Nutritional needs change over the
different stages of life. What the needs of an unborn child are different than
that of an infant, and those needs are vastly different than that of a child. Just
as proper nutrition is important for a child, continuing on with healthy eating
is important for a growing child becoming a teen. As that teen goes through
puberty and becomes an adult, their nutritional needs change again. Then, if
the adult happens to be a woman, she needs to know what foods to eat in order
to give her baby the best start in life.
While nutrition is important
throughout all stages of life, it is vital for that of an unborn child. While
children, teens and adults can be troubled by illness due to not eating the
correct foods, an unborn child can be born with defects if they do not get a
good start in life through their mother. During pregnancy, the mother needs approximately 300 extra calories, for both herself and the growing baby. However,
this does not give her a free pass to eat anything she wants. Contrary to the
old saying, a woman is not eating for two. There are more myths about Pregnancy Nutrition than many people realize.
As an infant, babies need smaller
total amounts of nutrients than adults do. However, based on body weight, “babies
need more than twice as much of most nutrients” (Sizer & Whitney, 2013.
Page 533). Being that infants need a higher concentration of nutrients, it is
important for mothers to know that breast milk has exactly what their babies
need. Breast milk not only gives the nutrients that are needed but it also helps
protect against infection and helps build the immune system.
During childhood, nutrition is just
as important as it is in infancy, and it is crucial that children continue to
have good nutrition as they get older. Children's bodies grow rapidly, and
their brains are continuing to develop, so proper nutrition is just as
important as it was as an infant. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies point out how
“a
1-year-old child needs about 800 calories a day; at age 6, the child’s needs
double to about 1,600 daily calories. By age 10, about 1,800 calories a day
support normal growth and activity without causing excess storage of body fat”
(Sizer & Whitney, 2013. Page 555).
However,
it has been shown that “children of overweight or obese mothers are more likely
to become overweight and obese themselves” (Boddy, 2013. Paragraph 6).
Because children will eat as their
parents do, it is important that children learn good nutrition. One diet that
has been found helpful for children, teens, as well as adults is being called
the Low-Glycemic Diet. This is not a diet as many people think of losing
weight, but a balanced way to eat in a more healthful manner. For those who are
not overweight, these low-glycemic diets can teach healthy eating. For those
who are overweight, this type of diet can promote long-term benefits for weight
maintenance, prevent excessive weight gain and offer general health
improvements overall.
When children reach adolescence, their
caloric needs change. Because of hormonal changes and continued growth, “all
nutrients are greater during adolescence than at any other time of life” (Sizer
& Whitney. Page 571). With the many bodily changes, a teens appetite increases,
and due to this, the importance for proper nutrition continues. Not only is it important
to continue making sure there are healthy foods available, but to emphasize
portion control. This can be tricky because adolescents go through growth
spurts, and this can happen at different times for different teens. Sizer &
Whitney (2013) point out how
“an
active, growing boy of 15 may need 3,500 calories or more a day just to maintain
his weight, but an inactive girl of the same age whose growth has slowed may
need fewer than 1,800 calories to avoid unneeded weight gain” (Page 570).
However, even as these teens gain
weight, they also gain height, but typically at different rates. Therefore, the
standard to which adults are measured does not apply until the adolescents is
over.
Knowing
how to eat a balanced diet by the time a person reaches adulthood helps
throughout the rest of the individuals life. As the old saying goes, practice
makes perfect. However, it only works if what is being eaten is nutritionally
balanced. Bad habits, especially those involving food, are hard to break. When
it comes to women, knowledge of nutrition can be especially important if she is
planning on having children of her own, especially before she becomes pregnant.
Knowing how important nutrition is during pregnancy, while it would not the
ideal time to change eating habits, it would be better than not changing them
at all. Overall, for adults, certain aspects of nutrition change as the
individual ages. It all depends “on genetics and individual medical history”
(Sizer & Whitney, 2013. Page 576). Being able to eat the right amount of calories,
the correct types of foods, along with having proper serving sizes are needed
to have a healthy life, no matter the stage.
References
Boddy, G. (2013). Study Finds
First Signs Of Heart Disease In Newborns Of Overweight And Obese Mothers. Nutridate,
24(2), 8.
Sizer, F. & Whitney, E.
(2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.).
Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
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