As, a health care professional I strive to create a healthier environment for our children, your support as a parent plays a pivotal role. Together, we can make a significant impact on the lives of our children and set them on a path towards a brighter, healthier future.
Young children’s diets are frequently comprised of grains – with little fruit, vegetables, eggs, dairy, fish or meat. Many are increasingly being fed sugary drinks and packaged snacks high in salt, sugar and fat.
Poor diets in early childhood can lead to deficiencies in essential vitamins and nutrients – such as vitamin A deficiency, which weakens children’s immunity, increases their risk of blindness and can lead to death from common childhood diseases like diarrhea.
Meeting children’s nutrient needs in early life can be challenging, and many parents face barriers to securing enough nutritious, safe, affordable and age-appropriate food for their children. These challenges are even greater during conflicts, disasters and other humanitarian crises.
Improving the quality of children’s foods and feeding practices in the earliest years of life is the cornerstone of preventing malnutrition in all its forms and gaining maximum strength.
Role of nutrients in Physical and cognitive growth of children:
Do you want your child to be bright in school and in other activities? You need to keep a check on these nutrients,
Nutrition is a key component for mental development, mood alteration, behavior, and physical health. Your child needs the right nutrition for his/her brain development.
Nutrition influences the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize itself in response to experiences and learning. Adequate nutrition supports neuroplasticity, the brain’s capacity to form new neural connections and pathways, which is essential for learning, memory formation, and skill development.
Good Fats:
Lipids, or fats, are essential to the proper development of the brain. This is because the brain is composed primarily of fatty tissue. Lipids in the brain “represent about 60% of its dry weight and more specifically they make up 80% of nerve cells. Fatty acids play an important structural role in membranes… such that communication both from and to the cell is facilitated” The amount of lipids within the brain allows for the rapid transfer of impulses and data. This is what allows humans to process rapid thoughts and actions.
Proteins:
Amino acids from protein-rich foods are essential for synthesizing neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine, which play key roles in mood regulation, attention, learning, and memory.
Protein is also important in allowing the brain to progress to a higher level of thought.
Glucose:
Glucose, obtained from carbohydrates, is the primary energy source for the brain. A steady supply of glucose is essential for maintaining cognitive function, attention, and concentration. Low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) can impair cognitive performance.
Antioxidants:
Antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, and phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables, help protect the brain from oxidative stress and inflammation. Oxidative stress can damage brain cells and impair cognitive function.
Nutrients required for brain structure:
The brain requires various nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, choline, and vitamins (especially B vitamins and vitamin D) for optimal growth and development. Deficiencies in these nutrients can lead to structural abnormalities and impairments in brain function.
Nutrients required for physical growth:
Do you think your child is underweight or overweight or feeling weak?
You need to keep a check on these key nutrients:
Proteins:
Proteins are the building blocks of our body. Your child needs adequate proteins based on his height and age to keep in a healthy weight and to build his strength and stamina.
Vitamin A:
Vitamin A is best known for the role it plays in building good vision. Inside the retina of the eye, there are small rods and cones which light bounces off when it enters the eye. The reflection of light breaks these rods and cones down, and it is vitamin A that helps them to regenerate. If a person does not get enough vitamin A these rods and cones will eventually wear down, making it difficult to see properly in certain lighting.
vitamin A boosts the immune system. It serves much the same function as vitamin C in that it acts as an antioxidant to destroy free radicals in the body. It also plays a role in physical growth and cellular reproduction. Without the proper amount of vitamin A cells could not possibly perform their tasks properly.
Vitamin B:
The B vitamins, such as B12 and B6, are very important vitamins because they help keep the digestive system working properly. Without these nutrients it would be impossible for people to properly digest their food. The B vitamins allow the body to digest other nutrients properly, and in doing so they allow people to gain the nutrition they need to function.
Vitamin C:
One nutrient that is especially important for maintaining a healthy immune system is vitamin C. Vitamin C helps boost the body’s ability to fight off illnesses before they become a serious problem. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant which helps protect the body from free radicals in the cells, and by doing so it can reduce the chances that an individual will develop cancer or other life threatening conditions.
Vitamin D:
Vitamin D is best known for its role in helping calcium protect the bones. The body can manufacture vitamin D using sunlight. Vitamin D also helps to prevent rickets, a childhood disease in which the bones are weakened and deformed.
Vitamin E:
Vitamin E is another important nutrient. Eating foods rich in vitamin E can help to prevent and treat diseases such as anemia. This vitamin helps prevent these diseases by promoting the flow of blood in the body and proper blood cell development. Vitamin E helps keep the blood cells healthy, and in doing so enables the blood to continue moving freely to all parts of the body.
Vitamin K:
Vitamin K is well known for helping clot the blood. Even a small injury could prove problematic if vitamin K did not promote clotting to prevent the loss of too much blood. Severe injuries could be potentially fatal without this nutrient. Vitamin K slows and stops bleeding, enabling injured people to survive long enough to receive treatment.
Zinc:
One mineral that is often overlooked when considering health benefits is zinc. Zinc is also a very important component of every living cell. Zinc helps to form the structure of the bodies’ cells, preventing them from losing their shape and collapsing. Without the structure that zinc provides for the cells it would be impossible for humans to function at the cellular level, and as a result they would not be capable of function as human beings.
Nutrients for dental health:
Fluoride is a mineral which is essential for the proper maintenance of one’s teeth. A proper intake of fluoride can help to prevent tooth decay and strengthen the enamel. Proper care of our teeth is important. The amount of fluoride that needs to be consumed is negligible, but the benefits are immense. If one gets enough fluoride they can maintain good dental health into their old age and be able to continue eating nutritious food
Now that you know the various nutrients that will help your child for physical and cognitive growth. Hear is how you need to balance the nutrients in your child’s plate.
Building a healthy and balanced diet
Eating a variety of foods keeps our meals interesting and flavorful. It’s also the key to a healthy and balanced diet because each food has a unique mix of nutrients—both macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein, and fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate provides a blueprint to help us make the best eating choices.
Along with filling half of our plate with colorful vegetables and fruits (and choosing them as snacks), split the other half between whole grains and healthy protein:
- The more veggies – and the greater the variety – the better.
- Potatoes and French fries don’t count as vegetables because of their negative impact on blood sugar.
- Eat plenty of fruits of all colors.
- Choose whole fruits or sliced fruits (rather than fruit juices; limit fruit juice to one small glass per day).
- Go for whole grains or foods made with minimally processed whole grains. The less processed the grains, the better.
- Whole grains—whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa, and foods made with them, such as whole-grain pasta and 100% whole-wheat bread—have a gentler effect on blood sugar and insulin than white rice, bread, pizza crust, pasta, and other refined grains.
- Choose beans and peas, nuts, seeds, and other plant-based healthy protein options, as well as fish, eggs, and poultry.
- Limit red meat (beef, pork, lamb) and avoid processed meats (bacon, deli meats, hot dogs, sausages).
It’s also important to remember that fat is a necessary part of our diet, and what matters most is the type of fat we eat. We should regularly choose foods with healthy unsaturated fats (such as fish, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils from plants), limit foods high in saturated fat (especially red meat), and avoid unhealthy trans fats (from partially hydrogenated oils):
- Use healthy oils from plants like extra virgin olive, canola, corn, sunflower, and peanut oil in cooking, on salads and vegetables, and at the table.
- Limit butter to occasional use.
Dairy foods are needed in smaller amounts than other foods on our plate:
- Choose unflavored milk, plain yogurt, small amounts of cheese, and other unsweetened dairy foods.
- Milk and other dairy products are a convenient source of calcium and vitamin D, but the optimal intake of dairy products has yet to be determined and the research is still developing. For children, consuming little or no milk, ask a doctor about possible calcium and vitamin D supplementation.
Water should be the drink of choice with every meal and snack, as well as when we are active:
- Water is the best choice for quenching our thirst. It’s also sugar-free, and as easy to find as the nearest tap.
- Limit juice—which can have as much sugar as soda—to one small glass per day, and avoid sugary drinks like sodas, fruit drinks, and sports drinks, which provide a lot of calories and virtually no other nutrients. Over time, drinking sugary drinks can lead to weight gain and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other problems.
Finally, just like choosing the right foods, incorporating physical activity into our day by staying active is part of the recipe for keeping healthy:
- Trade inactive “sit-time” for “fit-time.”
- Children and adolescents should aim for at least one hour of physical activity per day, and they don’t need fancy equipment or a gym—The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggest choosing unstructured activities for children such as playing tug-of-war, or having fun using playground equipment.
Overall, the main message is to focus on diet quality.
- The type of carbohydrate in the diet is more important than the amount of carbohydrate in the diet, because some sources of carbohydrate—like vegetables (other than potatoes), fruits, whole grains, and beans—are much healthier than sugar, potatoes, and foods made from white flour.
- The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate does not include sugary drinks, sweets, and other junk foods. These are not everyday foods and should be eaten only rarely, if ever.
- The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate encourages the use of healthy oils in place of other types of fat.
CARE THROUGH NUTRITION 