Recognizing the nutritional needs of preschool children

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Nutrition plays an important role in the development of children. In particular, the nutritional needs of preschool children have special changes compared to the previous period, because children grow up in both size and intellectual development.

1. Child development in preschool age

Physical development of children includes growth in weight and height. At the preschool stage, the weight and height of children develop steadily, according to which 4-year-old children have an average weight of 16-17 kg, the weight increases from 100-150 g per month and reaches about 18 - 20 kg when the child is 5 years old. Besides the growth in weight, the height of preschool children also grows more than before. The height of a 4-year-old child ranges from 102 to 103 cm, on average increases from 1 to 1.5 cm per month and reaches a height of about 110 cm when the child is 5 years old, boys often have a higher height than other children. Girls. Children 4 years old is also the period with the lowest percentage of body fat, so they have a "smaller" shape than many previous ages.
Children's brain development at the age of 4 is shown through children's diverse activities, including communication, play, and the ability to develop their senses through daily activities. such as hearing, seeing, grasping, touching... The child's motor ability is becoming more and more perfect and refined, along with that, the child's language development at this stage is also closely related to the child's development. Develop children's visual thinking, action, memory and attention.
In addition to physical and intellectual development, the digestive system of children at the age of 4 also has certain changes. At this stage, the child has had enough molars and begins to replace teeth, the digestive system is complete, but still need to avoid some foods that can hurt the stomach such as hot food, spicy food... Nutritional needs for 4-year-old children are extremely important. Understanding and grasping the nutritional needs of children will help parents have the right and most reasonable child care regimen.

2. Nutritional needs of preschool children

If at the age of 1-3 years old children begin to be curious about everything around them, by the age of 4 children already know how to discover things and events by themselves, always asking questions for their parents... It is also the period when children begin to be curious and learn about eating culture, dishes and meals of the day, thereby forming children's eating habits later on. Therefore, grasping the nutritional needs of preschool children will help parents have a good care regime, build a menu for children properly.

2.1. Energy requirements The recommended energy requirement in preschool children is between 1230 and 1320 kcal per day. In which, the need for protein accounts for 13-20%, carbohydrates account for 52-60% and fat accounts for 25-35% of total energy. Besides, children need to drink enough water daily with the amount of water about 1.6 - 2.0 liters per day. Parents should encourage children to participate in sports and entertainment activities to help them develop their height and weight in the best way. According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), children at the age of 4 need to be physically active with moderate intensity or higher in sports such as swimming, playing catch, walking... at least is 60 minutes per day. Parents can break up activities for children in different time periods and each time is at least 10 minutes.
2.2. Nutritional needs of preschool children for vitamins Group of vitamins is one of the indispensable components in the development process of children. The standard requirements for these vitamins are mainly based on safe levels and limits for children.
2.3. Mineral requirements Besides the need for energy and vitamins, minerals including calcium, iron, zinc.. play an important role in the nutritional needs of children, especially 4-year-old children. Accordingly, calcium participates in the process of creating bone and teeth tissue, the daily calcium requirement of children is about 600 mg/day, the amount of vitamin D also needs to ensure adequate supply for better calcium absorption.
For the mineral iron, the supply to the child needs to be considered and fully considered. At the stage of children 4 years and older, the iron requirement is about 8.4 mg per day, parents need to pay attention to the iron supplement from iron-rich foods to meet the child's best development needs.
The mineral zinc plays an important role in the development, immunity and helps children eat better. Children's zinc requirements depend on their absorption and developmental stage. According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), parents should supplement zinc for children 4 years old with a content of about 5.1 mg per day.

3. Diet for children 4 years old

In order to provide enough nutrition for the development of children, parents need to pay attention to meet the nutritional needs of 4-year-old children. At this stage, children's eating is almost like adults with 3 main meals and at least 2 other snacks. According to recommendations from nutritionists, children's diets need to ensure 4 food groups including starch, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals.
The amount of starch provided to children needs to be present in 3 main meals and snacks through foods such as rice, sweet potatoes, noodles and cakes such as cakes, bread...
Besides starch, Protein is a nutritional component that plays an important role in providing materials to help the baby's body build, maintain and repair tissues in the body, participate in the composition of blood, antibodies and glands. excrete. This nutrient component provides 10-15% of the body's energy and they are divided into 2 types, including plant proteins (found in foods such as meat, fish, eggs, seafood and dairy products such as butter, milk, cheese...) and vegetable protein (found in foods such as fermented soybeans, tofu, nuts and seeds such as almonds, sesame, walnuts...). Accordingly, the source of healthy protein for children is mainly from vegetable protein because it does not contain bad fats. Foods rich in protein and iron need to be present in at least 2 main meals of children, including fish, meat, eggs... Dairy products such as butter, milk, cheese should be given to children at snacks during the day. .
Fat is an essential nutrient for brain and physical development and enhances the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, K, E). Therefore, this nutrient is recommended to be included in the daily diet of children.
Besides, a child's diet cannot lack vegetables, tubers and fruits. The more diverse this type of food is in color (green, red, orange) and variety, the better. According to nutritionists, vegetables and fruits should make up 50% of a child's daily diet to provide them with adequate vitamins, fiber and minerals. Mothers should give children at least 2 types of vegetables of each color and often change a variety of vegetables and fruits.

4. What principle should the menu for a 4-year-old child be built on?

Understanding children's nutritional needs will help parents have the best child care regimen. According to recommendations from nutritionists, the menu for 4-year-old children should be built according to the following principles:
The daily menu for children should ensure adequate energy and balance of nutrient groups. Basic: Starch (glucose), protein, fat (lipid), fiber, vitamins and minerals. Parents should change the daily nutritional menu to help children change their taste. Accordingly, parents can change foods on the same floor in the nutrition pyramid for 4-year-olds and note that they do not change foods on different floors. Children's menus should be developed according to the season and according to the child's preferences. For example, in the summer, the mother should give priority to cool dishes, lots of water, accompanied by fruit juices... in winter, it is recommended to add stews, fried foods... Food for children should be added. Cut into small pieces for easy chewing and digestion. Nutritional menus for babies need to ensure freshness and safety before processing. Meat, fish and vegetables must be fresh, free of harmful chemicals, and not rancid harmful to children's health.

5. Some notes when meeting the nutritional needs of 4-year-old children

In addition to building a menu that provides enough nutritional needs of preschool children, parents also need to pay attention to supplementing their children with essential micronutrients such as vitamins A, D, C, vitamins of group B... Because children lack the above vitamins will cause symptoms such as:
Children lacking vitamin A (micronutrients found in carrots, broccoli, pumpkin ..) will easily have dry eyes, growth retardation, dry skin, and fear. light.... Children lacking vitamin D (micronutrients found in milk, eggs, avocado, salmon ..) will lead to growth retardation, hiccups, easy startling when sleeping.. Children lacking vitamin C (micronutrients found in many fruits such as oranges, tangerines, grapefruit...) will easily dry skin, bleeding gums, nosebleeds... Children with vitamin D deficiency (micronutrients are abundant in cereals) , nuts...) will lead to lack of appetite, fussiness, edema, mucositis... Iron-deficient children (many in tofu, seafood, liver...) will lead to anemia (blue skin, pale nails...), lack of concentration and trouble sleeping.. Therefore, parents need to give priority to supplementing with micronutrients and nutrients. complete nutrition in children's meals to help children have the best development. In addition, the baby also needs to add necessary micronutrients such as: Zinc, selenium, chromium, vitamins B1 and B6, ginger, acerola fruit extract (vitamin C), ... to improve taste, eat delicious, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standard, have a good immune system, increase resistance to less minor illnesses as well as less digestive problems.
The improvement of symptoms can take place for a long time, so it is recommended that parents be calm and persistent when supplementing with nutrients for children, even through eating or functional foods. In particular, the use of functional foods should choose those of natural origin that are easily absorbed, do not allow simultaneous use of many types or continuously change the types of functional foods.
To have more knowledge about taking care of children by age, you should regularly visit the website vimec.com and make an appointment with the leading doctors, Pediatricians - Nutritionists when you need advice.