- During Pregnancy
- Infants
- Toddlers
- Preschoolers
- Primary School Children
- Teenage Years
- Adult Nutrition
During Pregnancy
The basics of pregnancy nutrition are the basics of general sound nutrition. You must eat a variety of foods and enough of them to support all the extra work your body is doing!
When you are pregnant it is not hard to eat well as there are only a few extra nutritional needs you need to consider for you and your growing foetus. This is because the overall nutritional requirements during pregnancy are rather small, despite the very rapid rate of growth of the foetus.
To reach your full nutritional requirements if you are plagued with nausea problems, heartburn or reduced stomach space later in pregnancy, eat smaller, more frequent meals. This grazing can also help level out your blood sugar levels making you feel a better during the day.
Energy Intake - How many kilojoules do I need during pregnancy?
Despite the fact that during pregnancy you are "eating for two" you do not need to double your food intake. Having a balanced diet should help you achieve the normal weight gain of 12-15 kilograms.
Pregnancy is not a time to start losing weight by going on a restrictive diet, as regular weight gain is one of the signs that your pregnancy is progressing well. If you do not eat enough nourishing foods, you may be depriving your baby of important nutrients.
Energy needs during the first trimester are essentially the same as for the non-pregnant women so do not feel obliged to eat more! However, as the foetus gets bigger throughout the pregnancy the energy requirements of the growing foetus increases.
At 25 weeks, an average pregnancy requires approximately 650kJ extra a day which is equivalent to one muesli bar or one glass of full fat milk. At 35 weeks, approximately 1500kJ extra a day is required, which is equivalent to approx one ham and cheese sandwich.
Types of food needed during pregnancy.
There will be certain foods that will help you through your pregnancy to produce a healthy bouncing baby. Specifically, you'll need to increase your intake of protein, certain vitamins and minerals, such as folic acid and iron. If your diet has been poor or inconsistent, make the change to eating nutritious, well-balanced meals.
Keep in mind though, eating better doesn't mean eating more. It is not the quantity of the food that counts, but rather the quality of your diet. Remember the food pyramid? It's a great place to start; eat more foods from the bottom (grains), then add vegetables and protein, fruits, dairy and finally sparingly use fatty foods.
Variety is very important. It helps ensure that you're gathering the daily doses of recommended vitamins and minerals everyday.
And finally remember to stay hydrated! It is very important for both you and your growing foetus that you drink plenty of water for sound nutrition and to help decrease pregnancy symptoms (constipation, swelling etc). The majority of your fluids should be water and not alcohol or caffeine beverages, as consuming these may be harmful for you and your growing foetus.
Infants
Infants require a diet that is packed full of nutrients to ensure they have adequate growth and a healthy start to life.
All babies seem to do is eat and sleep but there's a good reason for this as the nutritional requirements of infants are high. This is a period of rapid growth and development and in its first year of life, an infant will triple its birth weight and increase its length by 50%. The infant's brain grows faster in infancy than at any other time of life. Such rapid growth requires a lot of both nourishment and sleep.
During the first four to six months, infants can grow adequately on exclusive breast milk, formula or a combination of both.
Breastfeeding can be quick, easy, convenient and also the cheapest way to feed your baby. Breastfeeding for the first six months of life also provides the best start for babies.
Breast milk contains numerous nutrients which we are just starting to understand, such as proteins for bodybuilding, fats for energy and growth (particularly for the brain), carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals as well as antibodies. Breast milk is so extraordinary that it changes in composition/nutrients at different stages.
When your baby first begins to suck, they will receive foremilk. This milk is sweet to taste and watery to look at. It is low in fat and kilojoules, but high in the milk sugar, lactose which helps quench the baby's thirst. As the feed goes on, the richer hind milk is released, which is higher in fat and kilojoules. This is why it's a good idea to let your baby stay at the same breast as long as he/she wants to each time.
A thriving breast-fed infant will:
- Have a good skin colour
- Be alert, responsive and mostly content
- Have frequent wet nappies
- Produce bright yellow soft stools (frequency is unimportant)
Bottle Feeding
Infants cannot tolerate cow's milk because of its high protein and mineral content and thus it must be altered to be safe for infant feeding. Altered forms of cow's milk (known as infant formulas) are modified to mimic the nutrient profile of mature breast milk. Infant milk formulas are supplemented with vitamins and minerals and are nutritionally complete, however no milk formulas can provide the same qualities as that of breast milk.
The average milk intake from one week of age until weaning is 150ml/kg per day though some babies may take more milk. As with breast feeding, mothers should be encouraged to feed on demand. As a guide, most young babies will feed 3-4 times hourly, eg. a 2-week-old, 4kg baby might take 100ml at six feeds every 4 hours. As the volume of the feed increases, the interval between the feeds increases and a typical 3-month-old baby weighing 6 kg might take 180ml at five feeds every 4 hours (missing an overnight feed).
It is essential to have a high standard of hygiene in feed preparation and storage for the safety of your baby. Bottles, teats and bottle caps must be rinsed after use, washed in hot water with detergent, rinsed and then sterilised for the recommended time with a commercial sterilising solution.
Introducing Solids 6-12 months
Between the ages of 4-6 months, babies begin to outgrow their liquid diet of breast milk or formula. This is because the liquid diet is no longer supplying them with enough nutrients (especially iron) to support their increased rate of growth and nutritional requirements.
It is at this time that soft foods should be slowly introduced into your baby's diet. This process of transition where solids are introduced is called weaning.
It is during this time that iron fortified infant cereals can be introduced to help maintain your baby's nutritional status, followed by soft fruit and vegetables.
Common starter foods include:
- Infant rice cereal mixed with expressed human milk, infant formula or boiled water (do not use cow's milk)
- Cooked soft fruits and hard fruits
- Vegetables such as sweet potato, zucchini, carrot and broccoli.
To ease efforts in feeding solid foods, consider the following tips:
- Use a baby-sized spoon; a small spoon with a long handle is best
- Hold the infant comfortably on the lap, as for breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, but a little more up right to ease swallowing. When in this position, the infant expects food.
- Put a small dab of food on the spoon tip and gently place on the infant's tongue.
- Expect the infant to take only two or three bites of the first meals. Anything more than that is a real success.
By the end of the first year, finger feeding becomes more efficient, drinking from a cup improves, and chewing is easier more teeth erupt.
Toddlers
Children have small stomachs so offer your child 6 or so small meals a day that are nutrient-dense, including whole grains, fruits, and vegetables without increasing their fat and simple sugar intake to help them reach their full nutritional requirements.
The rapid growth rate that characterised infancy tapers off quickly during the toddler years. The average annual weight gain is only 2-3 kg and average annual height gain is around 7.5-10 cm.
As growth rate tapers off, a child's ravenous appetite diminishes and the child may seem like the pickiest eater on earth! As frustrating as this may be, a child's lack of appetite at this age is perfectly normal and of no cause for concern feeding toddlers can be challenging. Just like babies, toddlers know how much food they need. As long as food is offered on a regular basis, they will know how much to eat!
Young children are often picky eaters, hesitant to try new foods, and in general, don't seem to eat very much. Some ways adults can encourage young children to eat nutritious, well balanced meals are:
- Serve new foods at meal times and subsequently repeat exposure to them (most children will try a new food after being offered it 10-15 times)
- Try and make a child's meal bright and colourful that's easy to hold and eat. For example, try serving a "funny face pizza" made from slices of pineapple, capsicum, ham and low fat cheese.
- Children have small stomachs so offering them six or so small healthy meals succeeds better than limiting them to three large meals each day.
- Remember that perseverance with children is critical because it takes effort and commitment to guide them into liking a variety of foods.
- Promote good nutrition by setting a good example. Healthy eating habits and regular exercise should be a regular part of your family's life.
- Don't force feed - it doesn't work! Children are less likely to eat foods that they have been forced to eat.
- Eat together with your children as they enjoy eating with their parents and carers. It's a chance for you to eat the foods you want them to eat.
Avoid giving foods that a child can choke on, such as raw carrots, peanuts, whole grapes, tough meats, popcorn, chewing gum or hard candy.
Finally, ensure that you give your child a well balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables and lean meats, as well as introduce low fat dairy products at the age of two years old. If a young child establishes a healthy eating diet at a young age, they are more likely to continue eating healthily when they are older, reducing their risk of medical complications arising.
Preschoolers
Preschool-aged children are still developing their eating habits and need encouragement to eat healthy meals and snacks.
They are at an age when they start to show independence and have a reputation for being fussy eaters. Don't worry though as ensuring that your child has good nutrition at this age is still possible! Just be patient and have perseverance with children, because it does take effort and commitment to guide them into liking a variety of foods.
Encouraging your child to eat fruit and vegetables everyday starts with you as a parent - if you're not eating them, than your child will more than likely refuse to eat them as well. It is also important to keep offering vegetables and fruit in a variety of ways, as children learn to eat what is familiar to them. Some good tips to encourage your child to eat fruit and vegetables are:
- Involve your child in food preparation and planning
- Involve your child in choosing which fruit or vegetables they would like to eat
- Encourage your child's skills by letting them make a simple salad to serve themselves
- Let your child be involved in cleaning and washing the fruits and vegetables
- Make eating food enjoyable
- Have meals around the dinner table with the family - if they see you happy eating food, they are more than likely going to join in
- Make your child's food on their plate colourful and appealing
- Include fruits, vegetables and legumes wherever possible
- Your child may not even realise that there are vegetables in some dishes. Eg. mash some kidney beans and add some beans and carrots in spaghetti bolognaise meal, your child won't even realise that they are in there!
- Make sure your child drinks plenty of water to stay hydrated
- Offer water with all meals and snacks
- Keep chilled water in the fridge for hot days. Add slices of lemon or orange for interest.
- In summer, freeze chopped fruit in ice blocks and pop into a cup of water
- Carry filled water bottles when you go out.
- Ensure healthy snacks are available
- Include fruit and vegetables and low fat dairy products as snacks! For example:
- Low fat dairy yoghurt with tinned fruit
- Tinned fruits in natural juice
- Fruit salad
- Diet jelly with tinned fruit in natural juice
- Wholegrain bread with low fat cheese and tomato slices.
- Cut-up vegetables with salsa or yoghurt.
- Include fruit and vegetables and low fat dairy products as snacks! For example:
- Make sure your child has a healthy breakfast every morning.
- A healthy breakfast can be quick and easy to prepare, like yoghurt and fruit, high fibre, low sugar cereal and milk, or even toast.
As long as your child is eating a variety of nutritious foods, it's likely he/she won't be missing out on any important vitamins and minerals.
According to The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating preschoolers need:
- 3-6 serves of fruit and vegetables - no more than 200ml fruit juice
- 4-8 slices of bread or equivalent (about a cup) serves of breakfast cereal, rice, pasta or noodles
- The equivalent of 500ml to 600ml of reduced fat milk, which can include yoghurt, cheese, calcium fortified soy beverages.
- 1 small serve of meat, chicken, fish, egg or legumes such as baked beans, lentils, chickpeas.
The amount of food a preschooler chooses to eat will vary according to their size and activity levels.
Primary School Children
A regular intake of healthy nutritious food is needed throughout the day to keep your child active and aid their concentration while learning.
By the time your child is in school, they may be able to start choosing some foods for themselves, so it's a great time to teach them which foods are healthy and which foods are not.
It can be difficult for parents to convince their children of the benefits of healthy eating when they are competing with the powerful message of food advertising! Thus it is important to keep a balance between your family budget, choosing healthy foods and allowing children some treats.
When children first start school they are often too tense to eat their lunch or the hot summer weather takes away their appetites, so a healthy snack after school is a good idea. Here are some examples:
- Toast or raisin toast
- Dried fruit such as apple, apricot, raisins, sultanas
- Low fat yoghurt
- Tinned fruit and diet jelly
- Plain scone or fruit scone with jam
- Rice cakes with vegemite and low fat cheese
- Soup
- High fibre cereal with low fat milk
To encourage your child to consume their lunches at school, let them be involved in the preparation by choosing healthy fillings for their sandwiches (such as carrot, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, celery).
Ensure your child gets enough to eat and encourage them to bring their leftovers home. This will give you an idea about whether they are eating their lunch and what foods they don't like.
Encourage your child to get up early and eat breakfast before school. Children who don't eat breakfast may find it harder to settle in classes, may not learn as well and may not get all the vitamins and minerals they need for living and growing. Below are some quick and easy healthy breakfasts:
- Cereal and milk with a piece of fruit or tinned fruit
- Wholegrain toast with low fat cheese and/or tomato with a piece of fruit and a glass of low fat milk
- Wholegrain toast with a "fruit smoothie" (milk and fruit such as a banana or berries)
- Baked beans on wholegrain toast
- Eggs on wholegrain toast with a piece of fruit
If you do all the above, your child will undoubtedly have a nutritious diet packed full of nutrients, achieving all their recommended daily nutrient intakes for vitamins and minerals for their age. Your child during this stage of their life will have a steady increase in weight and height of about 2-3 kilograms and 5-6 cm per year! No longer a little kid any more!
The Teenage Years
It is important for teenagers to eat a variety of foods from each food group to ensure optimal intake of all vitamins and minerals especially calcium and iron for healthy growing bones and muscles.
A teenager needs extra nutrients to support the adolescent growth spurt, as this is the period when a child's body changes into that of an adult! Boys increase approximately 20cm in height and 20kg in weight and girls around 16cm and 16kg respectively! This growth spurt provides about 50% of ultimate adult weight and about 15% of ultimate height!
This intensive growth period brings dramatic increases in height as well as hormonal changes affecting every body organ, including the brain. Ensuring your child has an adequate supply in iron is especially important with the onset of menstruation in girls and the increase in lean body mass in boys. The recommended daily allowance for iron is 12-15milligrams (mg) a day.
The increase in skeletal mass also boosts teens' requirements for calcium to about 1,200 mg a day. Approximately half of adult bone structure is deposited during adolescence! Drinking soft drink in place of milk which many teenagers do causes them to have inadequate calcium and high phosphorus intake, a pattern that fails to promote optimal bone development!
Teens' kilojoule needs vary depending on their growth rate, degree of physical maturation or body composition, and activity level. Males generally have higher energy requirements than females due to their larger proportion of muscle.
Helping teens eat more nutritious foods!
Teens face a variety of challenges. They pursue their independence, experience identity crises, seek peer acceptance and worry about physical appearance. All this and more affect food choice!
One line of attack for working with teenage boys is to stress the importance of nutrition and physical activity for physical development-especially muscular development.
With teenage girls, one tactic is to help them better understand how to choose nutrient-dense foods and activities that lead to better health while maintaining a healthy weight.
The best nutrition advice to keep your adolescents healthy includes encouraging them to:
- Eat a variety of foods
- Balance the food eaten with physical activity
- Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits
- Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
- Choose a diet moderate in sugars and salt
- Choose a diet that provides enough calcium and iron to meet their growing body's requirements.
Adult Nutrition
For adults, weight management and maintaining consumption of a variety of foods from all food groups is the key factor in achieving health and wellness.
Although most of us wish for long life, we do not like the thought of diminishing health in old age. And correctly so! Rather than suffer the ravages of heart disease, obesity, diabetes or osteoporosis, we should strive to be as free of disease as possible and enjoy vitality throughout even our last decade!
Every day we are inundated with nutrition and health messages from the news, media and health professionals about a seemingly endless array of concerns about lifestyle and diet. The right lifestyle decisions, with a routine of good food and regular exercise, can help us make the most of what life has to offer!
Over the past decades, we have come along way in our knowledge about health. We know an apple a day doesn't necessarily keep the doctor away, and a walk around the block once a week is not enough to keep fit! Of course, an apple and a short walk are a great start, but there is much more to consider in pursing good health!
Key factors of a healthy diet include:
- Eating a variety of foods
This concept is the most consistent health message in dietary recommendations around the world! - Choosing a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
Limit fat intake to 20% to 30% of total energy intake and saturated fat to no more than one-third of total fat intake (10% or less of total energy intake.) Choose lean meat, fish, poultry, and dry beans and peas as protein sources. Use low fat milk and milk products. - Choosing a diet incorporating low GI carbohydrates
Examples of ways to achieve this are by choosing wholemeal, rye, or wholegrain breads. Use doongara and basmati rice instead of plain rice and have sweet potato instead of white potato. - Drinking alcohol in moderation
A moderate alcohol intake consists of 2 or fewer servings of a standard drink per day with 2 "drink free" days a week. - Choosing a diet moderate in salt and sodium
Limit the amount of salt in cooking and avoid adding it to food at the table. In addition, only very small amounts of salty, highly processed, salt-preserved, and salt-pickled foods should be eaten.