Childhood Nutrition
By Jennifer Turley and Joan
Thompson
© 2016 Cengage
Introduction
• The physical, cognitive, and social
triad during childhood
– Successful growth and development
– The division of responsibility
– Childhood eating behaviors
• Nutrition needs during childhood
– Energy and nutrients
– MyPlate
– The school food environment
• Childhood fitness and lifestyle
management
– Active kids are healthy kids
– Diet and health issues
Successful Growth and
Development
• Toddlers, young children, and older children
• Continued yet slower growth than infancy
• Use of growth grids
– Normal, underweight, and overweight
• Developmental milestones
• Nutrition supports physical and cognitive
development
• Nutrition is needed for skills acquisition
Age
1-2
Growth & Development
Feeding Skill & Food
Slower height and weight gains; appetite declines;
Uses finger and thumb to pick things up; uses
soft spot on the head disappears; development of
short-shanked spoon to help self feed; lifts
large muscles; pulls self up to stand; walks alone;
and drinks from a cup; helps scrub, tear
baby teeth continue to come in; takes one long nap a break, and dip foods
Growth, Development, and Feeding Skills
day
2-3
Slow and irregular height and weight gains;
development of medium hand muscles; runs, climbs,
pulls, pushes, walks upstairs, rides tricycle; has all 20
teeth; when hungry expresses a need for food
Self-feeds with fingers, spoon, and cup (spills
frequently); can spear food with a fork, wrap,
pour, mix, shake, spread foods, and crack
nuts (with supervision); eats independently;
may have one favorite food at times
3-4
Continued growth and height; Carries things without
spilling; May substitute quite time for nap
Self-feeder and drinks well from a cup
4-5
Continued growth and height; development of small
finger muscles; hops, skips, and throws balls; good
coordination; can do buttons and shoe laces
Can use knife and fork and a napkin; is a
good self feeder; can roll, juice, mash or peel
foods and crack egg shells
5-6
Continued growth; Legs lengthen; Fine coordination
of fingers and hands; Begins to lose front baby teeth;
Permanent molars appear
6-9
Slower growth and height gains; Additional
permanent teeth form; 11 to 13 hours sleep needed
9-12
Legs lengthen; growth spurts; permanent teeth
continue to form; 10 hours sleep needed
Can measure, grind, grate, and cut soft foods
with a dull knife; may use hand mixer with
supervision; may prefer plain, bland, and
unmixed foods
Appetite may decline with slower growth;
feeding skills are mastered; taste preferences
broaden
Good appetite; hunger increases with growth
spurt
The Division of Responsibility
• Parent or caregiver decides what, when, and
where to feed the child
• Child decides whether to eat and how much
to eat
• What is allowed is normalized
• Every food choice makes a difference
• A schedule, good atmosphere, and ageappropriate foods are very helpful
Sample Meal and Snack Schedule
8 AM:
Breakfast
10 AM:
Snack
12 PM:
Lunch
3 PM:
Snack
6 PM:
Dinner
8 PM:
Snack
Plan 1
Oatmeal,
banana, milk
Smoothie
Cheesy
noodles, peas
and carrots,
real juice
Pretzels,
peanut butter,
celery, water
Rice,
vegetables,
fish, milk
Yogurt, berries
Plan 2
Waffle, berries,
real juice
Muffin, water
Sandwich,
carrot sticks,
milk
Granola bar,
yogurt, water
Tortilla, beans,
cheese, meat,
lettuce and
tomato
Freezer pop
with real juice
Plan 3
Eggs, toast,
Real juice
Trail mix, water
Lentil
Cottage
vegetable soup, cheese, pears
crackers, milk
Chicken,
Cereal, milk
mashed
potatoes, salad,
dressing, milk
Sample Daily Lifestyle Schedule
for preschoolers
Childhood Eating Behaviors
• Parents or caregivers should eat with the
children, model healthy eating behaviors, teach
acceptable behavior, and avoid distractions.
• Children evaluate food by its color, texture, and
taste.
• Prefer sweet, a little salty, dense in Calories,
simply prepared, and familiar foods.
• Introduce new foods gradually.
• Food jags and rituals make crop up but are short
lived.
Nutrition Needs During Childhood,
Part
1
• Calories
– EER, TEE, Growth needs
• Carbohydrate
– 130 grams/day, 45-65% of
Calories, 1.4 grams/100 Calorie
Fiber DRI
• Protein
– 0.95 gram/Kg, 5-20% of Calories
• Fat
– 30-40% of Calories (1-3 yrs), 2535% of Calories (4-18 yrs), DRIs &
AMDRs for EFAs
Nutrition Needs during Childhood,
Part 2
• Get essential vitamins, minerals, and water from
healthy foods and drinks over supplements.
• Focus on calcium for bone growth, iron for the
prevention of anemia, and fluoride for tooth
formation.
• Water needs met by 2 cups of milk, ½ cup of real fruit
juice, drinking water, and fluid rich foods (fruits and
vegetables).
MyPlate for
Preschoolers
The School Food Environment
• The National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
– Federally assisted meal program
– Either low cost or free meals
– 1/3 the DRI for Calories, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium
and iron
• The School Breakfast Program (SBP)
– ¼ of the nutrient needs specified in the NSLP
• Afterschool snack program for schools that offer
after school activities
• The Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Program (FFVP)
– Strives to combat childhood obesity
– Access to nutritious fruits and vegetables
Childhood Fitness and Lifestyle
Management
• Active Kids are Healthy Kids
• Children need regular physical activity, 60 minutes per
day
• There are many age appropriate fun activities that
children can do
Diet and Health Issues in
Childhood, Part 1
• Obesity
– Sedentary lifestyle and
unhealthy meal
patterns and
composition
– Normal weight for
height occurs when a
child is in the 10th to
85th percentile
– Avoid mindless eating
– Prevent obesity in
childhood
Diet and Health Issues in
Childhood, Part 2
• Heart disease, hypertension, and
hyperglycemia from unhealthy diet and
sedentary lifestyle practices taught or
permitted during childhood
– AHA primary prevention begins in childhood: eat
right, avoid tobacco use, and be physically active
• Food allergy, a genetic condition, may have for
life if persists after age 3.
– Food allergen avoidance or rotation diet
Diet and Health Issues in Childhood,
Part 3
• Lead toxicity
– Negatively affects brain, blood, and
kidney functioning
– Stunted growth, lower intelligence, and
behavioral problems
– From lead-based paint chips, leadsoldered pipes and water supply,
unsealed ceramic dishware with lead
paint leaches into food
– Exacerbated by iron deficiency
• Pesticides from conventionally
produced foods
Some Summary Points,
Part 1
• Childhood growth is measurable by standardized growth grids
and developmental milestones.
• Cognitive development is greatly influenced by nutrition,
genetics and environment.
• Parents or care givers decide what, when, and where to feed
and the child decides whether to eat and how much to eat.
• A daily routine with regular meals and snacks supports healthy
eating.
• Getting children involved in meal time preparation promotes
consumption of the meal.
• The DRIs, MyPlate Food Guidance System, and school meals
promote proper nutrition.
Some
Summary Points, Part 2
• Children need enough Calories to support their growth,
development, and energy expenditure.
• Dietary recommendations for protein and fat are higher for
children than adults.
• Calcium and iron are common nutrients of concern for
children.
• Active kids are healthy kids and tend to be free of diet and
health related issues including obesity and chronic disease.
• Children with allergies may need to eat a modified and/or
rotation diet for life if the allergies persist after age three.
• Care needs to be taken to eliminate toxin exposure (lead,
pesticides) in children.
References for this presentation are the same as those for this topic found in module 7 of the textbook