Nutrition and Personal Development in Children

The provided report emphasizes that a child's growth and development depend heavily on their nutritional intake during childhood. It stresses the need for parents to provide healthy and nutritious food to their children, especially from birth to six months when exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for its protective benefits. Additionally, the document touches upon the significance of practitioners' involvement in personal development, ensuring high-standard learning. Overall, it underscores the importance of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients for children's proper growth without deficiencies or disorders.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH
AND WELL BEING 5

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1
TASK 5............................................................................................................................................1
5.1 State the nutritional value of the main food groups..............................................................1
5.2 Determine the nutritional requirement and methods of feeding...........................................5
5.3 Explain the role of early year practitioner in children's upbringing .....................................7
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Promoting children's health and well-being includes addressing and understanding child,
juvenile and caregiver functioning in behavioural, social and cognitive areas. An emphasize on
well-being must be unified into overall aspects related to child welfare services. This gives the
foundation for a child & enables them to thrive in any kind of surroundings and become the best
that they can likely be going into their adolescent and later years (Biddle and Asare, 2011). The
relationship between health, learning and nutrition is undeniably strong. The main purpose of
this report is to equip with the skill, competence and knowledge to provide for the health and
safety of children and sustain hygienic and safe practices in a range of children's early childhood
education and care. It includes different methods of feeding, nutritional requirement and value of
primary food group. Along with this it also explains the role of practitioner in overall upbringing
of a children.
TASK 5
5.1 State the nutritional value of the main food groups
Nutrition is one of the key factor that play vital role in child development. Research
studies demonstrate that child's early year nutrition is inter-linked to their academic performance
and health in later years. By inculcation the significance of being healthy from an early age can
help to fight obesity and promote children to be responsible for managing their own healthy
lifestyle. Knowledge regarding eating healthy and exercise early on in life assist children to
make appropriate choices and realize why these right choices are essential for their healthy life.
Often times children are naturally fascinated in their own bodies such as they are curious
about how the heart beats, how movements of muscles takes place, what is the function of lungs
and how their bodies actually work (Bradshaw, 2016). By inspiring children to create this
curiosity and interest, it will make much easier for them to understand the importance of healthy
lifestyle i.e. fresh air, exercise, balance and nutritious diet etc. Initially, children needs to acquire
knowledge about healthy eating. Some enjoy eating sweets, fizzy drinks and chocolates that do
not provide any nutritional value to children's body. Craving for these foods lasts only for short
span of time till the body has been weaned off this necessity for sugar.
Foods are classified into five important groups and for maintaining healthy diet, proper
understanding is essential about these food groups so that one can know that in what quantity of
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food from each group must be consumed. Discussed below are the explanation of these food
groups:-
 Bread, cereals and potatoes: This category include pasta, oats, bread, rice, breakfast
cereals and noodles. Every meal served to children must contain at least any one item
from this group. Brown rice and wholemeal bread are advantageous over white rice and
white bread as they carry more minerals, fibre and vitamins which immensely help in
children growth and development (Brown, 2011).
 Meat, fish and pulses: This class of food group contains all sort of meat products such as
sausages, burgers, fish, poultry and eggs. It also encompasses lentils, pulses, soya
products and tofu for vegetarian products. It is important to give two component of food
to kids from this category on daily basis (Gilbert, Parton and Skivenes, 2011). Tofu is
rich in calcium, iron and vitamin B. All these nutrients help in children's proper growth
and bone health. Eggs are compact with DHA and protein that aid in the thrive of baby's
brain. Intake of protein helps in making lots of specialised chemicals such as adrenalin,
haemoglobin that play important role in our body. In addition to this, it also help in
building and repairing our tissues. Milk and dairy products: This include cheese, milk, yogurt etc. Parents must aim to offer
2-3 serving from this category to their children as it promote healthy balanced diet. Cow's
milk is rich in calcium and protein which is very essential for kids in their early stages.
Research shows that it is better to provide whole milk to child till the age of 2 as it is
great for the development of brain (Hirshkowitz and et. al., 2015). For strengthening the
bones of children, parents must ensure that their babies eat calcium diary products.
Yogurt contains bacteria which can assist in healthy growth of kids. It is a healthful food
for children especially for one who do not like to drink milk, as yogurt is a great source
of calcium. Products containing fat and sugar: It encompasses oil, biscuits, cakes, ice-cream,
margarine, sweets, jam, chips and other fried foods. This category of foods can be served
to children in small quantities and that too on occasional basis. Not all fats are bad, some
are important for a healthy balanced diet (Inchley and Currie, 2013). One should need fat
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for proper functioning of brain, skin cells and nerves so as to protect vital body organs
and also aid in controlling body temperature. Polyunsaturated and Mono-unsaturated fats
are essential for children as it includes products like peanut, avocado, nuts, olive, sesame,
tuna etc.
 Fruit and vegetables: This class include all vegetables and fruits except potatoes that are
enclosed in above discussed food group. Parents must be emphasize on providing at least
five different vegetables and fruits on daily basis to their children. Classification of this
group encompasses fresh, frozen or canned juices. If parents are feeding canned fruit to
their children, then they must ensure to buy fruit in their natural juices instead of in the
form of syrup that contain high sugar level (Ludwig and et. al., 2012). Fruits and
vegetables are essential source of many nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, dietary
fibre, potassium, folic acid. By eating such nutritious fruits & vegetables, chronic
diseases such as heart, cancer or diabetes can be prevented. It is important for kids to
consume 1.5 cups of fruits on daily basis. Moreover, it has been figure out that children
who often eat vegetables and fruits perform better in their physical, academic as well as
overall department.
Additionally, the amount of food that children is going to intake depend upon several
factors such as age, physical activity, state of health and level of physical activity (Marmot and
Bell, 2012). However consuming too much of food from each category may cause obesity and
malnutrition. The entire growth and development of a children depend upon how their parents
feed these products to them and at what quantity.
5.2 Determine the nutritional requirement and methods of feeding
Children get the vitamins that they need for their growth and development from infant
formula milk or breast milk. However the need for vitamin increases by the time they are 6
months old. Kids are born with nutrients that they have obtain while in the womb. These aid to
provide some of the nutrients that is beneficial for kids. For children who are only 0-4 months
old, the best source of nutrients is formula feed/breast milk or a combination of both. Babies
should not be weaned till they are 6 months old (Neff, 2011). In-fact the Department of Health
suggested that babies should be breastfed until they are 6 months old. However after this, breast
milk will no longer provide sufficient amount of nutrition that significantly contributes towards
children growth and development. With the passage of time, kids are slowly introduced to new
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age and start in-taking other appropriate food which provide them high nutritional value in terms
of vitamin c, vitamin a, calcium, minerals, fibres etc. This will incorporate fresh food with no
added content or sugar. Parents must understand and provide proper nutrition and right activities
to babies during their 1 year. Breast milk has the right constitution to fulfil the nutritional need of
a new born baby. This is the only reason why medical experts or doctors strongly recommend to
give mother's feed to infant. Some of the key advantage of breast feeding are discussed below:-
1. It comprise of all essential nutrients that is required by new born baby & these nutrients
are rightly balanced.
2. It is the best way for mothers to develop strong bond with their babies.
3. Breast milk compromise of anti-bodies produced by the mother. These anti-bodies help
in protecting children against any infections (Reiss, 2013).
4. It is easily absorbed & digested
5. With breast feeding, it is easier to feed as per children's demand.
6. Sterilisation of milk is not necessary in case of breast milk
Nutritional Requirement as per the age group:-
Age of children Nutritional Requirement
0-1 years Fruits- After 6 months, parents can start serving fruit pulp to
babies and it should be not more than ½ bowl.
Vegetables- Fresh juice of vegetables can be given but not more
than ½ cup or near about 100 ml.
Starchy Food (cereals): 1 oz equivalents
Milk and Dairy Food: At this stage, it is preferable to provide
breast milk to children
Fat and Sugar: Limit to ½ size portions
Meat/eggs/beans/and fish: Food under this group can be given
to children after completing the age of one year.
Baby led weaning: It is advisable for a baby to intake mother's
milk atleast for 12 months. This help baby to cope up with
different food textures from the beginning of weaning.
Moreover it also protect baby & boost their immunity.
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Spoon led weaning: After completing 6 months, mother can
start giving apple pulp to its babies. As the child gets older and
teeth begin to show, mother can feed more variety of fruits but
it must be finely grated or chopped.
1-2 years Fruits- 1 bowl of fresh fruits
Vegetables- ¾ cup of organic vegetables
Starchy Food (cereals)- 3 oz equivalents
Milk and Dairy Food- 2 cups per day
Fat and Sugar- Limit to 1/2-2 child size portions
Meat/eggs/beans/and fish- 2 oz equivalents
Calorie intake: Toddlers need to take 1000-1200 calories per
day
Fibre intake: Approx. 6-8 gram per day
Calcium intake: Approx. 500 mg per day.
Protein intake: 1kg of protein for each kilogram of their body
weight per day of protein.
Portion Sizes: 1-2 tablespoon of vegetables
1-2 tablespoon of fruits
¼ of bread
2-3 tablespoon of beans
2-3 years Fruit and vegetables – 4 servings per day
Starchy foods (cereals) – 4 servings a day, e.g. 1 slice of bread,
½ cup of porridge
Meat/eggs/beans/and fish– 1 serving from this food category
per day
Milk and dairy foods – 2-3 servings on daily basis
Fat and sugar – limit to ½–2 child-size portions
Calorie intake: 1200-1600 calories per day
Fibre intake: approx. 8-10g per day
Calcium intake: approx. 800 mg per day
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Protein intake: Intake of protein must be done according to
toddler's weight. For this age group, accurate weight is 18 kg
which means 18-20g of protein each day.
Portion Sizes: 4-5 tablespoon of vegetables
2-3 tablespoon of fruits
½ of bread
3-4 tablespoon of beans
3-5 years Fruit and vegetables– 3 servings of organic vegetables and 2 of
fresh fruit per day
Starchy foods (cereals) – 5 servings on daily basis
Meat/eggs/beans/and fish– at least 1 serving every day
Milk and dairy foods – 2–3 servings a day
Fat and sugar products– limit to ½–2 child-size portions
Calorie intake: 1600-2200 calories per day
Fibre intake: approx. 10-12g per day
Calcium intake: approx 100 mg per day
Protein intake: 20-22 grams of proteins each day
Portion Sizes: 6-7 tablespoon of vegetables
4-5 tablespoon of fruits
3/4 of bread
4-5 tablespoon of beans
5-7 years Fruit and veg – 2–4 of fresh fruit and 4-8 servings of vegetables
per day
Starchy foods (cereals) – at least 6 servings a day
Meat/eggs/beans/and fish – 1–2 servings every day
Milk and dairy foods – 4–6 servings a day
Fat and sugar – limit to 1–2 child-size portions
Calorie intake: 2200-2500 calories per day
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Fibre intake: approx. 12-14g per day
Calcium intake: approx. 150-200mg per day
protein intake: 22-30 grams of protein each day
Portion Sizes: 8-10 tablespoon of vegetables
5-7 tablespoon of fruits
1 slice of bread
5-8 tablespoon of beans
5.3 Explain the role of early year practitioner in children's upbringing
The role of practitioner is essential in ensuring that all children must meet their personal
developmental goals & attain the highest standard of learning available. Practitioner is
responsible to assure that positive relationship is maintained between children and parents.
However, this can be done by supporting the parent and child during “settling in sessions” and in
their time at the setting (Sawyer and et. al., 2012). They need to arbitrate with parents so as to
aware or educate them about specific allergies of children or any religious requirements. This
can be considered as role of practitioners to take care of child while serving any food or
vegetable to children considering those items with whom they are specially allergic. Practitioners
should always have regard for the importance of children's diet during their growth and
development. Considering the fact that children acquire learning or knowledge from everything
that occurs around them. Basically, this gives an understanding regarding how quickly children
absorbs any information.
In-fact, an early year practitioner have greater influence on the growth and development
of children (Biddle and Asare, 2011). The manner in which a young kid gets educated may take
various forms and the most effective way to teach young kids is to consider learning as a
interactive and fun activity. It requires lots of patience to deal with children and to cope with
them as per their requirements. The key role of practitioner is to interact efficiently with children
as this will provide greater understanding regarding them. In addition to that they significantly
contributes towards encouraging healthy eating among children. It is important for practitioner to
acquire knowledge regrading children's special dietary needs or any food allergies before
providing them admission. Research says that small kids have sharp memory and high
recognition power. The role of practitioner is to prepare a sheet that includes list of fruits and
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vegetables with which they are allergic to and also covers which fruits and vegetables are being
liked by them the most (Bradshaw, 2016). Along with this, practitioner also help in
implementing meal time routines of toddler. It has been believed that children from age all
groups gets advantage by following routines i.e. having meals or snacks at same time each day.
The role of practitioner is to prepare this preparation which help in avoiding any behavioural
issue that occurs unexpectedly. There are different types of early year practitioner including
nanny, child minder, pre-school assistant, working in a nursery etc. Another responsibility of
practitioner is to present food in appealing way which instantly attracts children and create a
desire among them in terms of consuming that appealing food. For example: They can cut fruits
in different shapes and sizes. However there are certain fruits or vegetables which is being
mostly liked by toddlers that needs to be taken into account by practitioner while preparing meal
for them. The entire upbringing of any children depend upon how practitioner treat them and
provide them basic knowledge or learning of different things. If they found doing them
something wrong, immediate actions needs to be taken otherwise they will grab things very
instantly. If any infant is addicted to any particular thing or object like some children eat food
only by watching mobile phones which is eventually wrong. Therefore, toddler must ensure that
infant can not get addicted to any of objects. More they need to take care of infant's behaviour
while eating food. For example: Most of toddler throw food while eating. Here the role of
practitioner is to improve these behaviour and embed good qualities in them. It also help kids to
become more independent when performing daily activities or tasks.
CONCLUSION
According to the above mentioned report it can be conclude that growth and development
of any children depend upon the type of nutrition they intake during their childhood period.
Parents should ensure that they give healthy and nutritional food to their children so that they
grow in proper way. For 0 to 6 months baby, it is necessary to feed them mother's milk as in
contains various antibiotics that protects baby from infections and several other diseases.
Practitioner plays essential role in personal development of children and ensures that they get
high standard learning. Vitamins, minerals, nutritions should be provided to children in sufficient
quantity so that they may not suffer from any kind of deficiencies and disorders.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Biddle, S. J. and Asare, M., 2011. Physical activity and mental health in children and
adolescents: a review of reviews. British journal of sports medicine, p.bjsports90185.
Bradshaw, J. ed., 2016. The Well-being of Children in the UK. Policy Press.
Brown, A., 2011. Media use by children younger than 2 years. Pediatrics. 128(5). pp.1040-1045.
Gilbert, N., Parton, N. and Skivenes, M. eds., 2011. Child protection systems: International
trends and orientations. OUP USA.
Hirshkowitz, M. and et. al., 2015. National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration
recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health. 1(1). pp.40-43.
Inchley, J. and Currie, D., 2013. Growing up unequal: gender and socioeconomic differences in
young people’s health and well-being. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children
(HBSC) study: international report from the. 2014.
Ludwig, J. and et. al., 2012. Neighborhood effects on the long-term well-being of low-income
adults. Science. 337(6101). pp.1505-1510.
Marmot, M. and Bell, R., 2012. Fair society, healthy lives. Public health. 126. pp.S4-S10.
Neff, K. D., 2011. Self‐compassion, self‐esteem, and well‐being. Social and personality
psychology compass. 5(1). pp.1-12.
Reiss, F., 2013. Socioeconomic inequalities and mental health problems in children and
adolescents: a systematic review. Social science & medicine. 90. pp.24-31.
Sawyer, S.M. and et. al., 2012. Adolescence: a foundation for future health. The Lancet.
379(9826). pp.1630-1640.
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