Nutrition for School Children

Nutrition for School Children

• Introduction to nutrition for children in primary school
• Nutritional needs of school-aged children
  • Energy
  • Protein
  • Essential fatty acids
  • Calcium
  • Iron
• What can parents do to help children eat healthily?
• Nutritional advice for school-aged children

• Nutritional problems in school-aged children
  • Obesity
  • Eating disorders
  • Blood cholesterol levels
  • Dental caries
  • Anaemia
• Key points for good nutrition in primary school-aged children

 

zinc, iodine, iron and folate on the cognitive development of school-aged children showed that nutrition has an impact on children’s ability to think. For example, deficiencies in iron and zinc have been associated with impairment of neuropsychological function, retardation of growth and development, reduced immunity and increased vulnerability to infectious diseases. The essential nutrients for optimal health are:

Carbohydrates and fats provide energy for growth and physical activity. During periods of rapid growth, appetites increase and children tend to eat constantly. When growth slows, appetites diminish and children eat less at meal times. The brain needs energy to function properly and hence the supply of glucose is relevant and critical. Cognitively demanding tasks, such as schoolwork, require regular supplies of glucose to the brain in order to enhance cognitive functioning and improves memory and mood.

Dyslexia and Dyspraxia are associated with difficulties with spelling, handwriting and written expression.

Osteoporosis, a weakened bone disease affects a significant proportion of adults. This begins in childhood if diets are not providing adequate calcium-rich foods. Milk and dairy products and from some dark green, leafy vegetables are good sources of calcium.

Introduction to Nutrition) that foods containing a lot of fat, oil and sweets should be consumed sparingly.

Research carried out in Australia found that food purchased in school canteens had similar nutritional content to food brought from home; the nutritional value of both sources of lunch meals needed improvement.

vitamin C rich fruit e.g. orange, and papaya. One study found that an overnight and morning fast among school children had deleterious effects on memory and attention. Empirical evidence from research on the effects of breakfast on cognition shows that particularly for younger children, skipping breakfast can have adverse effects on both general energy levels and cognition of school children.

Eat a variety of foods in order to have adequate nutrient intake.

Balance the food you eat with physical activity.

Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits.

Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Buy low-calorie and low-fat meals, snacks and deserts, low fat or skim milk and diet drinks.

Choose a diet that provides enough calcium and iron to meet their growing body’s requirements.

Teach children from an early age about nutrition, foods, drinks, healthy eating and drinking. They should be taught what happens to the food they consume.

Choose a diet moderate in sugars and salt. Avoid giving large amounts of sweet deserts, soft drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, sugar-coated cereals, chips or candy, as they have little nutritional value.

Snacking and school-aged children

During the primary school years, a greater proportion of meals may be eaten away from home in the school setting. Most of these snacks consumed are high fat foods. Snacks may contribute up to a significant proportion of total daily energy and nutrient needs of the school child. Resultantly poor snack choices result in too many high-energy, low-nutrient foods. For example, salty snacks, such as packets of crisps, may be poor value as they give few nutrients.

Children who are both physically active and growing need to refuel periodically throughout the day. Parents and other caretakers have the critical role in helping children make nutritious snack choices. Frequent snacking may result in loss of appetite during the main meal. A healthy snack should be less in size or quantity to the amount of a regular meal and taken at least 2 hours before a regular meal.

  

heart disease, hypertension, some types of cancer and diabetes. In principle therefore, nutritional problems in the school aged child may carry into adulthood. Patronage for convenience foods which tend to have high fat content are a major determinant of nutritional problems. Some of the nutritional problems in this age group include the following:

obese in school-aged children, mainly attributable to reduced physical activity. Focus on reducing obesity and improving diet and physical activity is therefore a priority in many countries. Obesity is a nutritional disorder and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Obesity is also implicated in the development of insulin resistance limiting the body’s ability to absorb glucose. Studies indicate that children have too much fat in their diets. Eating diets high in fat and being less physically active leads to positive energy balance which may be a predisposition to lifelong health problems (for example, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular problems, type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity) in older adult years.

anorexia nervosa and bulimia is associated with this age group. Lured by media propaganda and other social pressures, some children feel pressure to be extremely thin. This extreme measure of weight control is achieved by restricting food intake.

Dental caries are caused by over indulging in sugary foods such as soft drinks and confectionery may predispose school aged children to poor dental health. The risk of tooth decay is greatest with the consumption of large amounts of sticky sugary and starchy foods that stick to the teeth (or example, sweets, sodas, lollies, and candies).

Iron-deficiency anaemia may develop in children whose diet is iron-deficient. Iron is an oxygen-carrying component of blood. Anaemia in school-aged children may result in deleterious effects including lower school achievement due to impaired cognitive development, poor attention rate and general fatigue. A study involving 5398 children between the ages of 6 and 16 in the United States, found that lower standardised maths test scores were found among those with iron deficiency. Children deficient in iron were twice as likely to score below average on math tests, this finding was more pronounced among girls.

Nutrition. 

Reference

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Article Dates:

Modified: 30/12/2010
Reviewed: 13/12/2007
Created: 13/12/2007

Nutrition for School Children