Transcript Health, Safety and Nutrition

Chapter Five:
Promoting Good Nutrition
In Child Care
Nutrition Policies
Need for policies

Centers are doing a poor job of
providing nutrition
Inadequate calories, iron, niacin, and zinc—
too much fat
 90% of CACFP centers studied fell short of
meeting needs
 Low degree of staff knowledge has a direct
effect on nutrition
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13 million children in child care get a
significant part of their weekday
nutrition from there
 For children in care all day, 2 of 3
meals are eaten in care
Parents should consider nutritional
program of a center when choosing child
care
Major Goals for Nutrition Policies
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Maximizing Nutritional Status
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Minimizing Nutritional Risk
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Using Nutritional Education as a Tool
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Recognizing Importance of Nutritional
Guidelines
Policies Needed
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Nutritional Guidelines
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Basic Nutrition (Understanding)
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Nutritional Challenges
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Methods and Practices for Caregivers
Understanding Nutritional
Guidelines
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
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Aim for Fitness
Aim for a healthy weight
 Be physically active
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Build a healthy base
Let the Pyramid guide your food choices
 Eat a variety grains daily, especially whole
grains
 Eat a variety of Fruits and Vegetables daily
 Keep food safe
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Dietary Guidelines for Americans (cont’d.)
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Choose sensibly
Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and
cholesterol and moderate in total fat
 Choose beverages and foods to moderate your
intake of sugar
 Choose and prepare foods with less salt
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Food Guide Pyramid
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Level One  6-11 servings; breads, cereals,
rice, and pasta
Level Two  3-5 servings; vegetables; 2-4
servings fruits
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Five A Day Campaign
Level Three  2-3 servings; milk, yogurt and
cheese
Level Four  Fats, oils, and sweets sparingly
Reference Daily Intake
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Food Label (see Figure 5-2)
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Calories, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates,
protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C,
calcium, and iron are listed
Healthy People 2010
Child and Adult Care Food Program
Basic Nutrients
Energy Nutrients (Macronutrients)
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Provide calories
 Fats, 9 grams
 Proteins and Carbohydrates, 4 grams
Include
 Carbohydrates
 Fats
 Proteins
Helper Nutrients (Micronutrients)
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Vitamins
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Minerals
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Water
Energy Nutrients
Carbohydrates
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First source of energy for the body
Major source of energy for central nervous
system
Provide glucose to liver to store for energy
Found in Level One and Level Two foods
Diet should consist of 58% carbohydrates
Too little causes body to use up fat and protein
Fats
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Second source of energy
Supplies essential fatty acids for child’s growth
Cushions organs, maintains body temperature,
promotes healthy skin, helps carry fat-soluble
vitamins, and regulates cholesterol metabolism
Major source—Level Three and Level Four
foods
Diet should consist of 30% fats
Types of Fats
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Saturated  raises cholesterol  found in
animal fats
Monounsaturated  is neutral  found in
olives, peanuts, nuts, and avocados
Polyunsaturated  lowers cholesterol  found
in plants and plant oils
RDA recommends 10% from each category
Adequate fat is necessary
Protein
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Third source of energy
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Major building block in our bodies, in every cell
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Builds new cells, aids in repairing damaged
tissue, forms enzymes for digestion, and
provides hormones and antibodies that help
resist infection
Comes from Level One and Level Three foods
Made of amino acids
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Nine are essential
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Complete proteins have all nine
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Complete proteins come from animal sources
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Incomplete proteins have some but not all
nine essential amino acids
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Foods must be combined properly to provide
complete protein
Helper Nutrients
Vitamins  assist energy nutrients and aid in
metabolism
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Fat Soluble
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Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and
Vitamin K
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Water Soluble
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Vitamin B and Vitamin C
Fat Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin A
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Promotes growth, good vision, bones, and skin, and
helps heal wounds
Sources are yellow, orange and green fruits, and
vegetables
Considered an antioxidant
Vitamin D
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Needed to help calcium make strong bones and teeth
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Produced naturally in the skin
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Sources are sunshine and is added to milk, found in
fatty fish, liver, eggs, and butter
Vitamin E
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Helps preserve cell tissues
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Protects red blood cells and lungs
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Is an antioxidant
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Sources are whole grains and vegetable oils
Vitamin K
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Needed for normal blood clotting
Sources are dark green leafy vegetables and
whole grains
Water Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin B
Thiamin  essential for carbohydrate
metabolism and functioning of nervous
system
 Niacin  essential for carbohydrate
metabolism, fat synthesis, and tissue
respiration
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4 Ds
Vitamin B (cont’d.)
Riboflavin  essential for carbohydrate, fat
and protein metabolism; promotes healthy
skin, eyes, and clear vision
 Folacin  required for normal growth;
prevents anemia and is important in
reproduction
 Overall sources are grains, green leafy
vegetables, meats, nuts, and milk products
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Vitamin C
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Is an antioxidant
Helps fight disease and protect against
free radicals
 Assists with formation and maintenance
of collagen
 Helps to heal wounds and maintain healthy
blood vessels
 Stimulates immune system to prevent
infection
 Sources are citrus fruits, cabbage, kales,
broccoli, bell peppers, black currants, and
turnip greens
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Minerals
Minerals help metabolism and regulate body fluids
Calcium  present in all bones and teeth
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Regulates body systems, promotes nerve transmission
and functions in muscle contraction
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Major source is milk and milk products
Phosphorus  present in all bones and teeth
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Transports fat and provides enzymes for energy
metabolism
Sources are milk products, meat, poultry, fish, and
whole grains
Iron  combines with protein to form red blood
cells and carry oxygen
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Helps immune system resist infection and enzymes to
release energy to body
Sources are milk, meat, leafy green vegetables, and
whole grains
Sodium  important for fluid balance in body
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Contributes to nerve stimulation and muscle
contraction
Sources are salt, baking soda, celery, milk, eggs,
poultry, and fish
Magnesium  present in bones and teeth
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Transmits nerve impulses, aids enzymes for energy
metabolism, helps muscle contraction
Sources are milk, meat, green leafy vegetables, whole
grains, and legumes
Potassium  important for protein and
carbohydrate metabolism
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Helps in water balance and transmits nerve impulses
Sources are vegetables, fruit juices, and fruits,
especially bananas and tomatoes
Fluoride  promotes strength of bone and teeth
structure
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Prevents tooth decay
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Sources are fish and fluoridated water
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Fluoride controversy
Water
Water  necessary to sustain life
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70% of human body is water
Needed for metabolic activity within cells, transportation
of nutrients and waste products
Water loss in body due to urination and evaporation
 Dehydration can be a major problem for infants and
young children
Sources are most foods found in nature and water
 Fruits and vegetables are a major source
Childhood Nutritional
Challenges
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Nutritional challenges can be related to
malnutrition or overnutrition
Hunger, Malnutrition, and Their Effects
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Hunger = chronic shortage of nutrients
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12 million children experience it in U.S.
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Causes
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Stunting
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Impaired brain functions
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Vulnerability to infection and disease
Children with chronic health conditions may be
at increased risk for hunger and growth
retardation
Parents and caregivers may lack
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Knowledge of nutrition
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Time
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Ability to prepare nutritious meals
Prevention strategies
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Nutrition education
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A balanced diet of healthy foods
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Healthy food-preparation methods
Obesity
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Most prevalent nutritional disease of children
under age 18 years
Excess weight caused by energy imbalance 
20% over norm weight
May be ethnically linked  Hispanic, African
American, and Native American children have a
higher rate of obesity
Some common reasons for obesity
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Dietary excess in fats and sugars
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Lack of exercise
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Too much TV
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Poor infant/child feeding practices
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Food as comfort
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Genetic predisposition
Dental Caries (Cavities)
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Foods high in carbohydrates and sugar promote
formation of cavities
Fluoride most effective way of preventing
cavities
Brushing teeth after meals and not giving juice
in bottles help in prevention
Iron Deficiency Anemia
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Most prevalent nutritional problem in children in U.S.
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Twice as likely to occur in poor families
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Children may have trouble concentrating, which may affect
brain development
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Diets need sufficient amounts of iron to prevent it
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Infants need vitamin supplements
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Menus at child care need to be checked for adequate iron
Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension
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Too many calories, too much fat, and too much
cholesterol
Can lead to development of coronary atherosclerosis or
heart disease
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Excess sodium and weight can lead to hypertension
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Best way to improve risk is to modify child’s diet
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Should eat diet high in carbohydrates
Food Allergies
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Foods that commonly bring on allergies are
milk, peanuts, oranges, wheat, pork, and eggs
Implications for Caregivers
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Education
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Role Modeling
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Supervision
Reality Check: Peanut Allergy
Important to child care for 3 reasons
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Most common food allergy (28% over 1 year,
46% under 1 year)
Child care often relies on peanut butter and
peanut products as a cheap source of protein
for snacks and lunches
Peanut allergy increasing in frequency
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Symptoms more severe than all other food
allergies
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More emergency rooms visits
More likely to cause death than many food
allergies
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Often unable to breathe
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Make sure parents are asked about this when
entering child in child care
Make a careful plan for preventing exposure
Should it occur, have a plan how to deal with it
(see pages 189-190)