FOOD AND NUTRITION OF BABIES AND INFANTS (BALANCED DIET); THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD
INTRODUCTION
The most important ingredient of life after air (oxygen) is food. Food is an essential ingredient to every human growth and development.
Food is important for life from the stage of conceiving a child, to form a foetus, and to finally become a baby. The sperm of a man and the egg of a woman which form the foetus upon conception are formed from food components. This food components are important for the child's survival in the womb of his mother throughout the period of pregnancy and are important to sustain growth and development of body parts when a child is born and stays through infancy to an adolescent and finally when the child becomes an adult. In a nutshell, food is important for conception of a child in the womb of a mother, sustain the child through pregnancy, essential for the child when born as breast milk, and should be given to the baby after he has been wined. This is to ensure the growth and development of the child to a full fledged adult.
THE CLASSES OF FOOD
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Food can be grouped into majorly six classes. I shall mention them with few examples.
Protein: This is the class of food eseential for body growth and development. It is called body-building food. Examples are Meat, Fish, Egg, etc
Carbohydrates: This is the class of food that is responsible for the energy used by individuals for work. It helps the body strong and active throughout the day. Examples of carbohydrates are beans, rice, bread, etc
Fats and Oils: This is responsible for the glowing of the skin. They also give energy. Examples are groundnut oil, palm oil, butter, cheese, etc
Vitamins: They are important in the body to build and strengthen the immune system of the body. We have Vitamin A, B, C, D, E and K. They are majorly gotten from fruits and vegetables.
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5 Minerals: These are essential for building strong bones and teeth of the body. They control digestion and ensure that the body is appropriately hydrated. Common minerals are iron, potassium, calcium and zinc. They are found in food substabces such as bones cartilage of meat and fish (calcium), banana, and unripe plantain (iron) and other fruits such as apple.
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6 Water: Water is just water and it is best taken in its natural form. It can be boiled for drinking, made cold using refrigerator and taken at regular intervals to keep the body hydrated.
THE DIETS OF A PREGNANT WOMAN
The type of food eaten by a pregnant woman is very important to the health of the child and the growth and development of the child in her womb. The pregnant woman is therefore expected to fed well at this time taking the well being of the child into consideration at all times, so as to reproduce a normal child who has fully grown and developed all body parts.
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At pregnancy, a woman should eat a balanced meal that includes all the six classes of food. This meal should be more of protein but should include carbohydrates, vitamins, fat and oil, Minerals and Water. All these should be included in the daily meals of a pregnant woman to ensure the proper growth and development of the child in the womb.
BREAST MILK AND BREAT FEEDING OF A BABY
Once a baby is born, the feeding mechanism changes from the systematic process while it was still in the womb to somewhat a manual process using breast milk. The baby has to suck milk from its mother's breast. This milk is called breast milk.
Breast milk is the food of the baby in the breast of its mother. It is actually the food eaten by the mother that is converted to milk, that is transported to the breast for easy feeding of the baby. The breast milk contains all the food ingredients and it is necessary for a baby's growth and development at this stage of his life.
The mother should therefore endeavour to breast feed the baby at all times when it wants to such breast. One sign to know when a baby want to such is when it puts his hand in its mouth severally and cries. The breast milk is very important, not just for physical growth and development but also for the growth of the intellect of the baby. Research has it that children who are breastfed in most part of their infancy are intelligent. Mothers are therefore advised and encouraged by medical doctors and midwives to exclusively breast feed their babies. Exclusive breast feeding has to do with feeding the baby with only breast milk for at least six months. At this period, no food should be given to the baby orally, not even water, except drugs.
THE DIET OF A CHILD AFTER HE HAS BEEN WEANED
Before I go on to discuss this, let me explain the last word in this headline.
Weaning is the process by which a mother stops the breast feeding of a baby. It is the the method of ending the feeding of a baby with breast milk. Weaning is a gradual process because you cannot just keep a baby from what he has fed on for months. Before a child is completely weaned, he/she must have been given food in the mouth for some time and the mother sees breast milk alone is not enough for the child anymore. At this time, the child has developed fully, digestive organs that will help him/her to feed independently.
When a baby been weaned, it's feeding mechanism changes from breast milk to taken food orally by itself. At this time, the baby learns to eat all kinds of food that the mother eats.
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The meal given to the baby at this stage of his life should be the one that has nutrients made up of all the classes of food because the body of the baby is still yet to be fully developed. Mothers should make sure that they prepare good foods for their babies at this stage. It shouldn't be about junks or fast food that do not contain much nutrients. Efforts should be made to give a child well prepared food and also that this meals are balanced.
Mothers should note that babies are usually very playful at this stage of development and can play until they fall asleep. Effort should therefore be made to give them food at a time when they are active and not starving to ensure proper growth and development.
IMPORTANCE OF FOOD
The importance of food cannot be over emphasized. Some of them are listed below.
- Food keeps the body together
- Food builds body parts.
- Food provides energy
- Food helps to fight of diseases and infections and a strong immune system.
- The food we eat helps us build strong bones and teeth.
- Food helps to keep the body hydrated and make it functional all the time.
CONCLUSION
The baby at the stage of development cannot afford to be malnourished. It's needs food at this stage more than anything. Conscious efforts should therefore be taken to provide the necessary food for babies to ensure that they attain full growth and maturity. The six classes of food should be continuously fed to babies in the womb, in infancy, after birth and after they have been wined for them not to be deficient of any nutrient.