Nutrition for Special Populations Part I by 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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
This lesson will provide an
overview of the additional
nutrition considerations for
each of the following:
• Infant
• Child
• Teen
Stages of Life
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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
Nutrition for Special Populations
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!
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
Iron
Teen boys need iron because
they are rapidly growing.
Teen girls need iron to
support growth and replace
blood lost during
menstruation.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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!
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.
Nutrition for Special Populations
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.