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Nutrients – Increased Need
Energy:-Growth progresses gradually between 1 to 6 yrs of life. As the child becomes increasingly mobile, his energy requirement also increases. Development of full dentition is observed by about 2 yrs of age. Children at around this age practice increased autonomy over every little activity they are involved in. An overall good nutrition in the form of small energy dense meals should be ideally charted out for a growing preschooler. Insufficient intake of food will not only result in poor weight gain but will also hamper growth to a great extent. This may later affect development of cognitive skills and learning, while children face academic challenges in school. Inadequate intake of calories can also lead to protein deficiency.
Protein:- Bone growth, growth of muscle mass paves way for increased demands for protein. An increase in total body size during preschool years, haemoglobin formation also requires adequate amount of protein. A protein intake of 1.5 to 2g/kg body weight is essential during this period.
Fat:-The fat intake should be around 25 g per day. This requirement takes care of the high energy density of the diet. Vitamins and Minerals:- The suggested desirable intake of minerals like calcium and phosphorus should be around 400 mg each. Inadequate calcium intake can adversely affect the bones of the growing children. The diet of a preschooler should include around two glasses of whole milk everyday. Milk also contains vitamin D that aids in calcium absorption. Children suffering from lactose intolerance or milk allergy should meet their calcium requirements from other food sources. This includes tofu, yoghurt, ragi, fortified cereals, orange juice, broccoli and leafy greens. Preschoolers are at risk of developing anemia due to dietary insufficiency accompanied by hookworm infestation.
So make sure that your child’s diet is sufficiently rich in iron. Iron rich foods include riceflakes, egg yolk, greens, lean meat, poultry, beans, tofu and enriched cereal grains. Also, supplement an iron rich diet with nutrient like vitamin C to facilitate iron absorption.
Foods rich in vitamin C are amla, guava, tomatoes, oranges, strawberries and broccoli.
The incidence of Vitamin A deficiency symptoms is particularly high in Indian preschool children whose dietary intake is less than 100 mcg. As per the ICMR, the daily allowances of vitamin A that have been recommended for a preschooler is about 400 mcg. A child whose diet lacks in vitamin A for a prolonged period of time is at major risk of developing bitot spots, night blindness and may be in severe cases total blindness also. Thus, good amounts of milk, eggs, yellow orange coloured fruits and veggies, green vegetables should be included in the diet.
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