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What is Nutrition?

- It is the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth

- Different factors that contribute to the type of foods you eat: 

  • Age (toddlers vs teenagers, etc)  

  • Sensory influences ( taste, texture, smell) 

  • Environmental Factors ( religion, availability, lifestyle, etc) 

  • Emotional & Cognitive Factors ( habits, comfort/discomfort foods, etc)          

What is considered a nutrient? 

6 Important nutrients 

  1. Carbohydrates: starches and sugars ( grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits) 

  2. Lipids: fats ( coconut, olives, avocado, etc) 

  3. Proteins : amino acids ( fish, chicken, poultry, etc) 

  4. Vitamin ( A,D,E,K, etc) 

  5. Minerals ( iron, zinc, calcium, etc) 

  6. Water 

We should be eating less fats, sugars, and salt and eating more fruits and vegetables 

Nutrition deficiencies are perhaps the most detrimental to young children because they can create health problems that will continue over the lifespan.

How to make eating nutritious foods fun for kids: 

  • Have them help you pick out fruits and vegetables at the store

  • Choose colors. "What color grapes would you like?"

  • Make figures out of fruits and veggies. 

  • Limit the amount of sugar snacks you buy and replace them with fruits and vegetables.

  • Choose a different fruit or vegetable for every day of the week! ( Mango Monday, Tangerine Tuesday, Watermelon Wednesday, etc) 

Reference

Contento, I. R. (2016). Nutrition education: Linking research, theory, and practice. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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