special populations i

Nutrition for

Special Populations

Part Iby Carone Learning

Nutrition for Special Populations

Balanced Diet

Beginning in childhood and

lasting throughout your

teenage and adult years, it is

incredibly important to follow

a balanced diet—eating a

variety of foods, consuming

high amounts of fiber and low

amounts of fat and sugars,

and ingesting all the

necessary nutrients to help

our bodies function properly.


Different Needs

However, in each stage

throughout a lifespan there

can be additional

considerations. Because your

body has different needs in

different stages of life, parts

of your diet may also need to

change to meet the new

demands.


This lesson will provide an

overview of the additional

nutrition considerations for

each of the following:

• Infant

• Child

• Teen

Stages of Life


Infants

NUTRITION FOR INFANTS

During the first year of life, an

infant usually triples his/her

birth weight! That’s a

tremendous growth rate.

Because of that, it’s easy to

see why nutrition as an infant

is so important.


Luckily, a mother’s body is equipped

with the perfect food for an infant: breast

milk. Breast milk is the milk developed

by the body of the mother of a newborn

baby. Breast milk provides all the

vitamins and minerals a growing baby

needs.

Breast Milk


Breast Milk Benefits

There are also other advantages of

breastfeeding for both baby and mom,

such as:

• Breast milk is easily digested by the infant’s

immature digestive system.

• Breast milk supplies the infant with

antibodies that help prevent illnesses and

diseases.

• Breastfeeding may enhance the emotional

connection between baby and mom.

• Breastfeeding helps the mom return to her

pre-pregnancy size faster.

• Breastfeeding protects the mom against

breast and ovarian cancer.

• Breastfeeding is FREE!


Formula

Not all mothers choose to breastfeed,

and some may have complications that

make breastfeeding impossible. In that

case, feeding an infant formula is a

healthy choice. Formula is commercially

made infant food that imitates breast

milk. Formula is not the same thing as

breast milk, but it provides the nutrients

an infant needs.


Solid Foods

Once an infant is 6 months old, solid

foods are gradually introduced. Not all

foods are safe for a baby to eat. The

following foods are not safe during the

baby’s first year of life:

• Eggs

• Citrus fruits and juices

• Cow’s milk

• Honey

• Seafood

• Peanuts

• Tree nuts


Osteoporosis

NUTRITION FOR KIDS

Your bones are your body’s framework.

It is important to help your bones grow

and to strengthen them while you are

young. If you don’t, your body’s

framework will become weak, which can

lead to serious consequences in years

to come. Weak bones lead to

osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a medical condition in

which bones become brittle and break

easily.


Bone Health

During childhood and your teenage

years, your bones grow rapidly in both

size and density. In fact, by the time you

reach your 20’s, your bones will have

reached their maximum strength and

density! In order to prevent

osteoporosis, you need to begin making

bone-healthy decisions.


Eating for bone health includes two

important components: calcium and

vitamin D. As you remember from the

vitamin lesson, vitamin D is produced by

your body when exposed to sunlight.

Most kids produce enough vitamin D.

However, vitamin D is also found in eggs

and fortified milk.

Bone Health


Calcium

• Kids ages 4-8 need 800mg of

calcium.

• Teens, ages 9-18, need 1,300mg of

calcium.

Are you getting enough calcium? To give

you an idea, one 8-oz glass of milk has

300mg of calcium. That is 1/3 of the

recommended amount for kids and ¼ of

the recommended amount for teens.


Calcium-rich Foods

Calcium is primarily found in milk and

dairy products. However, other calcium-

rich foods include:

• Calcium-fortified orange juice

• Calcium-fortified cereal

• Tofu

• Salmon

• Tortillas

• Bread

• Broccoli


Iron

NUTRITION FOR TEENS

Calcium continues to be important

during your teenage years. Another

important consideration during your

teenage years is iron. Iron is a mineral

that helps blood transport oxygen to

your cells. It is necessary for energy and

for growth.


Iron

Teen boys need iron because

they are rapidly growing.

Teen girls need iron to

support growth and replace

blood lost during

menstruation.


Iron Sources

Good sources of iron include:

• Fish and shellfish

• Lean beef

• Fortified cereals

• Enriched and whole-grain breads

• Cooked dried beans and peas

(black beans, kidney beans,

black-eyed peas, and

chickpeas/garbanzo beans)

• Spinach


Considerations for Teens

In addition to eating proper

nutrients, caloric intake,

obesity, and body image are

three other considerations

that are important to look at

during the teenage years.


Caloric Intake

Teenagers, especially very active teens

involved in sports or other activities,

often need more calories than children

or even adults. Not getting enough

calories, on a daily basis can make you

grumpy, sluggish, and cause you to not

think clearly.


Obesity

On the opposite end of the spectrum,

there is an increasing number of

children and teens that overeat on a

regular basis. The number of overweight

children and teens is dramatically

increasing. Serious diseases such as

Type 2 diabetes and heart disease were

once considered adult diseases.

However, they are now being discovered

in overweight children and teens.


Smart Choices

As a teenager, you have

more control over your

nutrition and your eating

habits. It is now up to you to

make smart eating choices to

prevent these serious

diseases. Begin now to

improve your diet!


Body Image

Body image is the way you see your

body. One’s body image often becomes

increasingly important during the

teenage years.

Unfortunately, many teens develop a

skewed or negative body image, which

often results in unhealthy dieting.


Unhealthy Dieting

Eating very little, cutting out whole

groups of foods, skipping meals, and

fasting are all unhealthy dieting

methods. Unhealthy dieting can have

the opposite affect. It may cause you to

gain more weight or make it harder to

lose weight! In addition, these unhealthy

dieting techniques can cause damage in

your body, such as problems with your

hormones and reproductive system.


Diet and Exercise

Avoid harming your body, either

physically or emotionally, by eating

healthy and exercising. Follow the tips

you have learned throughout this

course. If you are overweight, work

closely with your doctor to lose weight.

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