Discuss the nutritional requirements across the lifespan – from pregnancy to childhood, and from adolescence to adulthood.

Nutrition is something that should start early from pregnancy up to adulthood. When a woman is pregnant it is important that she is feeding herself the proper nutrients so that the baby growing inside her receives proper nutrients as well. Eating healthy while pregnant allows the baby to grow and develop like it should. Infants drink formula or breast milk because it gives the nutrients a baby needs. As the baby gets older baby food is offered in the form of fruits and vegetables this is to prepare the baby for the healthy life style over the years. Different stages of a child’s life requires different amount of nutrients and calorie intake. For example “on average, though, a 1-year old child needs about 800 calories a day; at age 6, the child needs double to 1,600 daily calories. By age 10, about 1,800 calories a day support normal growth and activity without causing excess storage of body fat”. (Sizer & Whitney, 2013) If parents start their children off eating a certain way as a child then nine times out of ten the child will eat the same way as an adult. So parents should lead by example. Typically during adolescents their food choices are not so great. The calorie intake may be different for each child depending on if they are active in sports or not. A lot of teenagers eat and drinks things that are high in calories due to being on the go a lot so they eat what the can. Many people don’t think this can effective the future but it can because although as a teen you were able to eat whatever you wanted without gaining weight that could possible effect your body as an adult. As adults we try to make good food choices based on what we were eating as a child if our parents instilled healthy eating habits in us a child. Adults try to do what is best for them because at this point they are getting older and things have changed. The body becomes more risky to get diseases. It is important to follow the recommended daily guidelines because over eating or not eating enough can put you at risk for some many diseases and or possible becoming obese. We all know that gaining weight is easier to put on then it is too loose.

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013).  Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13 ed)