Posted on July 9, 2007 in Diet and Nutrition
As children grow up and start developing bones, teeth, muscles etc., they need to consume more nutritious food. The food they consume should be proportionate to their weight they have. The food consumed by children should have correct amount of calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin BC and Vitamin A. The food should contain low fat, non-fat milk, decreased intake of whole milk and egg.
The Energy Requirements
- The energy needs of a child are known on the basis of metabolism, rate of growth and activity that the children do. The diet must give energy which must be sufficient to ensure that the growth and spare protein should create enough energy to keep them healthy and strong. This should also not be too excessive that it results in obesity. The energy intakes of healthy, growing children depends on their activity level.
- Children need protein as a form of nutrition. The need for protein per kilogram of body weight decreases from 1.2 g in early childhood to 1g in childhood. Children who are most likely to be at risk for lack of appropriate levels of protein intake are those who have multiple food allergies. They could also comprise of children who have limited food selections because of bad diet or behavioral problems. This could happen with even limited access to food.
- Lack of minerals and vitamins for nutrition can also cause a problem to children who are in the developing stage. Children between the age group of 1 and 3 are more prone to iron deficiency, which is also called anemia. The rapid growth period of infancy is marked by an increase in haemoglobin and also an increase in total iron mass. Apart from that, the child’s diet may not be rich in iron. For children belonging to this age group, calcium is needed for adequate mineralization. It is also crucial for maintenance of growing bone.
- The actual needs of children depend on individual absorption rates and dietary factors. These could include quantities of protein, vitamin D and phosphorus.
- Calcium retention in children between 2 and 8 years of age should be 100 mg /day on an average. Children require two to four times calcium per kilogram as compared to adults. Since milk and other dairy products are primary sources of calcium for children, they can consume little amounts of these foods since they are at risk of calcium deficiency.
- Vitamin D is needed to take care of calcium absorption and for deposition of calcium in the bones. This nutrition can also be made available through sunlight on subcutaneous tissues.
- Apart from that zinc is also essential for growth. Deficiency in zinc results in growth failure, poor appetite and poor wound healing. Children can get zinc from the consumption of meat and seafood. Nutrition can be gained by a balanced combination of different vitamins and minerals.
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August 29th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
i dont have any knowledge wht to give n how much to give to my 1 n half yr old baby plz do let me know wht all r necessary for her to grow n how much to be given n plz specify all the needs of this age babies n plz specify all the nutritions , protiens , calcium vitamins ,mineral etc n wht sort of eatbles to b given thank u
October 13th, 2007 at 4:54 am
why do children need more proteins and carbohydrates
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:51 pm
my son is 8yrs old. i want to know a proper diet chart for him. he is very skinny and not very healthy. he does eat as much required by his body. can i know wht kind of diet will be good for him??
November 20th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
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It became cold and cloudy!
Mood very bad
Depression Begins
November 21st, 2008 at 3:59 am
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HEEEEELP
I hate winter! I want summer!
November 29th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I very much love summer
Someone very much loves winter
I Wish to know whom more
For what you love winter?
For what you love summer? Let’s argue
October 13th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Hello, pleasant and revealing article. I wish to add a few mentions. If you have tight cholesterol, then you may question, will a low fat diet low down cholesterol? This is a crucial question, because it is a good known fact that the most working way to lower cholesterol is through diet. Sure one component of a diet for lowering cholesterol will include being low in fat. Simply this is entirely part of the history. It is primary to get that it is the saturated fattens that you want to eliminate it from the foods you feed.