Normal and Therapeutic Nutrition

Normal and Therapeutic Nutrition 3(2+1)

Lesson 14:Nutritional and Food Requirements for Preschool Children

Factors affecting nutritional status

• Frequent attacks of infectious diseases
• PEM and vitamin A deficiency is most common
• Repeated illness, especially the common illnesses such as diarrhoea, measles, whooping cough and other respiratory infections are the principal underlying causes of malnutrition and frequent weight loss.

Factors responsible for rejecting food by preschool children:

• Child may be at risk
• Worm infestation particularly hook worm
• Nutritional deficiency
• Child may be too tired
• Insufficient time for eating
• Psychologically disturbed
• Stress of school
• Absence of father or mother
• Birth of a sibling
• Shifting to a new place
• To draw the attention of parents
• Unfavourable comments on food by other members of the family
• Repetition of same food, no variety
• Food is not according to the liking of the child.
• Food is not palatable, not at right temperature
• Snack taken just before the meal
• Divertion of attention to play

Food requirements

• Good eating habits begin at infancy
• Transition from infants diet to regular diet should be smooth and gradual
• Few pre-schoolers are difficult eaters at times.