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Nutrition Principles for Human Growth & Development

Good nutrition is important through all stages of life, but it is particularly essential for growing children and teenagers. As people move through different stages of their lives, developing different parts of their bodies at different rates, their nutritional needs change. The U.S. government provides a variety of resources on nutrition for all stages of life.

  1. Nutrition for Infants

    • Infants generally begin to eat solid food when they are between four and seven months old. Before this time, breast milk or formula provide the necessary vitamins, minerals, and calories for the baby's growth. If you are using a baby formula, it should be fortified with iron, as iron is an important nutrient at this developmental stage. You can continue to feed an infant formula or breast milk as you introduce solid foods. These should include an array of mashed fruits and vegetables to provide proper nutrition. Most store-bought baby foods will be fortified with iron.

    Nutrition for Children

    • Proper nutrition for children requires a balanced diet with a variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains. Calcium is a key nutrient during these years because children's bones are growing rapidly. This is why many juices and breakfast cereals are fortified with calcium. The food pyramid is guide distributed and regularly updated by the USDA. It organizes foods into groups and assigns proportions based on the different food groups. A child should be eating around 2,000 calories a day in order to achieve proper nutrition to be active and grow.

    Nutrition for Teens

    • According to the CDC, only 39 percent of children ages two to 17 consume the USDA's recommended amount of fiber, and 85 percent of adolescent girls do not get the recommended amount of calcium. During the teenage years calcium and iron are particularly important nutrients for young women. Because obesity and diabetes can also become problems during the teenage years, it is important for young people to limit their intake of saturated fat and processed sugars.

    Nutrition for Adults

    • Though adults are no longer growing, and children are, proper nutrition can help them to combat diseases and prevent chronic conditions from developing. According to the CDC, women of childbearing age should get 400 micrograms of folic acid each day. This nutrient is important in fetus development and can help to prevent birth defects. Women should also pay attention to the amount of iron they get in their diet to prevent anemia.

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