Posted on July 9, 2007 in Uncategorized
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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