of 10 and 17, needing iron to support their growth on the other hand girls need iron for growth too, and to replace blood they lose through menstruation.
Adolescents should limit their fat intake to 25 to 35 percent of their total calories every day and they should choose unsaturated fats over saturated fats. Healthier, unsaturated fats include olive, canola, safflower, sunflower, corn, and soybean oils; fatty, cold water fish like salmon, trout, tuna, and whitefish; and nuts and seeds.
When it comes to dairy, three 1-cup servings of low-fat or fat-free calcium-rich foods every day are advised. Good sources include yogurt or milk which is a good source of calcium. Apart from dairy, drinking a lot of water should be observed since children at this age engage in a lot of physical activities hence need to hydrate enough.
CONCULUSION
Nutrition is important at every age .Children need proper nutrients to stay and grow up healthy and strong. Nutrition for children can also help establish a foundation for healthy eating habits and nutritional knowledge that a child can apply throughout life.
REFFERENCES
- https://www.mana.md/the-importance-of-child-nutrition/
- The Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) Trial Team; Humphrey, J. H.; Jones, A. D.; Manges, A.; Mangwadu, G.; Maluccio, J. A.; Mbuya, M. N.; Moulton, L. H.; Ntozini, R.; Prendergast, A. J.; Stoltzfus, R. J.; Tielsch, J. M. (2015-11-24).
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