NUTRITION FOR A PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN:

Nutrition for pre-school going childrens

The total life stages of a person are:
  • pregnancy
  • Infancy- first year
  • pre-school age children- 1-5 years
  • School-age children- 6-12 years
  • Teenagers- 13-19 years
  • Adulthood- 20-45 years
  • Older adulthood- 45 to onwards

Pre-School Going Children:

A children of 1-5 years are know can start to move. These babies are known as toddlers. These children's should be given of food from each food groups by kept in view the food guide pyramid. Children must be given of food in intervals and over the course of the day as this will help the children to digest it easily. As the babies of this age are know able to digest the food so they must be given a variety of food from each group represented in a food pyramid include fruits, vegetables, cereals, grains and dairy products. limit highly processed foods and sugary drinks. As each food group contain specific nutrients which are important for the proper growth of a children. A mother must make a child habitual of having healthy food choices from this age group so that in future the children will be able to have a food choices that are beneficial for its health. like the habit of having fruits and vegetables as a snack instead of having processed juices, pops and many others. in addition to this a children must be given with a variety of grains and cereals like oats, barley, rice, corn, bread, pasta, noodles etc which provides the energy to the children for its growth and development. dairy products and proteinicious products also play a great role in making children both physically and mentally strong. try to give a child with types of proteins including a cup of yoghurt, a slice of cheese , a cup of milk daily, lean meat, fish, chicken, eggs and lentils. For a good mental and physical growth of baby a mother should limit junk food, fast food and processed food that has a very bad impact on a children health. A mother should understand that sugar is not a treat. She must also limit sugary drinks as the best drink for this age period is water only. Too much sugary drinks can lead to tooth decay, unhealthy weight gain, obesity and diabetes in later life.

COMMON NUTRITION RELATED PROBLEMS IN TOODLERS AND PRE-SCHOOLERS: 

Iron-Deficiency Anemia:

For a children of year 2-5 hemoglobin level less than 11 g/dl and a hematocrit level less than 33% are considered in category of iron-deficiency anemia. As this is the period of rapid growth and development and in this stage if the toddler are not in taking the sufficient amount of iron than it may leads to iron deficiency anemia.
Children's which are considered to et iron-deficiency anemia are between ages of 9-12 months and ages of 2-5 years. the causes can may be the low income, low iron diet, poverty and a patient of special health care needs. treatments include a diet rich of iron, supplementation with iron drops, counselling of parents and care takers about diet.

Dental Carries: 

A condition in which tooth decays occur. The major cause of this condition can may be the habitual use of bottle with milk or fruit juice throughout the day or at bed time.

Diarrhea: 

Children of this age period are more susceptible to acute and chronic diarrhea. acute diarrhea can may cause due to any infection or contamination of food or drinking water. fever, vomiting occurs and if it not treated earlier it may leads to chronic non specific diarrhea which can last for several months or as long as 3years.

Constipation:

Constipation can be characterized as hard and painful bowel movements. Diets containing inadequate amount of dietary fibers can may lead to constipation. The DRI are 19-25g/day for a children of 2-5 age.
However, avoid too much fiber as well because it can easily cause diarrhea in young children.

Lead Poisoning:

High blood levels of lead can may lead to disorders in overall functions of the body. lead poisoning can affect brain and kidney functions as well. dietary calcium can appear to protect against lead poisoning by decreasing its absorption. 

PREVENTIONS OF NUTRITION RELATED DISORDERS:

Overweight/ Obesity:

For an obese children managing its weight while gaining its height can be the best treatment for obesity. If the weight are not lost in a healthy manner than it may lead to future chronic diseases like diabetes. With increasing physical activity, nutrients rich diet and balance calorie diet can may lead to a healthy weight loss.

Cardiovascular Disorders:

Children having a genetically transmitted CVD's and obesity are at higher risk of having cardiovascular disorders as they are having a high levels of LDL cholesterols. The recommended amount of fat for the children's are 30-35%. A children of this type needs continuous screening so that any kind of abnormality can be diagnosed earlier. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and fibers are considered as the best diet for this type of children's.

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements:

As dietary intake of all food groups can prevent the children from any mal nutrition. however, supplementation of minerals and vitamins are only recommended to the groups which are at risk of developing disorders or the people who are not taking a complete diet.

Recommended Dietary allowances for a children of 2-5 years:

The recommendations for a children of age 2-5 years are:
  • 5oz grains
  • 2 cups of vegetables
  • 1/2 cups of fruits
  • 3 cups of milk
  • 5oz meat
  • 5tsp oil/day
  • limit extra solid fat per day
  • 60 minutes of physical activity are very important for a perfect development of a children

Food Allergies:

Allergy testing during this age period can be dangerous because of the incomplete development of the immune system. It can may cause anaphylaxis a sudden onset of a reaction with mild to severe symptoms including a decrease in ability to breath, which may be severe enough to cause a coma. A complete avoidance of the food causing food allergy is required.

Screen timing:

There should be no screen time for a children of less than 2 years of age. Screen timing should be limited to 2 hours for all other ages.