Monday, March 30, 2015

Expand your Lifespan Through Nutrition

Expand your Lifespan Through Nutrition
Nutrition is important throughout life, but different stages in life have different nutritional requirements.   

Pregnancy

Get enough nutrients to help with growth.  During the first trimester more nutrients are not necessary.  But  during the second trimester the mother requires an additional 340 calories daily and an extra 450 during the third trimester (Sizer & Whitney, 2013).  Eating these calories as additional nutrient-dense food is the best way to make use of the energy so as not to put on extra weight that could cause problems.  Prenatal vitamins are also a great way to get the added folate, iron and calcium needed without any excess.

Infancy
 
Intense growth in the first year of life creates a need for a continuous supply of nutrients, Vitamin A, D, and Calcium.  An infant requires "100 calories per kilogram of body weight per day" (Sizer & Whitney, 2013).  The most important nutrient is water because the younger a person is the more their body is made up of water.

Childhood through Adolescence
 
Balanced energy consumption and use are important during childhood.  The American Heart Association makes this recommendation "Keep total fat intake between 30 to 35 percent of calories for children 2 to 3 years of age and between 25 to 35 percent of calories for children and adolescents 4 to 18 years of age, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts and vegetable oils" (American Heart Association, 2015).  They also recommend females ages 4 to 8 1200 k/Cal per day and males 1400 K/Cal per day.  Adolescence should also maintain good energy intake/expense balance.  The American Heart Association recommends that adolescents ages 9 to 13 females should take in 1600 K/Cal per day and males 1800 K/Cal per day, and ages 14 to 18 females should take in 1800 K/Cal per day and males 2200 K/Cal per day (American Heart Association, 2015).    Both childhood and adolescent should be consuming lots of low fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains on a daily basis.

Adults
 
Adults should continue this same diet of low fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  As adults begin to age their metabolism slows so the amount of energy intake needs to be adjusted.  Physical activity is essential to combating the battle of slow metabolism as people age.  Protein intake can remain the same, carbohydrates and healthy fibers should be maintained to keep the brain and bowels functioning properly as old age makes this more difficult.  Eating the proper amounts of healthy fats is important to preventing arthritis.  Vitamins are still important as we age.  Vitamin A should be consumed at 20 micrograms per day, B`1 a2.4 micrograms per day, and Vitamins E and other antioxidants such as Zinc are important to maintain the immune system.  As with all ages water is extremely important (Sizer & Whitney, 2013). 
adulthood.  
 


 Developing healthy habits in children at a young age is the best way to maintain habits through adulthood.  Parents should begin at infancy and continue these habits until children are capable of making healthy decisions for themselves.  Children live what they learn.  Failure to maintain healthy habits can lead to poor decisions about health that can lead to chronic disease, weakened immune systems, and early death.
 
References:

American Heart Association. (January 12, 2015). Dietary Recommendations for Healthy Children. Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Dietary-Recommendations-for-Healthy-Children_UCM_303886_Article.jsp

Harvard School of Public Health. (n.d.) Food Pyramids and Plates: What Should You Really Eat?. Retrieved from  http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/pyramid-full-story/

Mehra, N. (January 12, 2011). Human Behavior. Retrieved from http://image.slidesharecdn.com/humanbehaviourppt-110112073952-phpapp01/95/human-behaviour-ppt-14-728.jpg?cb=1294839656

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13 ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning


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