. Introduction Do you remember learning about food and nutrition in Chapter ? You also learnt about aspects of survival, growth and development of children in the previous chapter? Let us go over some important points again, briefly.
Our diet is made up of the foods we eat. Nutrition is “food at work”, a process by which we obtain nutrients and metabolise them for growth, repair and well-being. When we talk of nutrition we need to understand the composition of foods and to know which food provides what nutrients. Let us now focus on nutrition, health and well-being of children.
Children grow continuously and so their nutritional needs depend on their rate of growth, body weight, and on how effectively the nutrients are utilised at each stage of their development. Since physical and mental development takes place very rapidly in children, nutritional deficiency at this stage can result in lifelong impairments and disabilities. On the other hand, adequate nutrition ensures that the children grow to their full potential. We, therefore, need to understand the art of balancing their food intake while enjoying variety of foods from all the food groups.
It is generally believed that good nutrition is reflected in height and weight gained by children, but effectively it improves and maintains their well being in totality. Adequate nutrition contributes towards– functions of the organs and systems of the body. cognitive performance. body’s ability to fight diseases and restore healing.
increase in energy levels. develop pleasant and positive attitude.