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Pregnancy
- Prenatal and infancy -B9 or folate very essential for fetal development. Lack can cause neural tube defects which can cause abnormalities in brain spine and skull -iron is also very important to support the increase in numbers of red blood cells which is used to deliver oxygen to the placenta -low iron levels can cause low birth weight and premature delivery important to take a multivitamin -higher amounts of energy needed for growth and development for the baby – shouldn’t have too much or
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Newborns
Breastfeeding newborns and infants should be the sole source of energy.
Colostrum is the milk that is produced immediately after birth--contains antibodies and white blood cells to help build immunity also easier to digest
Breastfeeding important also for bonding
AFter colostrum comes foremilk a watery milk then hindmilk which is high in fat.
Barriers to breastfeeding are that some women have physical difficulties, work, but there are some answers like Donor Milk Banks. -
0-1 Years
Introduce solid foods at around 3-6 months -- combine with breastmilk or formula
Concerns: allergies or intolerances--introduce foods one at a time wait 2-3 days until next food
choking: ensure foods are soft and moist
food bourne illness: avoid honey
do not put baby to bed with bottle of juice or milk b/c baby may develop "caries" an infant tooth decay -
Childhood
important to maintain nutrition and exercise for development some benefits include:
-improves concentration
-full use of cognition
-obesity
Dietary recommendations:
increase vegs/fruits, legumes, and whole grains
limit fats, sugars, added sugars and salts
60 minutes of activity a day -
Pre-Adolesence
Puberty most imporatant developmental time--can begin anytime between ages 10-17
-girls usually get puberty earlier than boys
-nutrient needs increase generally
-Girls who have early puberty can be attributed to genetics
-also poor nutrition due to poverty can bring on early puberty
But also high BMI's or obese girls develop puberty before girls of normal weights -
Adolescence
Biologcally, teens are still children
Teens are more responsible for food they consume--but sometimes don't make the best food choices
Very often related to their food knowledge
Majority get inadequate diets
For girls they need more iron because of menstration and vitamin c helps with the absorption of iron
20% canadian teens vegetarian
Protein is also important due to rapid growth
