Food at different life stages

Babies, children and teenagers have important nutritional needs to allow them to grow, develop and stay active. Find out more about why the food we need changes as we go through life.

In this article you can learn:

• what young people should eat at different life stages
• the different ways a baby learns to eat solid food (weaning)

This resource is suitable for Health and Wellbeing for primary school learners.

In this video, we visit a family kitchen to find out how different foods can provide nutrition to young people at different stages in their development.

At each stage of our life we have nutritional needs.

Babies need milk when they are first born. They may get this from breastfeeding, bottle feeding or a combination of both.

Weaning - When do babies start eating solid foods?

• They learn how to eat solids from around six months old - when they are showing signs that they are ready. This is called weaning. There are different ways to do this.
• Traditional weaning or spoon feeding involves giving babies food that has been blended to a smooth consistency. For example, mashed banana or avocado.
• They can also eat small portions of food that they can "chew" using their gums. This is often called baby led weaning. For example, softly boiled pieces of broccoli or carrot.
• Babies should be given a wide variety of food. This way they learn lots of different tastes.
• They do not need any salt or sugar added to their food.

• Children now have a full set of teeth and should be eating a wide variety of foods.
• They need carbohydrates for energy and foods that are low in salt and sugar but packed full of nutrients and vitamins.
• Children need to drink plenty of water every day as it is vital to keep our bodies working properly.

• Teenagers need to eat a well-balanced diet.
• A teenager's body is preparing to become an adult. They need to give their body good fuel for all that growing and changing.
• It's important for teenagers to get into healthy eating habits that they can carry through their adult lives.
• Meals should include foods from all five food groups. Teenagers should aim for health targets such as at least five portions of different fruit and vegetables a day.
• Teenagers need to drink six to eight glasses of water a day.

At all stages of our growth we need food that contains lots of nutrients and energy.

During all life stages we are growing, so we need to eat a healthy varied diet that is rich in nutrients and energy. Some examples of nutrient rich foods are bananas, fish and brown rice.

However, there are stages of our development when we may need more of a particular vitamin or nutrient. Also, the amount of food we need to eat increases steadily as we change and grow from babies to teenagers.

Here are some examples of nutritional requirements at each life stage:

Babies

• Meat, fish, beans and eggs are protein-rich foods which help build healthy bones and tissue as babies begin to move, crawl and eventually walk.
• Fruit and vegetables provide lots of vitamins like vitamin A and vitamin C to help babies fight off germs. Vitamin A is good for skin and eyes. Vitamin C helps you absorb iron from other foods.

Children

• Dairy foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt contain calcium which helps bones grow strong and healthy.
• Brown bread, some cereals and vegetables are full of fibre which helps us digest food.

Teenagers

• Foods rich in potassium such as spinach and sweet potatoes are great for a healthy heart and blood pressure.
• Nuts and avocados are full of magnesium which helps with growing pains. This is very useful at this life stage as it has rapid growth spurts.

Here is a list of key words to use when you are talking about food and health.

• digest – Breaking down food in our bodies so that we can absorb its nutrients.
• diet – What we eat and drink.
• nutrition – The contents of food and how it affects our bodies.
• proteins – Food which build healthy muscles and allow our bodies to grow and repair. This includes fish, meat, beans, pulses and eggs.
• carbohydrates – Food which keeps our energy levels up like rice, bread, pasta and potatoes.
• fats – Food which acts as an energy store such as butter, margarine and olive oil.
• fibre – Food which are good for our digestion (food passing through the stomach), like wholegrain bread and pasta.
• vitamins and minerals – These can be found in a wide variety of foods. They help all areas of body work correctly and stay healthy. Potassium, magnesium and calcium are all examples of minerals. A, C, D and B6 are all examples of vitamins.
• weaning – The process of gradually introducing a baby to solid foods.
• immune system – Protects our body from illness.

More to learn

• BBC Bitesize - The five food groups
• BBC Bitesize - How do humans digest food?
• BBC Bitesize - How does human taste work?
• BBC Tiny Happy People - Meals with babies and toddlers

1. Choose a life stage from babies, children or teenagers.
2. Create a mind map that includes everything you have learned about the nutritional needs for that stage.