NUTRITION ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
PREGNANCY
•The nutritional choices that women make when they are
pregnant can have a direct impact on their developing
babies
•If planning on becoming pregnant, it is recommended by
physicians that women begin making lifestyle changes in
advance because critical development of the fetus begins
even before a woman may realize she is pregnant
PREGNANCY: NUTRIENT NEEDS
FOLIC ACID
•Folic Acid (Vitamin B9) is critical
•A lack of this vitamin raises the risk of the baby developing a neural tube
defect, in which the neural tube (spinal column) fails to close properly during
development
•Complications of this defect include abnormalities of the spine, brain, and skull
•These complications can result in stillbirth or lifelong disabilities such as spina
bifida
•Neural tube development occurs very early in pregnancy; within the first 4
weeks after conception
•Therefore it is recommended that all women of child bearing age take a folic
acid supplement beginning 3 months before they plan on conceiving until at
least 3 months into their pregnancy
PREGNANCY: NUTRIENT NEEDS
IRON
•Iron is important to support the increased numbers of red blood
cells during pregnancy
•These blood cells help deliver oxygen to the placenta and the fetus
•In the final trimester of pregnancy, the fetus builds its own bloodcell stores from the mother’s blood-cell stores, in order to support
itself during the first few months of life
•Low iron levels can result in babies with low birth weights and
premature delivery
•It is recommended by health professionals that pregnant women
take a multivitamin containing iron and consume foods rich in iron
PREGNANCY: NUTRIENT NEEDS
CALORIES
•Energy needs are higher during pregnancy to support growth and
development of baby, but the increase of calories required is not
as great as many people believe
•If too much weight is gained, the mother will have increased
difficulty losing the weight post-partum, and there is an increased
risk of complications for her and baby during birth
•Gaining too little weight can cause low birth weight in baby which
can increase possibility of various disabilities and health problems
as child ages
•Physicians recommend pregnant women continue to be physically
active (according to their health professional’s recommendations)
and follow guidelines in CFG
PREGNANCY: NUTRIENT NEEDS
FOOD SAFETY & SANITATION CONCERNS
•Pregnant women and their babies have higher risk of
foodborne illness
•A pregnant woman’s immune system is weakened, making
her more vulnerable to infections
•Baby’s immune system is not yet developed so infections
can cross through placenta and infect the baby
•Foodborne illnesses can cause miscarriage, stillbirth,
increased risk of other complications for the baby
PREGNANCY: NUTRIENT NEEDS
FOOD SAFETY & SANITATION CONCERNS CTD.
•Health professionals caution that pregnant women should
refrain from consuming:
•Hot dogs and/or deli-meats
•Raw or lightly cooked eggs or egg products (salad
dressings, cookie dough, cake batter, etc.)
•Raw or undercooked meat or poultry
•Raw seafood
•Raw or unpasteurized dairy products
•Raw sprouts
•Unpasteurized fruit juice and cider
INFANCY
BREASTFEEDING
•In their first year of life, infants are growing and developing rapidly, so their
Calorie intake is high relative to their size and the food they consume can have
a noticeable effect
•Health professionals agree that breast milk should be the primary source of
food for infants
•Breastfeeding promotes good health and mother-child bonding
•Colostrum (the thick, yellow breastmilk produced immediately after birth
continuing through early days of breastfeeding) is full of antibodies and white
blood cells, so breastfed children are less likely to develop infections and
allergies
•Colostrum is easy for babies to digest and acts as a laxative making it easier
for infants to pass their first stool
INFANCY
BREASTFEEDING CTD
•Because of this, the WHO (World Health Organization)
recommends that babies:
• be fed colostrum within the first hour of birth
• are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of their life
•Are breastfed and supplemented with solid foods up to age 2
•Colostrum changes to mature milk within a few days after birth
•Foremilk quenches infants’ thirst and changes to hindmilk as
feeding progresses
•Hindmilk relaxes the baby, allows them to feel full, and encourages
weight gain
INFANCY
BARRIERS TO BREASTFEEDING
•A small percentage of mothers experience difficulties
breastfeeding
•Lactation consultants are available in many countries
•Some concerns new mothers have regarding breastfeeding include:
•Their breast milk isn’t as nutritious as formula
•Being uncomfortable breastfeeding around others
•Stopping breastfeeding to return to work
•Society has not always made it easy for women to breastfeed;
some public places banned breastfeeding
•Women find it difficult to express and store milk while at work
INDIVIDUAL TASK
Using the Nutrition & Healthy Eating textbook (green and
white):
1. Go to page 97
2. Read “Spotlight On…Can Food Preferences Begin
in Utero?”
3. Answer questions #1-4
4. Hand in your work
INFANCY
SOLID FOODS
•At 6 months of age, solid foods are gradually introduced
starting with infant cereal
•Foods need to be introduced one at a time to see if an infant
is sensitive to a food
•If you introduce more than 1 food at a time, you will be
unable to assess which food causes the sensitivity
•Wait 2-3 days before introducing new foods to a baby’s diet
•Babies who have a parent or sibling with a food allergy are
at a greater risk of developing an allergy themselves
INFANCY
SOLID FOODS CTD
•Feeding solid foods introduces infants to differences in textures
and encourages them to develop the ability to chew and swallow
•To reduce risk of choking, foods should be cut into very small
pieces and served in small portions
•Infants under 2 years old should drink full-fat dairy products (3%
or 2%)
•Fat is necessary for brain growth and development
INFANCY
FAMILIAL INFLUENCES ON FOOD CHOICES
•Families help determine the foods we eat as well as how
we eat
•Adults play an extremely important role in ensuring that
good food choices are made during meals and snacks
•Feeding infants nutritious foods improves their growth and
development and sets the stage for good food choices
they make as they age and can choose on their own what
to eat
CHILDHOOD
•Good nutrition throughout childhood promote proper growth and
development, and improved concentration and learning
•Making nutritious choices during youth sets a pattern for making
nutritious choices as they age
•17% of children in Canada are overweight and 9% are obese
•In Canada, obesity levels in children have increased over the past
20 years, while physical activity levels have decreased
•This is due, in large part, to high caloric intakes and low energy
expenditure
CHILDHOOD
NUTRITIONAL NEEDS IN CHILDREN
•Children’s calorie and protein needs are higher than
adults’ due to greater growth patterns
•Care needs to be taken to ensure they get adequate
amounts of nutrients such as protein to sustain their growth
•Variety of foods provided exposes children to a variety
of flavours and nutrients
•Poor nutrition in children relates to health concerns such as:
•Constipation
•Iron-deficiency anemia
•Vitamin D deficiency
CHILDREN
NUTRITIONAL NEEDS IN CHILDREN: VITAMIN D
•Vitamin D is produced through exposure to the sun
but the amount of sun kids are exposed to has
decreased due to increased indoor play, increased
use of sunscreen due to skin cancer concerns, and
wearing clothing that covers much of the skin
•Vitamin D is available in some food products (milk
has been fortified with it as well as soy, almond,
and rice beverages)
•Eggs and fatty fish are other sources of Vitamin D
CHILDREN
CHILDREN’S FOOD CHOICES
•Most children go through a time when they are considered
“picky eaters”; refusing to eat all but certain foods
•This behaviour is learned from those around them
•Modelling appropriate food choices results in children
consuming a wider variety of foods
•Pressuring children to finish their food results in children
having a negative reaction to that food, and consuming
less food
•Some children may not like the taste or texture of certain
foods as they have more taste buds than adults do, so they
find many flavours stronger than adults will
CHILDREN
CHILDREN’S FOOD CHOICES
•Children may experience food neophobia; a fear and
unwillingness to try new foods
•They need to be introduced to new foods multiple times
before they develop a likeness, or taste, for it. (15 times is
possible!)
•Present foods in a fun way (different shapes and sizes)
Hiding vegetables inside other foods (ex: pasta sauce,
soups) at least helps ensure children are getting these
important nutrients
•It may, however, dissuade children from becoming familiar
with, and eating those vegetables, separately.
CHILDREN
SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON FOOD CHOICES
•Seeing what their family, friends, and classmates
consume can have a strong influence on children’s
food choices
•When we eat with others we may consume more
food as we aren’t conscious of how much food we
are putting into our mouths
•In an attempt to get along with others and mirror
what they are doing, children (and adults!) often
match what and how much others are eating
GROUP TASK
In pairs or groups of 3 max, (or you can choose to work individually), complete the
following task:
1. Using the Nutrition & Healthy Eating textbook (green and white), go to
page 107.
2. Read the “Trends & Change” box titled Fruits and Vegetable Programs.
3. Choose a vegetable that children might not enjoy eating. (Ex: broccoli,
cabbage, cauliflower, celery, beans, carrots, mushrooms, etc.)
4. On a blank piece of white paper, create a poster targeted at children
ages 4-8, that promotes that vegetable and makes it appear fun to eat.
5. Creativity is key! What makes a child interested in anything? Cartoons!
Colour! Fun!
PREADOLESCENCE & EARLY ADOLESCENCE
•Puberty brings heightened growth, including growth spurts,
so nutrient intake, including energy intake, increases
•The age at which children, especially girls, experience
puberty has lowered over the decades
•Children with poor diets are more likely to go through
puberty earlier
•Children with diets higher in vegetable protein tend to go
through puberty approx. 7 months later than the average
whereas children with diets higher in animal protein go
through puberty approx. 7 months earlier than the avg.
PREADOLESCENCE AND EARLY ADOLESCENCE
ROLE OF MEDIA IN FOOD CHOICES
•Children and youth have increased access to media and
programming exposes them to as many as 40,000
advertisements/year
•Children with high levels of media usage are more likely
to consume foods that are less nutrient dense and more
energy dense
•Children who are exposed to more food advertising tend
to have higher BMI’s than those who are not
•TV, video games, and computers/electronic devices reduce
the time that youth spend participating in physical activity
ADOLESCENCE
NUTRITIONAL NEEDS
•Not all teens are making good food choices, but this is often due to
their level of nutrition knowledge
•Iron-deficiency anemia can affect males and females but is more
of a concern among adolescent girls; menstruation
•Girls recommended intake of iron is higher than boys
•Iron from animal sources is easily absorbed by GI tract and can be
used by the body
•Calcium can reduce the absorption of iron from vegetable sources
making it more difficult for the body to use iron
•Vitamin C helps increase the absorption of iron, so consuming foods
rich in Vit C (citrus fruits, kiwi, tomatoes, broccoli) will help
ADOLESCENCE
NUTRITIONAL NEEDS CTD.
•Approx 20 % of teenage girls in Canada report not
consuming meat products
•35% of teenage girls in Canada consume fewer than the
recommended daily servings of Meat & Meat Alternatives
•Protein continues to be as important for adolescents as it is
for children, due to the rapid growth that happens
•Adolescents need to be mindful of their protein choices;
while meats provide complete proteins, they may also be
high in fat, especially saturated fat
ADOLESCENCE
PHYSIOLOGICAL & EMOTIONAL INFLUENCES ON FOOD
CHOICES
•Food is associated with both positive & negative
experiences
•Example: comfort foods we associate with home and comfort, or
foods that remind of us of our childhood
•Our physiological state can also determine how much and
what types of foods we choose
•Example: people who are well rested make better food choices
than people who are sleep deprived
•Certain emotions make us more likely to eat; anger,
confusion, loneliness
ADOLESCENCE
PHYSIOLOGICAL & EMOTIONAL INFLUENCES ON FOOD
CHOICES CTD
•emotional eating can be linked to overconsumption of
food which can lead to weight gain & can be a
contributing factor in rising obesity levels in society
ADULTHOOD
•Recent studies on Canadian adults’ food intake
show that 25% of males and females daily energy
needs are coming from foods that are high in sugar,
salt, and fat
•Metabolism slows down gradually as you get older,
making it easier to gain weight and harder to lose
weight
•Adults who had no trouble maintaining a healthy
weight as adolescents may suddenly find that they
gain weight every year
ADULTHOOD CTD…
•As adults are no longer growing, their nutrient
needs are different than when they were younger
•Calories may need to be reduced
•Nutrient needs of a younger adult (18-25) may be
different than those of older adults
Ex: iron & folic acid are important for women
in childbearing years, while calcium & vitamin D
are important for older men and women
•A relationship between poor diet and fertility
problems has been found by researchers (2008)
ADULTHOOD
ECONOMIC INFLUENCES ON FOOD CHOICE
•How Canadians spend their food money has
changed over the years; we are now spending more
at restaurants and less at grocery stores
•Factors influencing this:
•Increased availability of restaurants
•Eating at restaurants has become a common leisure
activity
•For some, the cost of spending money on restaurant food
is worth more than spending the time to make the food
themselves
ECONOMIC INFLUENCES ON FOOD CHOICE CTD…
•As young adults move away from home, they need to
learn how to:
•prepare nutritious, flavourful meals
•Budget for groceries
•Grocery shop
•Safely store food
•When you prepare your own meals, more control can be
placed over the ingredients, nutritional value, portion size,
and to suit personal tastes
OLDER ADULTS
•Energy needs diminish but nutrient needs remain the same
as they are for younger adults
•Seniors need to ensure they consume foods high in
nutrients, but low in calories (ex: veg, fruit, whole grains)
•This means that portion sizes might need to be adjusted
•Some seniors find their appetites are smaller
•Physical activity can reduce risk of chronic illness &
obesity, and increase cognition
•Retaining muscle strength is important as it has a bearing
on daily functions: ability to pick up items, walking speed,
endurance, and maintaining bone mass
OLDER ADULTS CTD…
•Factors impairing older adult’s ability to acquire and
prepare food:
•Lack of transportation
•Poverty
•Physical disabilities
•The end result may be a very limited diet
•Solutions:
•Community programs (Meals on Wheels or other programs that
deliver prepared meals once a day)
•Some grocery stores have ordering and delivery programs
THINK (ON YOUR OWN), PAIR (DISCUSS WITH
PARTNER), SHARE (WITH CLASS)
ACTIVITY
In addition to food, what other benefits
could seniors gain from food delivery
programs such as Meals on Wheels?
OLDER ADULTS: NUTRITIONAL NEEDS
•Food moves through older adult’s digestive system more slowly
•Constipation may be more of a concern than it is in younger adults
•Eating a diet high in fibre (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts,
and seeds) and consuming an adequate amount of water are
important
•Dehydration is a big concern for older adults since they are less
likely to experience thirst
•Vitamin D deficiency can result in osteomalacia (the softening of
bones) when it occurs in adulthood
•Adequate Vitamin D and calcium levels among older adults helps
to reduce the number of falls they experience
OLDER ADULTS: NUTRITIONAL NEEDS CTD…
•Health Canada recommends that adults over the age of 50 take a
Vitamin D supplement
•Prescription and over-the-counter medication can affect the
absorption of some nutrients into the bloodstream so all
medications and supplements should be discussed with health
professionals before consuming
IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND
OUR SOCIETY IS OBESE!!
•Our society is increasingly obesogenic, which makes it
increasingly difficult for people to maintain a healthy
weight
•Influences on obesity in our society:
•Widespread availability of inexpensive, energy-dense foods
•Vending machines
•Food delivery options
•Ready-to-eat foods
•Increased portion sizes
•Low cost of these foods
IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND
HOW WE CAN CHANGE
•Healthy Canada by Design – a coalition of regional
health authorities and urban planners
•This coalition examines how communities can be designed
to improve aspects of health
•Example: creating bike lanes and walking and running paths
•THINK: What has your community done to help improve aspects
of health in it’s community members?
FINAL INDIVIDUAL TASK
With this note, you have:
 Compared nutrient needs of various life stages
 Identified influences on nutrient needs throughout the lifespan
 Described various influences on food choices
On a long sheet of paper, create a time line to represent a
person’s lifespan from infant to older adult. On one side of the
time line, indicate important nutrient requirements of each stage of
life. On the other side of the time line, describe some of the
factors that may influence food preferences at each stage.
Infancy
childhood
preadolescence
adolescence
adult
older adult