Chapter 13: Promoting Positive Physical Activity and Nutrition.

Time: 35 mins

Introduction

Healthy active living includes eating healthy foods, staying physically active, and getting enough rest. Developing healthy habits starts in early childhood. Eating well and being physically active helps a child continue to grow and learn.^[1]

Healthy Active Living

Research tells us that the way young children eat, move, and sleep can impact their weight now and in the future. Early childhood is an ideal time to start healthy habits before unhealthy patterns are set.^[2]

Young children depend on parents, caregivers, and others to provide environments that foster and shape healthy habits. Early care and education programs have a responsibility to promote growth and development, make healthy foods available, and provide safe spaces for active play. Staff can help children and families by encouraging and modelling healthy eating and physical activity at the center and by providing suggestions for small, healthy steps at home.^[3]

5-2-1-0 Message

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians counsel parents and patients at every well-child check on diet and lifestyle goals as a part of obesity prevention initiatives (Hassink, 2010). These recommendations, initially put forth by the Maine Youth Overweight Collaborative obesity prevention program “Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0”, have been promoted locally and nationally for broad consumption (Rogers and Motyka, 2009).^[4]

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Physical Activity

Good activity habits begin early in children’s lives. As early as infancy, adults can help children grow lifelong healthy play habits. Children learn from adults, they should model being active and participate with children when possible.

Infants should spend a lot of time on the floor (and out of equipment that limits mobility). This time allows them to reach, and kick so they can reach important milestones like crawling and sitting up.

Even very active toddlers need environments that support movement and activity and intentional opportunities to be physically active. Things like dancing, jumping, and taking walks are great ways to keep them moving.^[7]

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods for developing movement skills, learning healthy habits, and establishing a firm foundation for lifelong health and well-being. Regular physical activity in children and adolescents promotes health and fitness. Compared to those who are inactive, physically active youth have higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness and stronger muscles. They also typically have lower body fat and stronger bones. Physical activity also has brain health benefits for school-aged children, including improved cognition and reduced symptoms of depression. Evidence indicates that both acute bouts and regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity improve the cognitive functions of memory, executive function, processing speed, attention, and academic performance for these children.

Youth who are regularly active also have a better chance of a healthy adulthood. Children and adolescents do not usually develop chronic diseases, such as heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or osteoporosis. However, current evidence shows that obesity and other risk factors for these diseases, such as elevated insulin, blood lipids, and blood pressure, are increasingly appearing in children and adolescents. Exercise training in youth with overweight or obesity can improve body composition by reducing overall levels of body fat as well as abdominal fat. Regular physical activity also makes it less likely that these risk factors will develop and more likely that children remain healthy when they become adults.

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Preschool-aged children (ages 3 through 5 years) should be encouraged to move and engage in active play as well as in structured activities, such as throwing games and bicycle or tricycle riding. To strengthen bones, young children should do activities that involve hopping, skipping, jumping, and tumbling. Although the specific amount of activity needed to improve bone health and avoid excess fat in young children is not well defined, a reasonable target maybe 3 hours per day of activity of all intensities: light, moderate, or vigorous intensity. This is the average amount of activity observed among children of this age and is consistent with guidelines from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Commonwealth of Australia.

School-aged youth (ages 6 through 17 years) can achieve substantial health benefits by doing moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity for periods of time that add up to 60 minutes or more each day. This activity should include aerobic activity as well as age-appropriate muscle- and bone-strengthening activities. It appears that, as in adults, the total amount of physical activity is more important for achieving health benefits than is any one component (frequency, intensity, or duration) or specific mix of activities (aerobic, muscle strengthening, bone strengthening).

Children and adolescents should meet the key guidelines by doing activities that are appropriate for their age. Their natural patterns of movement differ from those of adults. For example, children are naturally active in an intermittent way, particularly when they do unstructured active play. During recess and in their free play and games, children use basic aerobic and bone-strengthening activities, such as running, hopping, skipping, and jumping, to develop movement patterns and skills. They alternate brief periods of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity with periods of light-intensity physical activity or rest. Any episode of moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity, however brief, counts toward the key guidelines for children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 years. For preschool-aged children, activity of any intensity counts, including light intensity.^[9]

Pause to Reflect

What were some of your favorite physical activities as a child? Why did you enjoy these? Are they included in Table 13.1?

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One practical strategy to promote activity in children is to replace sedentary behaviour with activity whenever possible. For example, where appropriate and safe, families should walk or bicycle to school or the bus stop instead of riding in a car. Rather than only watching sporting events on television, children should participate in age-appropriate sports or games.

• Children who do not meet the key guidelines should slowly increase their moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in small steps and in ways that they enjoy. A gradual increase in the number of days and the time spent being active will help reduce the risk of injury.
• Children who meet the key guidelines should continue doing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day and, if appropriate, become even more active. Evidence suggests that even more than 60 minutes of activity daily may provide additional health benefits for school-aged youth.
• Children who exceed the key guidelines should maintain their activity level and vary the kinds of activities they do to reduce the risk of overtraining or injury.

Most recent research (and common sense throughout the ages) shows we all have a need for both movement AND nature—or Vitamin N, as it’s now been coined. Early childhood educators can be “efficient” and connect movement and nature. Nature is an environment that can facilitate multiple physiological requirements at once, so the “green” movement is a great place to start to develop a more robust movement culture. Moving outside together is a great way to connect and flourish as a class and community (or family).^[12]

Children with disabilities are more likely to be inactive than those without disabilities. Families of children with disabilities should work with a health care professional or physical activity specialist to understand the types and amounts of physical activity appropriate for them. When possible, children with disabilities should meet the key guidelines. When they are not able to participate in the appropriate types or amounts of physical activities needed to meet the key guidelines, they should be as active as possible and avoid being inactive.

MEND Saskatchewan (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition… Do it)

Nutrition Education

Along with teaching and modelling the importance of physical activity, educators need to emphasize the importance of nutrition at the same time modelling positive eating habits.  Lifelong eating habits are shaped during a child’s early years. Teachers of young children have a special opportunity to help children establish a healthy relationship with food and lay the foundation for sound eating habits. Nutrition education and activities help set children on the path to a healthful lifestyle. Providing nutritionally balanced meals and snacks and integrating nutrition education and healthy eating habits in the home and early childhood.

Nutrition education for preschoolers fosters children’s awareness of different types of foods and promotes exploration and inquiry into food choices. Lifelong habits with foods are developed during early childhood. Through nutrition education in preschool, teachers encourage children to include a wide variety of foods that provide adequate nutrients in their daily diet.

Through knowledge, children become aware of different foods and tastes, some of which are familiar and others that are new. As they explore various foods and food preparations, they develop likes and dislikes and begin to make choices based on preference. Both nutrition choices and self-regulation of eating—that is, eating when hungry, chewing food thoroughly, eating slowly, and stopping when full— involve decision-making skills.

As children begin to understand the concepts of food identification and categorizing, teachers may describe how specific foods help our bodies. Children may better understand the overall benefit of food in terms of it helping them grow, giving them the energy to run and play, and helping them to become strong. As children begin to understand internal body parts, teachers can initiate discussion of more specific food benefits.

Children need to understand that various foods help the body in different ways and that some children have specific food allergies.

Certain foods are potentially harmful to those with allergies. Teachers should encourage tasting and eating a variety of foods to obtain adequate nutrients for growth and development. “Variety” may mean foods of different colour, shape, texture, and taste.

As children gain an understanding of different foods, they can begin to categorize foods in other ways, such as by food groups (e.g., bread, fruits, meat). Here are some things that teachers can do to help educate children about nutrition:

• Introduce many different foods.
• Recognize and accommodate differences in eating habits and food choices.
• Provide opportunities and encouragement in food exploration.
• Integrate nutrition with other areas of learning through cooking activities.
• Show children where food is produced.
• Set up special areas to represent nutrition-related environments, such as grocery stores, restaurants, open-air markets, food co-ops, and picnics.
• Integrate nutrition education with basic hygiene education.
• Model and coach children’s behaviour by eating from the same menu and encouraging conversations during mealtimes.
• Encourage children to share information about family meals.
• Serve meals and snacks family-style.
• Encourage tasting and decision-making.
• Provide choices for children.
• Offer a variety of nutritious and appetizing foods in small portions.
• Encourage children to chew their food well and eat slowly.
• Teach children to recognize signs of hunger.
• Discuss how the body uses food.

Children learn about food and develop food preferences through their direct experiences with food (i.e., handling, preparing, eating) and by observing the eating behaviours of adults and peers. The goal in preschool is that children will learn to eat a variety of nutritious foods and begin to recognize the body’s physical need for food (i.e., hunger and fullness).

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Through modelling, repeated and various exposures to food, and social experiences, children begin to develop eating behaviours that can prevail throughout life.^[14]

Pause to Reflect

Reflect on how you will support children’s nutrition education. What will be most natural/easiest for you to do from this section? What might you have to be more intentional about (what might be more challenging or less natural)?

Understanding Malnutrition

When children do not receive proper nutrition it affects their physical health and wellness. For many, the word “malnutrition” produces an image of a child in a third-world country with a bloated belly, and skinny arms and legs. However, this image alone is not an accurate representation of the state of malnutrition. For example, someone who is 150 pounds overweight can also be malnourished.

Malnutrition refers to one not receiving proper nutrition and does not distinguish between the consequences of too many nutrients or the lack of nutrients, both of which impair overall health. Undernutrition is characterized by a lack of nutrients and insufficient energy supply, whereas overnutrition is characterized by excessive nutrient and energy intake. Overnutrition can result in obesity, a growing global health threat.^[15]

If the cause of overnutrition is a diet that features food that is not nutrient-dense, a child could experience both overnutrition (too many calories) and undernutrition (inadequate micronutrients).

Undernutrition

Although not as prevalent in Canada as it is in developing countries, undernutrition is not uncommon and affects many subpopulations, including the elderly, those with certain diseases, and those in poverty.^[16] Undernutrition is most often due to not enough high-quality food being available to eat. This is often related to high food prices and poverty. There are two main types of undernutrition: protein-energy malnutrition and dietary deficiencies. Protein-energy malnutrition has two severe forms: marasmus (a lack of protein and calories) and kwashiorkor (a lack of just protein). Common micronutrient deficiencies include a lack of iron, iodine, and vitamin A.

Undernutrition encompasses stunted growth (stunting), wasting, and deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals (collectively referred to as micronutrients).^[17] Even moderate undernutrition can have lasting effects on children’s cognitive development. When children are hungry or undernourished, they have difficulty resisting infection and therefore are more likely than other children to become sick and to miss school. They are irritable and have difficulty concentrating, which can interfere with learning; and they have low energy, which can limit their physical activity.  The term hunger, which describes a feeling of discomfort from not eating, has been used to describe undernutrition, especially in reference to food insecurity.^[18] The Canadian Statistics reports that nearly 1.8 million children are living in homes that experience some level of food insecurity.^[19]

Food Insecurity

Figure 13.5 –Resources such as food banks, can help families experiencing food insecurity.^[20]

Food insecurity is defined as the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of a lack of money and other resources. In 2022 17.8% of households were food-insecure.^[21]  That translates into 6.9 million people and of that 1.8 million were children. Food insecurity does not necessarily cause hunger, but hunger is a possible outcome of food insecurity.

In Canada, you can think of food insecurity on a continuum that goes from food security to severe food insecurity.  Food insecurity can be temporary or long-term.

Factors Intertwined in Food Insecurity

Food insecurity may be long-term or temporary. It may be influenced by several factors including income, employment, race/ethnicity, and disability. The risk of food insecurity increases when money to buy food is limited or not available. In a report authored by PROOF (Food Insecurity Policy Research) and the University of Toronto, they found that between 2019 – 2021, food insecurity rose by almost 2% from 15.9% to 17.8%. ^[22].

Families living in food-insecure households are more likely to have to deal with physical and emotional health issues. The PROOF report highlights that food insecurity is primarily found in households that have low income, limited assets, and high debt.  Other patterns they saw were that they saw were families that were on social assistance, employment insurance, renters, and female lone parents (see fig. ).  Race is also a factor of food insecurity, the report found that in Canada a person’s race is also a factor.  They found that a third (39.2%) of Black people, a third (33.4%) of off-reserve Indigenous people and a quarter (29.2%) of Filipino people were living in food-insecure households in 2022, compared to 15.3% of white people.

Food Deserts – Neighbourhood conditions may affect physical access to food. For example, people living in some urban areas, rural areas, and low-income neighbourhoods may have limited access to full-service supermarkets or grocery stores. Communities that lack affordable and nutritious food are commonly known as “food deserts.” Convenience stores and small independent stores are more common in food deserts than full-service supermarkets or grocery stores. These stores may have higher food prices, lower quality foods, and less variety of foods than supermarkets or grocery stores. Access to healthy foods is also affected by a lack of transportation and long distances between residences and supermarkets or grocery stores.^[23]

Why is this important? Food insecurity is a potent social determinant of health (SDH) that has a negative outcome for the children and their families you work with. As an educator in the field of early childhood education, you will have families struggling with food insecurity and will see the detrimental effects it has on them and their children.  As professionals, you will need to be creative and find ways to support these families so that they can give their children the best possible outcome in life.

Pause to Reflect

You have a single mom who has 3 children, 2 of whom attend your child care facility.  Knowing the impact of food insecurity on families, What are 3 things you can do to support that family?

Overnutrition

Overnutrition is a form of malnutrition (imbalanced nutrition) arising from excessive intake of nutrients, leading to an accumulation of body fat that impairs health (i.e., being overweight or obese).^[24] Overnutrition is an epidemic in the United States and is known to be a risk factor for many diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory disorders (such as rheumatoid arthritis), and cancer.^[25]

Overweight and Obesity in Childhood

Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. Both terms mean that a person’s weight is greater than what’s considered healthy for his or her height. Children grow at different rates, so it isn’t always easy to know when a child is obese or is overweight.^[26] Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile of the CDC sex-specific BMI-for-age growth charts (See Appendix O).^[27]

In the United States, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s.^[28] Obesity prevalence was 13.9% among 2- to 5-year-olds, and 18.4% among 6- to 11-year-olds. Childhood obesity is also more common among certain populations.

• Hispanics (25.8%) and non-Hispanic blacks (22.0%) had higher obesity prevalence than non-Hispanic whites (14.1%).
• Non-Hispanic Asians (11.0%) had lower obesity prevalence than non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics.^[29]

Many factors contribute to childhood obesity, including:

• Genetics.
• Metabolism—how your body changes food and oxygen into energy it can use.
• Eating and physical activity behaviors.
• Community and neighbourhood design and safety.
• Short sleep duration.
• Negative childhood events.

Genetic factors cannot be changed. However, people and places can play a role in helping children achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Changes in the environments where children spend their time—like homes, early care and education programs, schools, and community settings—can make it easier for children to access nutritious foods and be physically active. Early care and education programs and schools can adopt policies and practices that help young people eat more fruits and vegetables, eat fewer foods and beverages that are high in added sugars or solid fats, and increase daily minutes of physical activity.^[30]

Nutrition Concerns During Childhood

To keep children well, it’s also important to be aware of common nutritional concerns during childhood. Two of those concerns are food allergies and intolerances and iron deficiency anemia.

Food Allergies and Food Intolerance

Food allergies impact four to six percent of young children in America. Common food allergens include peanuts, eggs, shellfish, wheat, and cow’s milk.^[31] Recent studies show that three million children under age eighteen are allergic to at least one type of food.

An allergy occurs when a protein in food triggers an immune response, which results in the release of antibodies, histamine, and other defences that attack foreign bodies. Possible symptoms include itchy skin, hives, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. Symptoms usually develop within minutes to hours after consuming a food allergen. Children can outgrow a food allergy, especially allergies to wheat, milk, eggs, or soy.

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Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening reaction that results in difficulty breathing, swelling in the mouth and throat, decreased blood pressure, shock, or even death. Milk, eggs, wheat, soybeans, fish, shellfish, peanuts, and tree nuts are the most likely to trigger this type of response. A dose of the drug epinephrine is often administered via a “pen” to treat a person who goes into anaphylactic shock.

Some children experience a food intolerance, which does not involve an immune response. Food intolerance is marked by unpleasant symptoms that occur after consuming certain foods. Lactose intolerance, though rare in very young children, is one example. Children who suffer from this condition experience an adverse reaction to the lactose in milk products. It is a result of the small intestine’s inability to produce enough of the enzyme lactase, which is produced by the small intestine. Symptoms of lactose intolerance usually affect the GI tract and can include bloating, abdominal pain, gas, nausea, and diarrhea. An intolerance is best managed by making dietary changes and avoiding any foods that trigger the reaction.^[33]

Caring for Children with Food Allergies

Staff who work in schools and early care and education (ECE) programs should develop plans for how they will respond effectively to children with food allergies. Although the number of children with food allergies in any one school or ECE program may seem small, allergic reactions can be life-threatening and have far-reaching effects on children and their families, as well as on the schools or ECE programs they attend. Any child with a food allergy deserves attention and the school or ECE program should create a plan for preventing an allergic reaction and responding to a food allergy emergency.

Studies show that 16%–18% of children with food allergies have reacted to accidentally eating food allergens while at school. In addition, 25% of the severe and potentially life-threatening reactions (anaphylaxis) reported at schools happened in children with no previous diagnosis of food allergy. School and ECE program staff should be ready to address the needs of children with known food allergies. They also should be prepared to respond effectively to the emergency needs of children who are not known to have food allergies but who exhibit allergic signs and symptoms.

The symptoms of allergic reactions to food vary both in type and severity among individuals and even in one individual over time. Symptoms associated with an allergic reaction to food include the following:

• Mucous Membrane Symptoms: red watery eyes or swollen lips, tongue, or eyes.
• Skin Symptoms: itchiness, flushing, rash, or hives.
• Gastrointestinal Symptoms: nausea, pain, cramping, vomiting, diarrhea, or acid reflux.
• Upper Respiratory Symptoms: nasal congestion, sneezing, hoarse voice, trouble swallowing, dry staccato cough, or numbness around mouth.
• Lower Respiratory Symptoms: deep cough, wheezing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, or chest tightness.
• Cardiovascular Symptoms: pale or blue skin colour, weak pulse, dizziness or fainting, confusion or shock, hypotension (decrease in blood pressure), or loss of consciousness.
• Mental or Emotional Symptoms: a sense of “impending doom,” irritability, change in alertness, mood change, or confusion.

Children sometimes do not exhibit overt and visible symptoms after ingesting an allergen, making early diagnosis difficult. Signs and symptoms can become evident within a few minutes or up to 1–2 hours after ingestion of the allergen, and rarely, several hours after ingestion.

Children might communicate their symptoms in the following ways:

• It feels like something is poking my tongue.
• My tongue (or mouth) is tingling (or burning).
• My tongue (or mouth) itches.
• My tongue feels like there is hair on it.
• My mouth feels funny.
• There’s a frog in my throat; there’s something stuck in my throat.
• My tongue feels full (or heavy).
• My lips feel tight.
• It feels like there are bugs in there (to describe itchy ears).
• It (my throat) feels thick.
• It feels like a bump is on the back of my tongue (throat).

Some children may not be able to communicate their symptoms clearly because of their age or developmental challenges.

Emotional Impact on Children with Food Allergies and Their Families

The health of a child with a food allergy can be compromised at any time by an allergic reaction to food that is severe or life-threatening. Many studies have shown that food allergies have a significant effect on the psychosocial well-being of children with food allergies and their families.

Families of a child with a food allergy may have constant fear about the possibility of a life-threatening reaction and stress from constant vigilance needed to prevent a reaction. They also have to trust their child to the care of others, make sure their child is safe outside the home, and help their child have a normal sense of identity.

Children with food allergies may also have constant fear and stress about the possibility of a life-threatening reaction. The fear of ingesting a food allergen without knowing it can lead to coping strategies that limit social and other daily activities. Children can carry emotional burdens because they are not accepted by other people, they are socially isolated, or they believe they are a burden to others. They also may have anxiety and distress that is caused by teasing, taunting, harassment, or bullying by peers, teachers, or other adults. School and ECE program staff must consider these factors as they develop plans for managing the risk of food allergy for children with food allergies.

Food Allergy Management in Early Care and Education Programs

School and ECE program staff should develop a comprehensive strategy to manage the risk of food allergy reactions in children. This strategy should include (1) a coordinated approach, (2) strong leadership, and (3) a specific and comprehensive plan for managing food allergies.

1. Use a coordinated approach that is based on effective partnerships. The management of any chronic health condition should be based on a partnership among school or ECE program staff, children and their families, and the family’s allergist or other doctor.

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2. The collective knowledge and experience of licensed doctors, children with food allergies, and their families can guide the most effective management of food allergies in schools or ECE programs for each child. Close working relationships can help ease anxiety among parents, build trust, and improve the knowledge and skills of school or ECE program staff members.
3. Provide clear leadership to guide planning and ensure implementation of food allergy management plans and practices. This may be the administrator or the person that coordinates health services for children (health consultant, school nurse, etc.)
4. Develop and implement a comprehensive plan for managing food allergies. To effectively manage food allergies and the risks associated with these conditions, many people inside and outside the school or ECE program must come together to develop a comprehensive plan, called the Food Allergy Management and Prevention Plan (FAMPP). See Appendix P for a checklist that programs can use to evaluate their response to food allergy emergencies.

The FAMPP should address the following five priorities:

1. Ensure the daily management of food allergies for individual children.
2. Identify children with food allergies.
3. Develop a plan to manage and reduce the risk of food allergy reactions in individual children, usually called a food allergy Emergency Care Plan (ECP). The ECP should be written by the child’s physician and confirmed with the parents. It should include:
   • A recent photo of the child.
   • Information about the food allergen, including a confirmed written diagnosis from the child’s doctor or allergist.
   • Information about signs and symptoms of the child’s possible reactions to known allergens.
   • Information about the possible severity of reactions, including any history of prior anaphylaxis (even though anaphylaxis can occur even in children without a history of prior anaphylaxis).
   • A treatment plan for responding to a food allergy reaction or emergency, including whether an epinephrine auto-injector should be used.
4. Information about other conditions, such as asthma or exercise-induced anaphylaxis that might affect food allergy management.
5. Contact information for parents and doctors, including alternate phone numbers for notification in case of emergency

Prepare for food allergy emergencies.

a) Set up communication systems that are easy to use (intercoms, walkie-talkies, cell phones, etc.)

b) Make sure staff can get to epinephrine auto-injectors quickly and easily

c) Make sure that epinephrine is used when needed and someone immediately contacts emergency medical services

d) Identify the role of each staff member in an emergency

e) Prepare for food allergy reactions in children without a prior history of food allergies.

f) Document the response to a food allergy emergency

Provide professional development on food allergies for staff members.

a) Provide general training on food allergies for all staff.

b) Provide in-depth staff training who have frequent contact with children with food allergies.

c) Provide specialized training for staff who are responsible for managing the health of children with food allergies on a daily basis.

Educate children and family members about food allergies.

a) Teach all children about food allergies

b) Teach all parents and families about food allergies.

Create and maintain a healthy and safe educational environment.

a) Create an environment that is as safe as possible from exposure to food allergens.

b) Develop food-handling policies and procedures to prevent food allergens from unintentionally contacting another food.

c) Make outside groups aware of food allergy policies and rules when they use school or ECE program facilities before or after hours.

d) Create a positive psychosocial climate (one that prevents bullying, teasing, and harassing).

Early care and education programs are responsible for the health and safety of children with food allergies. Through the collective efforts of school and ECE program staff members, parents, and healthcare providers, children with food allergies can be assured a safe place to thrive, learn, and succeed.^[35]

Pause to Reflect

What are five things you think every adult, who cares for children, should know about food allergies and intolerances?

Iron-Deficiency Anemia

Iron deficiency anemia is the most common cause of anemia in the United States.^[40] This condition occurs when an iron-deprived body cannot produce enough hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout the body. The inadequate supply of hemoglobin for new blood cells results in anemia. Iron-deficiency anemia causes a number of problems including weakness, pale skin, shortness of breath, and irritability. It can also result in intellectual, behavioural, or motor problems.

In infants and toddlers, iron-deficiency anemia can occur as young children are weaned from iron-rich foods, such as breast milk and iron-fortified formula. They begin to eat solid foods that may not provide enough of this nutrient. As a result, their iron stores become diminished at a time when this nutrient is critical for brain growth and development.

There are steps that parents and caregivers can take to prevent iron-deficiency anemia, such as adding more iron-rich foods to a child’s diet, including lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, legumes, and iron-enriched whole-grain breads and cereals^[41] and foods high in vitamin C, which helps the body absorb iron efficiently.^[42] Although milk is critical for the bone-building calcium that it provides, intake should not exceed the recommended daily allowance (RDA) to avoid displacing foods rich in iron.^[43]

Summary

Early care and education programs can create environments that protect children’s nutrition and physical wellness by following dietary guidelines providing nutritious foods that appeal to children and keeping them active. It is important to understand forms of malnutrition that can affect families and children and to understand and plan for nutritional concerns that may affect children, such as food allergies, food intolerances and iron deficiency anemia.

References