Necessary Nutrients for Children - Research Paper Example

Nutrition Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Necessary Nutrient for Children 4 Consequences of Improper Nutrition 6 Role of Parentsand School in Children’s Nutrition 8 Conclusion 9 References 10 Bibliography 13 Introduction The food that an individual takes is composed of various types of factors that provide proper supplement to our body. Nutrition as a science, deals with these factors which are responsible for providing nourishment to our body. The nutrients in our food are utilized by our body for maintaining good health, getting energy and for better growth. Essential nutrients consist of vitamins, fatty acids, carbohydrates, minerals, amino acids (Nutrition Online, n.d.). Nutrients can be divided into two categories: a) Micronutrients: Micronutrients are required by our body in very small quantity. It consists of small minerals and vitamins. b) Macronutrients: Most part of our diet consists of macronutrients which are responsible for providing energy to our entire body and for other essential activities of our body like action, maintenance and growth. It mainly consists of proteins, fats, water, carbohydrates as well as macro minerals (Instah, 2010). Necessary Nutrient for Children This topic will cover the importance of proper nutrition for children. Nutrition is vital for child’s development. It can also ward off many diseases and health related problems like obesity, weak bones, and diabetes. It also helps in development of children’s brain which is important for them as they are constantly learning new things during this period. The five nutrients mentioned below are most crucial for child health and body: Fiber: It is needed for healthy growth and proper nutrition. Fiber helps in dealing with the problem of constipation. Foods like legumes, vegetables and wheat are rich in fiber (Harvard School of Public Health, 2010). Antioxidant nutrients: It includes vitamin C, E, mineral selenium and beta-carotene. It helps in improving the child’s immune system. These nutrients are found in foods like tomatoes, cherries, carrots and spinach (Swanson, 1999). Calcium: It is one of the richest minerals found in body and is responsible for the growth of bones. It was found that children between four to eight years need 800 milligrams of calcium per day (Palo Alto Medical Foundation, 2010). Protein: It is another important nutrient for child body. It is present in every tissue of the body. Four to eight year old children need 19 milligrams of protein daily to meet the requirements of protein. It is also important during infancy (Lifeclinic, 2010). Iron: As iron helps in development of brain and its function, it is considered as one of the main nutrients in child’s diet. Deficiency of iron can lead to anemia which results in severe weakness. Foods like meat, seafood, chicken and spinach are rich in iron (Chillemi, 2005). Consequences of Improper Nutrition Poor nutrition can result in health problems ranging from small health issues to fatal diseases. The main cause of deficiency of nutrition in body is due to improper diet. Improper diet is not balanced and does not contain sufficient vital nutrients that are necessary to our diet. Imbalanced diet fails to serve our body with the minimum requirement of nutrients for carrying out day to day activities and for development and growth (Altius Directory, 2010). The major source of improper diet among children is junk food. Children of today prefer to stick to junk food as a part of their every day diet rather than that of healthy and safe food. As junk food contains more sugar, fat and salt, it appears to be more tasty and tickling but it lacks vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. Shortage of nutrients in our body can lead to both short term and long term consequences (Guidance Associates, n.d.). It was found that low weight gain in pregnancy can result in birth of low weight babies. These babies can likely suffer from vision, hearing and learning problems as compared to other normal babies. Deficiency of iron is one of the main nutritional problems among children of United States. Iron deficiency might result in short attention span, poor concentration and fatigue. Improper nutrition can also lead to cognitive problem among children. Researchers have found that children with protein deficiency has the lowest performance in their academics (ERIC Digests, 1994) Fatigue, which is a natural process of body for rest, can also result from junk food eating habits. It is suggested to drink lots of water and take a healthy breakfast to remove fatigue. Food with high cholesterol and fat can lead to memory loss. Memory loss caused by damage to structural proteins can directly hamper cell function of nerves. Other consequences of improper nutrition may include dental problem. It is caused by the bacteria which refine sugar and starch into plague and if it is not treated within time, it can lead to serious gum problem. Deficiency of nutrients even worsens the situation. Diabetes is another problem due to improper diet. It was found that almost 8% of Americans suffered from diabetes. Earlier it was associated with adults only, but today diabetes has become common among obese children too (Chechar, 2010). Malnutrition among children can be of two types; over-nutrition and under-nutrition. Over-nutrition is a result of consumption of excessive amount of unhealthy foods while deficiency of proper nutrients in food can cause malnutrition. It is one of the main causes of half of the deaths of children below the age of five (Basics, 2006). Role of Parents and School in Children’s Nutrition With regards to nutrition, it would not be wrong to say that children consider their parents as their role model. Parents are the most effective and influencing impression on child’s habits. A child develops habit primarily from his or her parents. As far as diets are concerned, children will tend to eat what parents eat. Past researches have revealed that parents who often drink milk are more likely to have daughters who do the same. Parents can influence their children through the kind of food they provide for them. Early childhood learning regarding food is important for the development of healthy eating behavior among children. Children should not be put under any pressure by parents to eat healthier foods or practice good eating habits. It has a negative impact on child (Ontario, 2010). In most of the families, mother buys the food for her family and thus she plays a vital role on deciding what the child is going to eat. She must carefully adhere to the nutritional requirements of her family and buy food accordingly (Davis, 2010). Schools can also influence children to adopt a healthy eating practice. As children spend most of their time within school, offering nutrition education as a part of health education program can increase awareness among children. School authorities can also co-ordinate nutrition education in classrooms and in surrounding cafeterias where children eat during recess. Parents should learn about the importance of nutrition among children and should be encouraged to discuss the same with their children too (ERIC Digests, 1994). Conclusion There has been a growth in improper nutrition and bad eating habits among children especially in developed countries. Children who live alone are also affected by this practice. With the growth in the number of cafeterias and junk food stations, eating disorders among children have also increased. Improper diet consequences among children can lead to many disorders and health problems. As children are at growing and learning stage, they need adequate amount of nutrients for meeting their daily body need. Children should be educated about the importance of balanced diet and healthy eating practices. Parents should provide guidance to their children regarding their eating habits and foods that they ought to eat. The schools should also focus on educating children regarding the consequences and disorders related with deficiency of nutrients. They can co-ordinate with the fast food corners of the surroundings to provide healthy food to the students. Co-ordination from both parents and schools can influence and direct child towards better, healthier and safe lifestyle (Neill, 2010). References Altius Directory, (2010). What is an Improper Diet? Improper Diet. Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Health/improper-diet.html Basics, (2006). Introduction. Nutrition Essentials. Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://www.basics.org/documents/pdf/NutritionEssentials_English.pdf Chechar, L., (2010). Effects of a Bad Diet. Bad Foods for Diabetics. Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://www.livestrong.com/article/212337-effects-of-a-bad-diet/ Chillemi, S., (2005). Teach Your Children the Importance of Nutrition and Healthy Living. Parenting. Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/10501/teach_your_children_the_importance.html?cat=25 Davis, J. L., (2010). Your Childs Nutrition: The Power of Parents. Childrens Health. Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://children.webmd.com/features/your-childs-nutrition-power-parents ERIC Digests, (1994). Childrens Nutrition and Learning. Nutrition. Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/nutrition.htm Guidance Associates, (No Date). Introduction. Junk Food Junkie. Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://www.guidanceassociates.com/junkfoodjunkie.html Harvard School of Public Health, (2010). Fiber and Constipation. The Nutrition Source Fiber: Start Roughing It! Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fiber-full-story/index.html Instah, (2010). Macronutrients and Micronutrients. Diet and Nutrition. Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://www.instah.com/diet/macronutrients-and-micronutrients/ Lifeclinic, (2010). Protein. Nutrients. Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/protein.asp Nutrition Online, (No Date). What is Nutrition? About Nutrition. Retrieved Online on November 08, 2010 from http://www.nutritiononline.net/ Neill, K. C., (2010). Junk Food in Schools. School-Aged Children, Diet of. 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