The Nutritional Needs of Preteens

The preteen kid (a child who is between 10 and 13 years of age) has specific nutritional needs. Keeping the prêteen well nourished is essential if you want the child to do well in school.

Feed your child based on the USDA food pyramid and make sure that –

• Half of your children's intake of carbs is grains and that boys are getting 5 ounces and that girls are getting six ounces
• A variety of vegetables are consumed as a source of vitamins and fiber with girls over 10 needing 2 cups of vegetables a day and boys needing 2 and ½ cups of vegetables
• Girls and boys over ten should have between one and one and ½ cups of fruit a day.
• Both boys and girls should have three servings of dairy products every day
• Boys and girls both need five ounces of meat per day
• As is true with younger children, pretends may not be getting enough calcium. Calcium helps ensure the proper formation of bones and teeth.
• The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests that children between the ages of 10 and 19 should be getting at least 1300 milligrams of calcium every day.

Children that are allergic to cow's milk protein, or vegan, will need to find an alternative source of calcium. Some great foods high in calcium include cheese, soy milk, rice milk, salmon and broccoli

Vitamin D is essential for proper calcium absorption. 200 IUs of vitamin D everyday will help calcium to be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, ensuring that your child gets the most out of his calcium intake.

As school age kids develop healthy foods adults eat, along with more vitamins and minerals to support growing bodies. This means whole grains (whole wheat, oats, barley, rice, millet, quinoa); a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables; calcium for growing bones (milk, yogurt, or substitutes if lactose intolerant); and healthy proteins (fish, eggs, poultry, lean meat, nuts, and seeds).

Healthy fats are also important at this age as the brain is developing. There are two types that your child should be consuming.

• Monounsaturated fats, from plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil, as well as avocados, and seeds
• Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, found in fatty fish, such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines, or in unheated sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, and walnuts.

Pre adolescents should also avoid feed with vegetable shortenings, some margarine, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Baby Feeding Issues and Challenges

One of the biggest challenges of feeding a baby under a year old is to know when he or she is actually ready for solid food.

If you feed a baby solid food too early there is a risk that he or she will develop a food allergy or be unable to digest the food. The result can be stomach and bowel disorders that last for life.

This is why it is so important to err on the side of caution and make sure the baby is ready to eat solid food. If you are really unsure then ask the advice of your doctor.

While still breastfeeding it is also very important for a mother to avoid spicy foods as this can pass through the breast milk and cause vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. If you do not want a gassy baby then stay away from broccoli and cabbage.

Another issue is of whether or not you should serve your child commercially bought baby food. After all it is fast and convenient. However commercial baby food may not be as fresh or nutritious (or cheap) as baby food that you make yourself in a blender or a Baby Bullit.

Avoid giving your baby the foods that are choking hazards —
• Large chunks of cut up fruits
• Round fruits like grapes, cherry tomatoes and melon balls
• Soft sticky foods like marshmallows, peanut belly or gummy candies that can get lodged in the throat.
Remember that an infant under one year just simply does not have the glottis or esophagus or throat muscles needed to process these foods!
It is also very important for you to check the ingredients on any commercial food and make sure that they do not contain any of the following additives.

If you buy baby food with additives in it you may be addicting your baby to fat sugar, preservatives and all kinds of bad things for life. This is because the additives put in these foods do make them look and taste better.

If you give baby a savory or sugary food that is brightly colored it is not going to learn to eat the foods that are good for them – at any age.

The side effects of eating foods that are bad for them include food allergies, increased waistlines, an inability to absorb minerals and vitamins, a fatty liver, childhood obesity, learning and behavioral disabilities and many different childhood cancers and diseases.