Ashford Nutrition Project: Nutrition in Every Stage of Life

Good nutrition is necessary at every stage of life from pregnancy to adulthood, but every stage requires something different.

Pregnancy- Women are told that they are “eating for two” and while that’s true to an extent, we don’t need as many extra calories as we probably think. In the first trimester, women don’t actually “need” any extra calories. In the second trimester a woman needs 340 extra daily calories and in the third trimester a woman needs an extra 450 calories a day. Though, a huge excess of calories are not needed by pregnant women, many extra vitamins, minerals and nutrients are needed. Extra iron is especially necessary and it is actually impossible to get enough through diet alone and iron supplements are recommended for pregnant women. Sometimes pregnancy can be used as an excuse to eat whatever we want (I did it!), but really a woman’s increase in calories should be very wisely chosen in the form of protein, and vitamin and mineral rich food.

Infancy- A baby grows faster in its first year of life than ever again so good nutrition is a must. One of the most important nutrients is water. Breast milk or formulas generally provide enough water to replace fluid loss. An infant’s metabolism is also very high so an infant needs a high calorie diet in order to grow at the rate they need to. Breast milk is praised due to its ability to have exactly what an infant needs to grow healthily. Vitamin D, iron and fluoride are three nutrients in which supplements should be taken for if an infant doesn’t seem to get enough in their diet.

Childhood- The average 1 year old needs about 800 calories a day, the calorie needs double around age 6 and at 10 a child needs about 1800 calories a day. A child needs especially a healthy amount of protein, fat and fatty acids, vitamin D and iron.

Adolescence- The adolescent growth spurt brings about a need for good nutrition to support their growing bodies but also to help them develop healthy habits. Iron is necessary for both boys and girls; boys to develop lean muscle mass and girls to support their bodies through menstruation. Calcium is especially necessary due to growing bones and so is vitamin D to help absorb calcium and proper bone density development.

Adulthood- In adulthood we need to maintain a diet of protein, whole grains, simple carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals. Our calorie intake is important to maintain due to our activity level.