For healthy growth, eat a balanced, nutrient-rich diet. Your body needs protein, carbohydrate and fat to grow and function. You don’t need empty-calorie foods such as sweetened soft drinks, cookies and candies. Obtain most of your daily calories from complex carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats. Aim to meet your dietary needs from whole foods -– do not take vitamins or supplements without consulting your medical provider.PROTEIN
Protein helps your body grow muscle and lean tissue. Protein is essential to healthy growth, but don’t eat more protein than you need. Children between the ages of 1 and 3 need 13 grams of protein daily, and children ages 4 to 8 need 19 grams. Children between the ages of 9 and 13 need 34 grams. Teenage boys need more protein than teenage girls -– 52 grams versus 46 grams. Even when you finish growing, you need protein to repair and rebuild tissue. Adult women need about 46 grams of protein daily and adult men need about 56 grams. Examples of foods and the amount of protein they contain include: chicken, beef and fish, 7 grams per ounce; milk, 8 grams per cup; beans, 16 grams per cup, and eggs, 6 grams per large egg.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Fruit and vegetables give you vitamins and minerals needed to stay healthy – and healthy bodies grow faster than ones lacking in nutrition. Boys and girls between the ages of 2 and 3 need 1 cup of fruit daily. Children between the ages of 4 and 8 need 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups daily. Girls between the ages of 9 and 18 continue to need 1 1/2 cups of fruit a day. Boys need 1 1/2 cups between the ages of 9 and 13 and 2 cups for the rest of their childhood and adulthood. Women need 2 cups of fruit until they reach age 30 and 1 1/2 cups after that. Children ages 2 to 3 need 1 cup of vegetables daily and children ages 4 to 8 need 1 1/2 cups. Between the ages of 9 and 13, girls need 2 cups of vegetables and boys need 2 1/2 cups. Older male teens need 3 cups of vegetables daily and older female teens need 2 1/2 cups. These needs remain relatively stable throughout adulthood.
DAIRY AND GRAINS
Growing bodies need calcium because strong bones support your increasing size. Children between the ages of 2 and 3 need 1 cup of dairy products, and children between the ages of 4 and 8 need 1 1/2 cups of milk or the equivalent of yogurt or cheese or calcium-fortified soy milk, tofu or orange juice. Older children and adults need 3 cups of dairy daily. Grains provide your growing body with energy. Good choices include oatmeal, whole wheat bread and brown rice. Children ages 2 to 3 need 3 ounces of grains. Girls between the ages of 4 and 13 need 5 ounces of grains, and females aged 14 to 50 need 6 ounces of grains. Boys ages 9 to 13 need 6 ounces and males between the ages of 14 and 30 need 8 ounces of grains a day. Your need for grains decreases slightly as you get older.
CONSIDERATIONS
If you have particular growth concerns, talk to your doctor. Everyone grows at slightly different rates and, barring illness or poor diet, your growth will proceed at a normal pace without the addition of any specific foods. Regular exercise will also improve your growth as your muscle mass increases in response to the demands placed on it. Young children and teens should engage in 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity at least three days a week. Exercises such as climbing promote muscle growth and activities such as jumping promote bone growth.
Posted in: Health