Dietary Needs at Life Stages

What happens at this life stage?

• Body growth/development are rapid
• A lot of energy used in activity

Which nutrients are important?

• Protein
• Carbohydrate- limit free sugars
• Fat
• Minerals/Vitamins- all
• Fibre
• Water

Encourage young children to:

• Eat small regular meals/drinks
• Eat fresh/raw foods
• Drink unsweetened drinks, especially water/whole milk

What happens at this life stage?

• Growth continues in "spurts"
• They should be physically active 

Which nutrients are important?

• Protein
• Carbohydrate- limit free sugars
• Fat
• Minerals/Vitamins- all
• Fibre
• Water

Encourage children to:

• Follow Eatwell Guide/dietary guidelines
• Continue to try new foods
• Eat fresh/raw foods regularly 
• Eat regular meals

What happens at this life stage?

• Body grows rapidly at certain times
• Develops from a child into an adult

Which nutrients are important?

• Protein
• Vitamins- A, B group, C, D, E
• Carbohydrate- starch, fibre, limit free sugars
• Fats- especially unsaturated/omega 3 fatty acids
• Minerals- all

Encourage teenagers to:

• Follow Eatwell Guide
• Regularly eat oily fish/seeds
• Take regular exercise to strengthen muscles/maintain a healthy weight
• Drink plenty of water

What happens at this life stage?

• Minerals are taken into bones/teeth so that the skeleton reaches peak bone mass when they're adults

Which nutrients are important?

• Calcium
• Vitamin D

Encourage teenagers to:

• Include plenty of calcium-rich foods in diet
• Spend time outdoors in sunshine
• Take regular/load bearing exercise to stimulate bones to take up minerals

What happens at this stage?

• Girls start to menstruate
• They may not have enough iron/become anaemic

Which nutrients are important?

• Iron
• Vitamin C

Encourage teenage girls to:

• Eat plenty of fresh fruit/vegetables/iron-rich foods
• Eat regular, well-balanced meals

What happens at this life stage?

• Staying up late/pressures of school
• This can lead to a lack of energy/poor concentration/tiredness

Which nutrients are important?

• Vitamin B group
• Iron
• Vitamin C

Encourage teenagers to:

• Allow enough time for the body to rest/sleep
• Eat a balanced breakfast 
• Includes wholegrain cereals to release energy slowly into bloodstream
• This helps concentration 

What happens at this life stage?

• Body doesn't grow in height after 21 years old
• It needs to be maintained to keep free from disease/strong/active
• Metabolic rate gradually slows down
• Weight gain can occur if energy intake of diet is unbalanced/insufficient physical activity taken 

Which nutrients are important?

• Protein
• Vitamins A, B group, C, D, E
• Carbohydrate- starch/fibre
• Fats- especially unsaturated/omega 3 fatty acids
• Minerals- all

Encourage adults to:

• Take regular exercise to oxygenate body/strengthen muscles
• Regularly eat oily fish/seeds

What happens at this life stage?

• Skeleton continues to take up minerals until peak bone mass reached around 30 years old

Which nutrients are important?

• Calcium
• Vitamin D

Encourage adults to:

• Include plenty of calcium-rich foods in diet
• Spend time outdoors in sunshine 
• Take regular/load- bearing exercise to stimulate bones to take up minerals

What happens at this life stage?

• Body systems e.g digestion/blood circulation start to slow down
• Blood pressure increase
• Metabolic rate slows down

Which nutrients are important? 

• Protein
• Vitamins- A, B group, C, D, E
• Carbohydrate- starch/fibre
• Fats- unsaturated fats/omega 3 fatty acids

 Encourage elderly adults to:

• Eat plenty of fresh foods
• Take regular exercise to strengthen muscles/oxygenate the body