The Importance of Nutrition

 The Nutritional Impact of Children’s Food Choices

You Gotta Nourish To Flourish

For children, adequate nutrition is one of the most important factors influencing growth and immunity.  A balanced diet must contain the proper amount of protein, carbohydrate, fat, calcium, vitamins, and fiber. Each of these nutrients plays a vital role in the overall growth and development of children:

Protein helps a child’s body build cells, break down food into energy, and fight infection.

Carbohydrates are the body’s most important source of energy, helping a child’s body to use fat and protein for building and repairing tissue.

Fats are a great source of energy for kids and are easily stored in a child’s body. They are also important in helping the body properly use some of the other nutrients it needs.

Calcium is essential in helping to build a child’s healthy bones and teeth. It’s also important for blood clotting and for nerve, muscle, and heart function.

Iron is necessary for a child to build healthy blood that carries oxygen to cells all over the body.

Vitamin B helps the body produce red blood cells and assists in metabolic activities — this means that B vitamins help make energy and set it free when your child’s body needs it.

Vitamin C does more than just fight off the common cold. It helps form and repair red blood cells, bones, and tissues. It helps your child’s gums stay healthy and strengthens your child’s blood vessels, minimizing bruising from falls and scrapes. In addition, it helps cuts and wounds heal, boosts the immune system, and keeps infections at bay.

Fiber helps produce bowel regularity in a child. It can also play a role in reducing the chances of heart disease and cancer later in life.