Nutrition in Growing Years
Proper nutrition of a child in growing years lays foundation of good physical and mental health in adulthood. It is a primary duty of the elders in the family to create awareness about the nutrition and growth going parallel in a child's life. For this, the conducive environment at home makes a positive impact on total health of the family. The requirements of nutrients begins as early as infancy till adulthood. Nutrition helps in accomplishing important milestones. Thus nutrition, nutritients and balanced diet are the important terms one has to understand clearly. A balanced diet should provide all necessary nutrients present in the food with different combinations when chosen so to create optimum benefit for proper growth. Nutrients are different important chemical constitutes present in a variety of foods. Specific foods help in specific developements in early years of a child.
The entire teenage period and a little over it spans up to a decade and more. The growth spurt in these years is tremendous in boys and girls which prepares their body for adulthood. In today's context of lifestyle, where one can easily get attracted towards more alluring foods such as pre-packaged or instant street and junk fatty foods than home cooked food, we need to create healthy and sound balance of awareness, knowledge about eating habits among mass sections of rural, urban educated and uneducated. Tasty and nutritious snacks, lunches, dinners, quick bites can be easily made at home for the young children who are always on the go. The foods thus prepared are cheaper than what we get in the market, once in a while indulging in pampering our taste buds is not harmful but it should not become the habit. The adoloscent period is marked by complex changes in one's body externally and internally which increase nutritional demands for specific functions. Working on meal planning with wholesome meals for full day ahead is beneficial. The calorific values of all kinds of foods in general should be taken care of by the meal maker of the family. The need of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals like Iron, Calcium for increasing bone mass is more in young age. Identifying the nutrient values of various foods and incorporating in rotation in our meal is a challenge and helpful for growth of children. Inclusion of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts in smaller amounts which are concentrated source of energy and complex carbohydrates , protein rich fruits like sprouts, legumes, lentils, fish, and lean meats, green leafy vegetables suffice the daily requirements of food intake.
The dietary guidelines thus differ according to age. Under and over nutrition is easily avoidable, preventing the deficiency diseases associated with the nutritional aspects of a young child. Similarly lifestyle diseases and problems related to obesity in later years can be put off by staying fit with physical exercises, taking up some sports activity, making use of the day effectively by a child in his daily time table.
