Food Group Nutritional Value

Fruit and VegetablesFruit and vegetables contain vitamins and minerals, vitamins and minerals are what help make the body work properly. Fruit and vegetables are important in a balanced diet because they are important for overall health but can also help the digestive system.

Bread, Pasta, Rice and PotatoesThese contain carbohydrates which are important for slow burning energy, slow burning energy means you burn off energy slowly therefore making you able to function more during the day. These also contain Vitamin B which help the body form red blood cells and produce energy. These also contain some minerals.

Milk and Dairy FoodsMilk and dairy products contain protein which is needed for the body to be able to build and repair tissue, you also need protein to be able to make enzymes, hormones and other bodily chemicals. Milk and dairy products also provide some energy as well as vitamins and calcium. Calcium is important for healthy and teeth and bones. You can also get your calcium intake from other sources if you are for example vegan or have a dairy intolerance such as; lettuce, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, garden cress, watercress.

Meat, Eggs, Fish, Poultry, Beans and Pulses.

Like milk and dairy foods these contain protein which is needed for growth and repair of cells, as well as providing some sources of energy. They also contain minerals and beans, pulses also contain carbohydrates.

Foods such as sweets, chips, crisps, chocolate, ice cream etc can be high in fat or salt but low in protein, minerals and should be avoided as part of a daily diet in a children and adults as this can cause childhood obesity turning into adult obesity which can cause a number of health problems such as: heart problems, high cholesterol, joint problems and high blood pressure, digestive problems and problems going to the toilet. While fat, sugar and salt is important for a diet you can find it in various other food groups.

“Very overweight children tend to grow up to be very overweight adults, which can lead to health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.” -http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/childhealth6-15/pages/child-health-measurement-programme-very-overweight-advice.aspx

Nutritional Requirements of 12-24month old

Babies and toddlers of 1-2 years need three meals a day, breakfast lunch and dinner.

Full fat milk and dairy products should be offered, however milk consumption should be no more than two-thirds of a pint a day. Milk can still fill up a child and therefore too much can make them less likely to want actual food products. Dairy products and milk can help provide calcium which is important to help build strong teeth and bones as well as provide protein which is good for skin repair.

Five portions of fruit and vegetables, this helps give children the vitamins and minerals they need to help their digestive system.

Approx. energy requirement amount in calories about: 1,000 kcal

Milk consumption should be no more than 350ml a day and if a child isn’t underweight semi skimmed and low-fat dairy products should be offered to the children.

Children should be given five small portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

Nutritional snacks to give children their daily vitamins and minerals and daily intakes.

APPROX. energy requirements in calories, 1.480kcal

APPROX. energy requirements in calories, 1,600kcal

5 portions of fruit and vegetables a

day.

• Low-sugar and artificially sweetened foods and drinks• Ready to drink cartons of juice or squash as these are high in

calories and are acidic which can be dangerous to teeth • Foods that are made for adults – energy drinks, foods to lose weight,

caffeine drinks, foods/drinks that help reduce cholesterol • Take away foods or chilled foods as these are very high in salt and

fats• Crisps and savoury snacks as these are too in salt and do not have

any nutrients • Bran cereals and high-fibre foods as these fill up children too quickly.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/foods-to-avoid-baby.aspx

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/drinks-and-cups-children.aspx

Children with food allergies will have a sudden and potentially life threatening reaction if they come into contact with the food(s) they are allergic too. Common food allergies include nuts; milk, wheat and eggs. When children have a food allergies it is important they do not come into contact with the food, this means their food may need to be prepared separately.

Food intolerances are different from food allergies and are not life threatening but can be uncomfortable, reactions often happen a few after eating and common systems can be skin reactions or digestive problems.

Some children have medical conditions that affect what they are able to eat. Common conditions include diabetes which is a disease where the body not being able to produce enough insulin which is a hormone that is important because when food is digested, it is turned into glucose. There is also another condition called Coeliac disease where the body starts to attack itself if it comes into contact with gluten. Coeliac disease is a very serious condition and needs to be treated with a special diet with food products not containing gluten.

Some families practice religions and some will have special dietary laws. In some religions like Judaism pork cannot be eaten, while in the Hinduism the beef is prohibited because the cow is their sacred animal. Some religion also like Judaism and Islam specify how meat should be prepared.

Social and cultural reasons means that this based on the persons social and cultural circumstances, for example vegetarians don’t eat meat, but do have dairy products, like milk and cheeses, whilst pescetarians don’t eat any other meat other than fish, but like vegetarians they eat dairy products. Vegans don’t use or eat anything that has come from animals for example, no dairy products like cheese; milk, yogurts and may use soya products which are plant based or other products that are alternatives to dairy. Some people may only want food to be sourced locally or to be free range and others may follow special diets such as blood type diets.

All early years settings are required to keep records about children's dietary needs and these records need to be shared with the people involved in their care, records should also be kept up to date so that the information remains accurate.

Early Years Practitioners can help meet children’s dietary needs by working together with:

Parents – Early Years Practitioners need to start with the parents when finding out a child’s individual dietary needs. The person to find out about dietary needs is normally the key person who works closely with a child and over time this information will need to beupdated.

Monitoring the preparation of food – children wit special dietary requirements may need to have food prepared separately to prevent the chance of an allergic reaction, food may have been prepared by parents before hand an therefore the practitioner will then give the child what their parents have given them. With babies and their feeds the practitioners will need to be get information fromparents what they use. This could be given by for example the mother who expresses their milk, the mother will give the practitioners the milk in a special container and explain how to prepare the bottle, some bottles are self sterilising in the microwave for three minutes, whilst some are sterilised in special sterilising machines. Meanwhile some parents may use formula milk and therefore the practitioners will need to make sure babies on formula are given the correct formula, it could be a special formula for hungry babies or a growing up milk or for colic, constipation, easy to digest, etc it is important that the practitioners are made aware of what the babies and children in their care eat.

Recording of food intake – Recoding food intake is important in settings, as parents should be made aware of what their child has eaten during the day, this can also be a look out for a child or baby who isn’t very well, if a child or baby hasn’t eaten a lot this could be a sign they might not be feeling well, by keeping a record you can let the parents know and it can also be useful if a child falls ill after school if the doctor needs to know if they’ve eaten it is important as a setting to have a record.