CHILDHOOD

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the chapter, the students
should be able to:

1. Identify the nutritional needs of a child;

and
2. Plan a one-week schedule of packed
lunch and snacks for a school-aged child
• Childhood
- a period of life from 1 to 12 years of age
 Nutritional Objectives
• Provide adequate nutrient intake to meet
the continuing growth and development
• Provide basis of support of psychosocial
development in relation to food patterns,
eating behavior and attitudes
• Provide sufficient calories for increasing
physical activities and energy needs
Childhood
- pre-school children
- school-age children
 Pre-school children
1. Greater need for proteins, vitamins and
minerals – growing fast
2. Calorie allowances must be increased
per unit body wt. – highly active
3. Modification of food is necessary – picky
eater
4. Childhood presents a period of rapidly
changing attitude and emotional
development – having tantrums often
 Nutrient Allowances
• Calories
• Protein
• Vitamins and minerals
• Fluids
 Nutrient Allowances
Calories
- 55% - metabolic activities
- 25% - physical activity
- 12% - growth needs
- 8% - fecal loss
 Nutrient Allowances
Protein
- 1.5 t0 2 g/kg body wt is required
- high needs for rapid growth
 Nutrient Allowances
Vitamins and minerals
- essential for normal growth and
development

Fluids
- 4 to 6 glasses
- 1,000 to 1500 ml
 Meal Planning for Pre-School
Children (1-6 yrs. Old)
Energy foods to keep them always on the go:
- rice
- corn
- bread
- yellow kamote or gabi
Fats to help keep skin smooth and help the body
make use of vitamin A
- Butter or margarine or other fats that make food
tastier
- ginataang kamote
- 1 cup of whole milk daily
 kinds of milk:
- fresh whole milk (carabao, cow or goat)
- powdered whole milk
- evaporated milk
- skim milk – (recommended milk)
- reconstituted milk – remade milk from
powdered milk to restore the original
moisture content
Avoid using condensed milk – no enough
protein content
 Variety of meals to prepare
• Body building substance:
- dried beans and legumes (munggo &
soybeans; fish, meat, poultry or eggs
• Cook beans and legumes with small amount of
fish and meat and serve it with rice.
• Mashed boiled munggo or other dried beans and
add milk and sugar
• To the newly cooked lugaw add raw egg, stir it
well. The heat will cook the egg
• Form chopped meat or flaked fish and mashed
beans into pattern or balls and
serve as omelette or soup
 Variety of meals to prepare
• For good eye sight, clean skin and healthy hair
- green leafy and yellow vegetables (malunggay,
kamote, carrot, kamote tops, kangkong, pechay &
squash)
• Other vegetables that promote growth and physically
fit
- sitaw, abitsuelas, sigarilyas and patani
• Fresh fruits for snacks. Serve fruit that are:
- ripe, fresh, free from bruises and other defects and
in season
- serve in different forms: as juice, shape into cube,
balls and rings
• Vitamin C – dalanghita, suha, citrus fruits
- keep healthy gums
- prevent skin from bruising easily
- help the body fight against infection and
foreign substances

See sample menu at page 246-247

Recommended Daily amount of food for pre-school
child- page 248 table55
FEEDING PROBLEMS
 Feeding Problems
1. The child is eating too little
- Causes:
- picky eaters
- too much parental urging this resulting to loss
appetite
- tired of serving the same food everyday
- Remedies:
- add food one at a time. Start with meal/food
that the child like
- serve just enough food
- prepare simple dishes like
tinola or sinigang
 Feeding Problems
2. The child is eating too much
- Causes:
- heredity
- temperament
- appetite
- mother’s insistence on a “clean plate”
- Remedy:
- refrain serving food like:
cakes, pastries, pies and
ice cream
 Feeding Problems
3. The child is dawdling during the meal (slow to
eat)
- causes:
- trying to get some attention
- may not feeling well
- maybe given a bigger portion
- remedies:
- check up regularly by a pediatrician
- avoid fussing over the child
- let the child enjoy eating
 Feeding Problems
4. The child is gagging especially when fed coarse food
- cause:
- lacks proper training in eating chopped foods

- remedies:
- encourage self-feeding
- put the child in a well-ventilated bright clean
eating place. Provide the child with a
colorful plate, an eye-catching cup, and
utensils which the child can manage easily.
 Feeding Problems
5. The child has aversion towards some foods
- remedies:
-give fruits as substitute of vegetables
- mix vegetable with familiar foods like:
noodles and eggs or stuff inside mashed
potatoes or kamote
- give milk thru: halo-halo, leche flan,
gulaman, pinipig, mais con yelo
or breakfast cereals
 Feeding Problems
6. The child has allergies
- causes:
- chemicals in the air
- food preservatives
- food coloring
- remedies:
- monitor nutrient intake
- make food substitute
SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN
 School-age children
• The period between 7 and 12 yrs. old.
Characterized by:
- slow steady growth
- increase body proportions
- enhance mental capabilities and
- more mind and body coordination
• Girls (10-12) weigh 3 kg more than boys
• Average weight gain annually –
1.8 – 3.1 kg
 Nutrient Allowance
• Calories (decline)
- 7 - 9 yrs old – 80 to 90 kcal/kg
- 10 – 12 yrs old – 70 to 80 kcal/kg

• Protein
- 7 – 9 yrs old – 37 g
- 10 – 12 yrs old – 43 to 48g
 Nutrient Allowance
• Vitamin and minerals
7 - 9 yrs old
- ascorbic acid - 35 mg
- calcium – 500 – 1000 mg daily

10 – 12 yrs old
- ascorbic acid – 45 mg
- calcium – 500 – 1000 mg daily
Iodine – 7 to 10 yrs old – 120 mcg
Iron – girls – 11 to 12 yrs old – 1.4 mg/day –
start of menstration
 MEAL PLANNING FOR
CHILDREN (7 TO 9 YRS OLD)
1. A “must” in daily family meal – green leafy and
yellow vegetables and fruits. Stimulate appetite
thru using various colors, sizes, and shapes of
food served
2. Pack nutritious lunch. Avoid repeated food.
3. Avoid serving too spicy and highly seasoned
foods. These can destroy the appetite.
4. Make snack count, serve like: root crops, beans,
or fresh fruits instead of candies and soft drinks

Refer to page253 table 56 for the recommended

daily servings, page 254 table 57 for daily
food guide for children. Page 255-256 for receipe
FEEDING PROBLEMS
 Feeding Problems
1. Inadequate meals
Breakfast – ¼ to 1/3 of the daily nutrient
- causes:
- nothing to eat
- late bed riser
- arrival of school bus
- fear of being for school
- rush in preparing oneself for school
A good breakfast should consist of:
- vitamin C-rich fruits like papaya
- Cereals like oatmeal or fried rice or
pan de sal
- protein-rich foods like egg, tuyo, cheese
or milk
2. Poor appetite
- causes:
- demanding school work
- tiring extracurricular activities
- new outdoor experiences
- confections and soft drinks
- remedies:
- cafeteria should offer inexpensive nutritious
foods
- offer milk and fruit beverages,
turon, munggo, peanuts, fresh
fruits and bread
3. The child has sweet tooth
- causes:
- hungry growing bodies recognize the
need for extra calories
- parents give sweets as rewards or
pasalubong
 Weight and height standards for
Filipino boys and girls
• Early years – steady rate of growth is
normally maintained.
• 10 to 12 years - pre-adolescent growth
spurt begins.