Good Nutrition for Growing Children

Produced by Sandra L. Owen

Agenda
9:00-9:15am Eat by Colors resultsWhat did you find
out about your eating patterns? What
response did you get from your kids?
9:15-9:55am Good Nutrition for Growing Children
discussion of participant questions and
review of selected video links
9:55-10:00am Discussion of application activity
A Song About Healthy Eating
Helping Kids to Eat Healthy

Water: What does it do and how much is enough?

Water cools the body, lubricates the joints, and helps muscles
to work. Infants are comprised of about 75% water while adults
are about 90% water.

Infants: Up

to 16 months, breast milk or formula is enough daily intake of liquid. The

infant can get water intoxication if he/she drinks several bottles of water a day or drinks
formula that has been diluted with too much water. Formula should be 2/3 milk and 1/3
water. Signs of water intoxication include pale urine; sleeping more than usual; difficult to
awaken; and wetting more than 8 diapers a day.

Young Child:

Needs 1.5 oz.

likely to drink cool water. Juice
Avoid cold water because it can
sources of water are fruits and

of water per pound of body weight a day. The child is more

from a squeezed lemon or lime can also be added for taste.
slow the digestive process causing constipation. Other
vegetables.

Pre-teen, Teen, and Adult:

Needs eight 8 oz. glasses a day. Cool water with

squeezed lemon or lime juice is usually preferred. Avoid cold water because it can slow the
digestive process causing constipation. Fruits and vegetables can be sources of water. This
is another reason for pre-teens and teens to regularly include fruits and vegetables in their
meal planning. If the pre-teen and/or teen becomes dehydrated,
he/she is at higher risk for getting constipated and/or developing
kidney stones.

What foods encourage regular bowel movements?

Fiber is necessary in the diet to promote regular bowel
movements. Food sources include fresh/raw fruits and
vegetables, legumes, whole grains. It is also important to
drink the daily requirement of water and eat unsaturated
fats that include omega 3 such as tuna fish.

What foods should be avoided?

Limit the amount of cheese, fried foods, sweets, carbonated drinks, white
flour and all junk food. Avoid ice cold drinks because they will slow the
digestive process.

Constipation is a sign of chronic dehydration

Constipation slows the flow and use of essential nutrients by the body.
This can lead to bad breath, headache, a particular body odor,
hemorrhoids, and varicose veins. Strawberries, blackberries, and
raspberries can cause constipation so eat them moderately and drink
required amount of water each day.

What should I know about feeding an infant (birth to 12 months)?

Feed infant 2-3oz. more than age in months. A 3
month old would therefore be fed 5-6 oz. per day.
Baby is getting enough food if he/she wets 4-6 diapers
and poops 3-4 diapers a day.
Introduce 100% juice, not juice drinks, at 6 months of age.
Limit juice, when introduced, to 4oz. per day. More than this will
cause diarrhea and possibly cause the growing baby to become
overweight.
Baby food should be soft/mushy so it can be gummed. At 9 months, the baby can
eat coarser, chunkier textures of food. This food should be cut in tiny chunks.
Introduce a single food at a time. When the baby has adopted the new food, a
previously adopted food can be eaten with the newly adopted food. If feeding
baby only a portion of food from a baby jar, place that portion in a bowl and
feed with a spoon from the bowl. Do not use the jar as a bowl if feeding a
portion of the jars contents. The spoon, contaminated with germs from the
babys mouth, will grow in the jar when it is recapped.

What should I limit and/or avoid when feeding an infant?

Limit the amount of milk to no more than 24oz
per day. Ingesting too much milk will reduce
iron absorption by the body.
Avoid eggs because of possible food allergy.
Limit citrus juices and fruit because they can
possibly cause a rash. Dont give juice in a
bottle. The sugar content against the gums can
ruin teeth buds.
Avoid giving baby honey until after his/her first birthday. Honey can
be a source of botulism.
Dont home prepare beets, collard greens, spinach, and turnip greens
for the baby because these raw foods have nitrates which are
harmful to the baby. Pureed, jar baby food containing these foods,
is free from such nitrates and safe to feed the baby.

What should I know about feeding my toddler (ages 1-3)?

Needs 1000-1400 calories per day. Another
way to determine is to calculate 40 calories
per inch of height per day.
Typical serving size is 1 tablespoon per year of age.
Nutrient
and 210

needs include 16 grams of protein; 44 grams of fat;

grams of carbohydrate.

The toddler also needs 10 milligrams of iron a day. Good sources of iron
include potatoes, spinach, split peas, and strawberries. Milk should not
exceed 24oz. per day to prevent reduced iron absorption.
Feed a toddler who eats too much by using a small plate; cut food in small
pieces to allow hand eating; serve low calorie foods; be sure he/she is
eating fiber foods and exercising (both will reduce appetite).
Food Guide Pyramid for toddlers
Lunch snacks for toddlers
Library of toddler recipes
Dont panic if your toddler doesnt eat three meals a day
Nutrients and your toddler

Good nutrition for school age children and teens

Involve school age children in helping to plan, shop for, and cook meals.
Remember, it takes 11 tries for a child to accept a new food. Dont
give up. Serve new food in small amount. Make the food presentation
colorful and appealing.
School age children and teens require 1600-2400 calories a day
depending on age and activity level. Food Guide Pyramid
School children require 800 milligrams of calcium and 10
milligrams of iron while teens require 1200-1500 milligrams of
calcium and 12-15mg.of iron a day. Junk food can cause iron
deficiency. An iron supplement can significantly improve learning,
memory, and cognitive test performance.
Motivators for school age children and adolescents
Food smarts, myths and facts
Caf Zoom recipes
How to get your child to eat healthy at school
How to get your teen to eat healthy

Teen nutrition deficiency and consequences

Most eating habits are already established by the late teen years
Teens are growing rapidly during adolescence. Twenty
percent of adult height and 50% of adult weight is gained
during adolescence.
Because 45% of adult bone mass is added during
adolescence, the daily requirement of calcium increases to
1200-1500 milligrams. A significant number of teens are
deficient in calcium and other nutrients due to junk food..
Calcium aids in movement of nerve impulses; muscle
contraction and relaxation; blood pressure; and the immune
system. Caffeine ingestion has been noted to lower bone
mineralization and thus increase fracture risk.
Typical caffeine food sources ingested by teens include chocolate,
coffee, soft drinks, and tea. The effect of caffeine is enhanced
in the absence of a diet inclusive of required amounts of milk.
Symptoms of calcium deficiency include insomnia, tooth decay,
depression, headache, and inability to relax.

Application Activity
1. Determine the amount of water each family member is
consuming, then develop a plan to have that consumption
meet the daily requirement.
2. Determine how healthy each family member is eating by
inputting each members meals in the Pyramid tracker.
3. What change is each member willing to make to include more
healthy foods?
4. What information from this Marvelous Moment was most
helpful to you and how was it helpful?