The Importance Of Proper Nutrition For Children During Their Critical Development Years

Nutrition plays a pivotal role in children during their developmental years. A nutritious diet is a critical component in the developing and growing years among children. It helps to build a strong foundation and promotes growth, and healthy eating habits among children. The major advantages of a healthy diet in the early developmental years among children are-

• Builds immunity against diseases
• Enhances brain development
• Improves cognitive development 

Proper nutrition among children is essential as it promotes a healthy and balanced life for the rest of their life.

A report shows that more than half of children under five around the world die due to malnutrition. Lack of nutritious food within the first thousand days can be fatal for children and lead to malnourishment-related diseases. It results in cognitive disability and reduced school and work activities. 

Malnutrition plays a common ground in poverty, illiteracy, lack of education in maternal health, hygiene, and dietary practices, and more. Several countries are suffering from serious hunger conditions around the world. So much so, that if it is not addressed early, it might turn into a human catastrophe. 

To understand the importance of childhood nutrition, it is important to understand what nutrition is, and why early childhood nutrition is so important.

Also Read: The Brutal Impact of Poverty on Global Hunger

What is Nutrition? Its Role in Early Developing Years

We have often seen parents complaining about how they have to try new and reactive ways to feed vegetables to their children. “Eat your vegetables”, is a common phrase that almost everyone has heard in their childhood from their parents. While children are attracted to all the good foods such as candies, chocolates, etc, the importance of nutrition and healthy food intake is understood much later in life. 

Like automobiles require fuel or petrol to function, nutritious foods and beverages act like fuel to conduct the proper functioning of our body. Nutritious food not only keeps your body healthy but promotes cognitive development in early childhood days. A well-balanced diet can help you ignore several diseases, and promote optimal growth. 

While eating a proper diet is important for all ages, it is extremely important for children in their developing years. Preschoolers between the ages of 2 to 5 years, can grow up to a height of six to nine inches and can gain weight up to twelve and fifteen pounds. Moreover, it promotes significant brain development during early childhood development days. 

Providing good nutritional choices, and inculcating healthy habits by providing better nutritional choices is crucial to ensure proper development in several areas, such as:

• Development of brain or cognitive development, which includes the child’s ability to develop short-term and long-term memory, language skills, and create connections.
• Promotes better physical growth that includes height and weight.
• Develops the ability of children to make social and emotional connections

Breastfeeding plays an important role in a child’s life, saving them from diseases, boosting brain development, and guaranteeing a safe nutritional food source to a child’s life. The World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF recommend that infants must start breastfeeding within an hour of their birth. Doctors recommend breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months and are best if carried until they are two years old. 

After completing six months, a child must explore their first foods. Young children must be fed multiple meals a day with a nutrition-rich diet consisting of food from different sources. However, what is most important is to focus on what to give these children. While there are several awareness programs, many children around the world are malnourished and lack the nutrients they need to develop and thrive. According to a survey, the majority of children between 6 to 23 months, lack the diet they require for healthy development. 

Best Practices of Childhood Nutrition

Now that you know the importance of nutrition in early childhood days, here are a few ways you can implement it. 

• Promote and Support Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is an important part of child nutrition. Several worldwide organizations such as UNICEF advocate counseling sessions on breastfeeding support maternity protection, and other protective laws. 

Breastfeeding provides infants with complete nutrition that is easily digested and contains all the essential nutrients they need to grow and develop. Breast milk also contains antibodies that help protect babies from infections and illnesses, and it can reduce the risk of some chronic health conditions later in life. 

Additionally, breastfeeding promotes bonding between mother and child and may have positive long-term effects on cognitive and emotional development.

• Feeding Practices Among Infants

Feeding practices for infants are necessary to ensure that they receive the appropriate nutrition they need for healthy growth and development. Infants have unique nutritional requirements, and their feeding practices need to be tailored to their age, weight, and individual needs. 

Adequate nutrition during the first years of life is crucial to support brain development, immune system function, and overall health. Proper feeding practices also play an important role in preventing malnutrition, obesity, and other health problems. 

In addition, feeding practices can have long-term effects on a child’s eating habits, food preferences, and relationship with food, which can impact their health and well-being throughout their life.

• Deworming Among Children

Deworming among children can improve their nutrition by reducing the prevalence of intestinal worm infections, which can cause malnutrition and anemia. Regular deworming can improve nutrient absorption and increase appetite, leading to better growth and development. However, deworming should be accompanied by other measures, such as access to clean water and improved sanitation, to effectively address malnutrition.

• Micronutrients For Childhood Nutrition

Providing micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, and vitamin A can improve childhood nutrition by preventing and treating micronutrient deficiencies. These deficiencies can cause a range of negative health outcomes, including impaired growth, weakened immunity, and cognitive impairment. Providing micronutrients can be done through various means, such as fortified foods, supplements, and diversifying diets to include a variety of nutrient-rich foods. 

However, it is important to ensure that the provision of micronutrients is accompanied by other measures, such as improving access to clean water and sanitation, to address the underlying causes of malnutrition.

• A Healthy Food Environment

A healthy food environment is important for childhood nutrition because it influences the availability, accessibility, affordability, and desirability of healthy foods. A healthy food environment can promote the consumption of nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and discourage the consumption of nutrient-poor foods, such as sugary drinks, snacks, and fast food. 

This is particularly important for children, as their dietary habits and preferences are established early in life and can have long-term effects on their health. A healthy food environment can be created through various means, such as promoting the availability and affordability of healthy foods, regulating the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, and improving food labeling to help consumers make informed choices.

What Can We Do to Help?

Childhood nutrition is an important element to end world hunger. While millions of children are sleeping hungry every night, hundreds of children die due to malnutrition around the world every day. 

Adequate intake of nutrients, including protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, is necessary for building strong bones and muscles, supporting cognitive development, and maintaining a healthy immune system. Poor nutrition during childhood can lead to a range of negative health outcomes, including stunted growth, weakened immunity, cognitive impairment, and chronic diseases later in life. Therefore, it is crucial to prioritize childhood nutrition through a comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying causes of malnutrition, including poverty, inadequate access to health care, and unhealthy food environments. 

PayBito has recognized how hunger is turning into a human catastrophe, and has initiated its “Brokering world hunger away” campaign to feed hungry children worldwide. The campaign will be held all around the world and provide the needy with nutritious meals. By investing in childhood nutrition, we can help ensure that children have the best possible start in life and set them on a path toward a healthy and productive future.