Overview

This lesson is about our nutritional needs at different ages and in different stages of life. It shows how nutritional needs vary with age, sex, health status and activity level and highlights how important it is to meet our different food and nutrient needs in each of these life stages. It explains that people need more food if they are growing or helping others to grow (infants, children and pregnant and breastfeeding women); they need more food if they work and play hard and they may need more food if they are sick.
The lesson is divided into six separate sections describing the special nutritional needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding, the nutritional needs of babies and infants (0-24 months), children (2-10 years), adolescents (11-17 years), older people and people during illness. It suggests some good foods to eat and good eating habits that can help meet the special needs of each of the different age groups and life stages.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• understand how our nutritional needs vary with age, sex, health status and activity level
• describe our special nutritional needs at different ages and in different stages of life
• recognize and describe good diets for babies, children, adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women, in older age and during illness.

  Lesson Structure

Lesson 6 is divided in six parts:

• Part 1: Nutritional Needs in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
• Part 2: Nutritional Needs of Babies and Infants (0-24 months)
• Part 3: Nutritional Needs of Children (2-10 Years)
• Part 4: Nutritional Needs of Adolescents (11-17 Years)
• Part 5: Nutritional Needs During Illness
• Part 6: Nutritional Needs of Older People

Download full Lesson 6 (7.6Mb)