Pregnancy:
It is extremely important that our bodies are fueled with the proper nutrition when we are in the womb. During the pregnancy stage babies rely on their mothers to feed them correctly. Food is not only an important aspect of pregnancy but so is taking vitamins so your baby is given the important nutrients needed to grow. Excercise is another important aspect of being pregnant. When pregnant you really are feeding two however this is not a free pass to eat anything and everything in sight. During the first trimester of pregnancy the increase in food is not as important as increasing the nutrients and vitamins which is usually obtained from taking a multi-vitamin recommended by the doctor. During pregnancy all alcohol and cigarette smoking should stop as this can cause the baby to have many health issues. During the second trimester mom shoud really only increase her caloric intake by 340 additional calories and during the third trimester it should increase by 450. Mothers should eat a well balance diet that includes all the food groups, this way mother and baby can get all the important vitamins and nutrients and excercise to help the baby develop appropriately.
Infants:
Breastfeeding is super important if possible for babies until they are about 12 months old. Breastfeeding provides the infants with the appropriate amount of vitamins and nutrients. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) "There is now overwhelming evidence of the health advantages of breastfeeding as indicated by lower infant morbidity and mortality than for bottle-fed infants" (Food and Agriculture Organization, n.d.). Breastfeeding helps the babies develop and grow and around six months old you start feeding the infant baby cereal and age appropriate baby food.
Childhood:
Children need approximated 1800 calories daily and should incorporate all five of the basic food groups; fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains and dairy. If you start teaching children to eat properly it helps them succeed with eating properly as they enter into adutlhood. Teaching them good habits will stay with them when they are making food choices.
Adolescense:
Teenagers are usually very active. Eating a well balance diet will help give them the energy they need to be active. Teens usually have a higher metabolism. If you teach them during childhood how to properly fuel their bodies with the appropriate foods this will help them when they are teenagers. Eating correctly will help teens not develop health problems like diabetes or heart diseases. Making healthy choices will also help them to maintain a healthy weight range.
Adulthood:
According to the FAO "Older people, like all others, need a good diet that provides for all their nutrient needs" (FAO, n.d.). As stated in everything above eating a balance diet is the key to living a healthy life. When we get older it is also important to take a multi-vitamin because no matter how clean you eat you cannot get the proper nutrients from your food because of the way it is grown, picked and processed. Water is extremely important in all stages from infants to adulthood. If you are taught when you are child to eat properly when you reach adulthood these good habits are easy to maintain. Adults need to be very careful with eating processed foods because of their high sodium content. Excercise again is also very important in all stages of life
References:
Food and Agriculture Organization. (n.d.). Human Nutrition in the Developing World. Retrieved from:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/W0073E/w0073e03.htm#P1188_158364
No comments:
Post a Comment