Lifecycle Nutrition I

Preconception

There are many factors that influence the health of a baby and mother and many of those factors start even before the mother is pregnant.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a very important period for both mom and baby. While the saying “eating for two” doesn’t mean you can eat double the amount of food, there are nutrients that you do need to increase during pregnancy.

Infancy

The first year of a child’s life is full of growth and development. Some babies will be formula fed; others will be breastfed. There are also recommendations for milestones such as starting solid foods, feeding children certain foods and ways to manage food allergies.

Toddlers

Children have a wide variety of growth and developmental milestones during this stage and nutrition is a very important component. Parents and caregivers have a variety of methods they may choose to utilize when helping their toddlers build healthy habits related to food and nutrition.

Childhood

When children become school-aged, they may have more options as to when and where they eat their meals. They also begin to strengthen identities with the way they feel about food and their bodies.

Adolescence

This is such a period of growth and exploration for young people. Many young people are able to choose their own foods at this point in their lifespan and have options related to when, where and how much food they eat. This is also a period of additional growth and development including puberty and the nutritional concerns related to a changing body.