CHILD NUTRITION

Child Nutrition

Child Nutrition

Introduction

Nutrition provides the essential sustenance for all life forms. In human beings, it refers to the process of absorbing nutrients from food and processing them in the body in order to grow or maintain health. The word also denotes the science that deals with foods and their effects on health. Instilling healthy eating habits in your children at a young age will promote healthy eating as adults. The encouragement of young children to eat nutritiously during the years of school promotes the healthy learning style; because they progress actively through their education. The practice of having breakfast prior to school has a significant impact on boosting the memory of the child, higher test scores, grades, attendance and mood. How does proper nutrition help us learn better? This paper discusses the child health issue of Nutrition, it includes the effects of Nutrition on children and their family and the impact of child health policies and provision on the well-being of the child and family.

Discussion

Nutrition improves cognitive function. “After fasting all night, a developing body (and brain) needs a fresh supply of glucose—or blood sugar. That's the brain's basic fuel” (Aubrey, 2006). If glucose is missing from our brain then it does not operate as well as if it had a supply of glucose. We can have issues with understanding new information, visual and spatial understanding and our memory is affected as well; we cannot remember things as easily. Glucose is not stored in the neurons, it travels in the bloodstream; therefore, the brain is dependent on the bloodstream to “deliver a constant supply of this precious fuel”. Eating a healthy breakfast containing starches and sugars commonly found in grains and legumes, fruits and vegetables can help your child get moving, motivated and remember things throughout the day. If too much sugar is given to a child at one time, such as sweet cereals compared to oatmeal, this can actually compromise their brain's power. At the same time, the children who refrain from having a breakfast will surely face the deficiency of glycogen stores which may make them “hungry and lack the ability to concentrate in school. They may be tired, lethargic, and lack fuel for learning” (Angell, 2007). So for your child's brain to function properly they should eat foods that are low on the glycolic index.

Eating healthy improves academic performance. According to the Breakfast Research Institute, “breakfast consumption is associated with positive effects on grades and achievement test scores and with improved attendance and reduced tardiness”. Some research studies have revealed that several children who ate oatmeal in the morning, for example, “did up to 20 percent better than the Crunch consumers” (Aubrey, 2006), on academic tasks such as the task of memorizing distinct names of people, or the countries specified on the map. Another study showed that children who lack the sufficient intake of the fruits, vegetables for the protein and fibre ingredients “with less calorie intake from fat, did better on their literacy ...