Children from 5 to 12 years old grow very fast, what kind of diet?

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1. Energy and nutrient requirements

What do 5 year olds eat? In fact, at the age of 5, children are growing rapidly and often become more active when they start school, so children need to be provided with adequate energy and a diet that provides them all. essential nutrients for growth and development. To ensure nutrition for elementary school children, all children should eat a varied and balanced diet consistent with the Eatwell Guidelines.
A 5-year-old child's appetite and ability to eat is sometimes small. Therefore, it is especially important for these children to have a nutrient-rich diet that includes healthy snacks to ensure nutrient requirements are met. The eating habits of most 5-year-olds will be largely shaped by their families, but as they get older, they'll begin to accumulate different experiences that can shape eating preferences and patterns eating, positive or negative. Key among these will be the habits and interests of your school friends and the people they socialize with. But more and more other influences will come into existence, including habits and preferences related to the pattern. A basic understanding of healthy eating principles can help them make sensible choices.
All children should be encouraged to choose a variety of foods from each of the four main food groups described in the Eatwell Guidelines, to achieve a healthy, varied diet. A diet for a fast-growing child includes enough food ingredients.

2. Fish in your child's diet

Children should eat at least two portions (about 140g) of fish per week, one of which should be oily fish like mackerel, salmon or sardines. Fish provides protein and several vitamins and minerals, and oily fish provides long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. There is a maximum recommended intake of oily fish: for boys no more than four servings of oily fish per week and for girls no more than two servings of oily fish a week. The lower recommendation for girls is because substances found in fatty fish, such as dioxins, can build up in the body. High levels of these substances can be detrimental to the baby's later life. Large predatory fish such as sharks, swordfish and sailfish can contain relatively high levels of mercury because it builds up in the food chain. Mercury can affect the developing nervous system of young children, so these fish should not be given to children.

Cá cung cấp protein, vitamin và khoáng chất
Cá cung cấp protein, vitamin và khoáng chất

3. Snacks

Popular snack foods like cookies, crisps, and chocolate bars can be high in fat and/or sugar. Sometimes these are all good, but children need to be guided in choosing snacks that provide many of the nutrients they need as well as energy, such as yogurt, a glass or milk, a sandwich with a healthy filling like lean meat or fish and salad. Snacks high in fat and sugar should not be used as a reward.

4. Sodium salt

Regularly eating too much salt (sodium chloride) is likely to lead to a child's preference for salty foods and, more importantly, can contribute to high blood pressure later in life. The maximum recommended salt intake for children increases with age:
Children aged 4 to 6 years - no more than 3 g a day; Children from 7 to 10 years old - no more than 5 g a day; Children 11 years and older - no more than 6 g a day. Do not encourage children to add salt to their meals. Also, because many processed foods already contain salt, teach your child to check food labels to help them understand which foods have more salt and to encourage them to choose foods with less salt.

5. Children's breakfast

Breakfast is very important to replenish energy for children for morning activities. Children who ate a healthy breakfast later snacked less on foods high in fat and/or sugar and tended to absorb nutrients better during the day. Many studies also show that eating breakfast regularly helps children do better in school than those who don't eat breakfast. Breakfast options that are rich in nutrients and slow to release energy are preferred options.

Bữa sáng bổ sung năng lượng cho trẻ cho các hoạt động buổi sáng
Bữa sáng bổ sung năng lượng cho trẻ cho các hoạt động buổi sáng

6. Physical activity

Physical activity in childhood can be beneficial in terms of social interactions and well-being, and is important for healthy growth and development and for maintaining energy balance. By helping children maintain a healthy weight, physical activity can also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. High-impact physical activity is especially important during childhood because it can help increase bone mass, which has long-term effects on bone health.
Children and young adults should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day. At least twice a week, this should include activities that improve bone health, muscle strength, and flexibility, such as running, cycling, or swimming (respectively). Only 70% of boys and 61% of girls meet these recommendations. Boys tend to be more active than girls and it is common to see a decline in physical activity levels as children reach adolescence, which is more evident in girls.

7. Some problems about children's oral health

Rates of tooth decay in children have decreased significantly since the use of fluoride toothpaste, but about 55% of children aged 7-10 years still have some evidence of tooth decay. Children should be taught how to think about oral hygiene and how to prevent tooth decay. Children should be encouraged to think about and reduce the number of times they eat sugary foods and drinks during the day and, if possible, limit them to mealtimes because other foods eaten at mealtimes will affect any child's teeth. any acid produced by the fermentation of sugar. Dentists recommend a maximum of 4-5 times per day to consume sugary foods because the frequency of consumption and not the amount consumed is most important from an oral health perspective. Regular brushing with a fluoride toothpaste is essential. Regular visits to the dentist are also important.

Trẻ em nên được dạy vệ sinh răng miệng và cách ngăn ngừa sâu răng
Trẻ em nên được dạy vệ sinh răng miệng và cách ngăn ngừa sâu răng

8. Weight maintenance in children

Although school-age children are often hyperactive, many children in the UK are now overweight or even obese. In the UK, around 16% of children aged 2 to 15 are obese and 14% are overweight. For those 2 to 10 years old, 16.3% of boys and 14.4% of girls were obese. Childhood obesity increases the risk of chronic disease later in life, and current trends are increasing the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in obese adolescents.
Children of primary school age should not usually be on a low-fat diet because this can interfere with their growth and development. Instead, management typically involves a combination of healthy eating and increased physical activity, which is family focused and aimed at making the child maintain a stable weight or gain weight slowly. while the child's height increases and also must review the family's diet and encourage improvement as needed. The goal is for the child to grow to an acceptable weight for his or her height and a more appropriate diet and lifestyle routine to be followed in the long term. Developing a healthy lifestyle in the family, including a varied healthy diet and regular physical activity is especially important in managing children's weight.
In addition to paying attention to nutrition, children in the period of development and starting school are very likely to encounter problems with the respiratory system, respiratory infections, skin diseases and urinary tract infections. Digestion...Parents need to pay special attention to taking care and providing adequate nutrition for children.
In addition, children from 5 to 12 years old need 10mg of elemental zinc/day to eat well, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standard. Zinc plays a role in affecting most biological processes taking place in the body, especially the breakdown of nucleic acids, proteins... Organs in the body when zinc deficiency can lead to a There are a number of diseases such as neurological disorders, irritability, etc. Therefore, parents need to learn about the role of zinc and guide them to appropriate zinc supplements for their children.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
Please regularly visit Vinmec.com website and update useful information to take care of your baby and family.
Reference source: nutrition.org.uk
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