Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

Resources

BOOKS
Shannon, Joyce Brennfleck ed.Diet and Nutrition Source-
book.Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2006.
Willis, Alicia P. ed.Diet Therapy Research Trends.New
York: Nova Science, 2007.

ORGANIZATIONS
American Dietetic Association. 120 South Riverside Plaza,
Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995. Telephone:
(800) 877-1600. Website:http://www.eatright.org

OTHER
‘‘Chicken Soup Diet.’’Fad Diet.com2007.http://
[http://www.faddiet.com/chicsoupdiet.html(April](http://www.faddiet.com/chicsoupdiet.html>(April) 11, 2007).
‘‘Chicken Soup Diet.’’The Diet Channel2007.http://
[http://www.thedietchannel.com/Chicken-soup-diet.htm](http://www.thedietchannel.com/Chicken-soup-diet.htm>)
(April 9, 2007).
Get the Skinny on Diets2007.http://www.skinnyondiets.
com(March 26, 2007).

Helen M. Davidson

Childhood nutrition
Definition
Childhood nutrition refers to the dietary needs of
healthy children aged 2 years through 11 years of age.
Since children younger than 2 years of age and children
over the age of 11 years of age have unique nutritional
requirements and concerns, the focus of this summary
is primarily on healthy children aged 2 to 11 years.
(Children with special health care needs and who
have special dietary needs require additional guidance
beyond what will be discussed and should seek the
skills of a Pediatrician or a Registered Dietitian).

Proper nutrition for a healthy child aged 2-11 years
of age should provide adequate essential nutrients,
fiberand energy, sufficient enough to maintain proper
growth, maximize cognitive development and promote
health. It should introduce balance among the foods
consumed such that foods rich in some nutrients do not
displace foods that are rich in other nutrients. Balance
within the diet helps to ensure adequate nutrient intake
within the diet. A child’s diet should provide sufficient
energy intake for proper growth and development
while preventing excess weight gain. To do so, foods
selected should be high in nutrient density, meaning the
food should have a high nutrient to calorie ratio. The
diet should be moderate enough so not to deliver too
much of a dietary constituent. It should also ensure
variety using different foods on different occasions to

ensure adequacy, balance and moderation among all

nutrients needed to support the child’s growth and

developmental needs.

Origins

Prior to World War II, the main nutritional prob-

lems in the United States stemmed from both a limited

supply of food and lack of nutrient variety. During this

time, scientists began to discover essential nutrients for

basic growth and development and began the process

of defining the minimum nutrients essential for growth

and survival. In the United States the health status of

children improved over the decades. An improvement

in child nutrition was seen in lower rates of infant

mortality and declines in infant, and child nutrient

deficiencies.

As the food supply in the United States became

more accessible and varied, nutritional concerns began

to focus on an overabundance of food and specific

nutrients. Around this time, research began to demon-

strate links between dietary excesses and chronic dis-

eases such as heart disease and cancers. While the

number of children who were overweight increased.

These findings led to the development of dietary

recommendations intended to reduce Americans’ risk

of chronic disease. By the late 1970s, the U.S. Senate

Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs

issued the Dietary Goals for the United States. Since

then, dietary guidance for children has broadened

from an earlier focus on issues of under consumption

Minimum nutrient and calorie levels for school lunches

(school week averages)

Preshcool Grades K–6 Grades 7–12

Calories 517 664 825

Total fat (percentage of total *1 *1, 2 *2

food energy)

Saturated fat (percentage of *1 *1, 3 *3

actual total food energy)

RDA for protein (g) 7 10 16

RDA for calcium (mg) 267 286 400

RDA for iron (mg) 3.3 3.5 4.5

RDA for vitamin A (RE) 150 224 300

RDA for vitamin C (mg) 14 15 18

*1 The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that after 2 years of

age, children should gradually adopt a diet, that by about 5 years of age,

contains no more than 30 percent of calories from fat.

2 Not to exceed 30 percent over a school week

3 Less than 10 percent over a school week.

“RE” refers to “retinol equivalent,” a measure of the vitamin A activity

in foods.

(Illustration by GGS Information Services/Thomson Gale.)

Childhood nutrition