How many calories does my child need to consume?

One of the most common questions I get from parents is "How many calories does my child need to consume?" With one in three overweight children and almost two in five children with obesity in the United States, this is a legitimate question. Obviously there are a few children who are consuming more calories than they need. No two children need to consume the same number of calories on a specific day. Such factors as the level of activity, stress, growth rate, and basal metabolism all vary. We as pediatricians carefully measure the caloric results when we plot the height, weight, and circumference of the head when we review a healthy child. Our goal is for each child to maintain a BMI (calculated by weight (cm) divided by height (m) squared) between the 5th and the 85th percentile. We can use the child's weight in kilograms to give you a target number of calories per day by age group. Generally, the older the child is, the lower the average calories per kilogram of body weight he needs. To calculate how much your child weighs in kilograms, divide each pound by 2.2.


Age: <---------------------------------> Caloric needs:
newborn at 3 months <---------------------------------->100 calories per kilogram per day
3 months to 3 years <--------------------------------------> 90-100 calories per kilogram per day
3 years to 8 years <-----------------------------------------> 80-90 calories per kilogram per day
8 years to 12 years <---------------------------------------> 60-80 calories per kilogram per day
12 years to 16 years <-------------------------------------> 45-60 calories per kilogram per day

These are approximations. For children who are low in weight, (BMI under 5%) or overweight (BMI over 85%) more or less calories should be consumed respectively. You can calculate the BMI here. https://nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx Here is a sample calculation. My son is 3 years old and weighs 40 pounds. Its weight in kilograms is 18 (40 / 2.2). Your BMI is 50%. He needs approximately 1440 to 1620 calories per day to maintain his percentage of BMI present. For many American children consuming a typical American diet, it is very easy to exceed the number of calories recommended. For example, a hamburger contains 350 calories, a soda contains 182, and a medium serving of potato chips contains 365 calories. That's 897 calories, or, 50-60% of the daily calories in a single meal! If at breakfast time they ate a 205-calorie pop tart and a 73-calorie chocolate with another 182-calorie soda, the recommended caloric limits have already been reached in just two meals. As long as your child is following a BMI curve between 5% and 85%, you do not need to worry about counting calories. In fact, this could be harmful. However, if your child is underweight or overweight, it may be appropriate to set approximate caloric parameters. This should be done in conjunction with your doctor and possibly a nutritionist as it is important to ensure that your child is receiving an adequate amount of vitamins, minerals, protein, fat and fiber.

SOURCE: Rachel Nelson MD

Principles of healthy eating: Fats and oils

A healthy diet should be based mainly or exclusively on foods of plant origin. Meats, especially red meats should be avoided. One area of ​​confusion about healthy diet has to do with the intake of dietary fat. There are those who propose adherence to a diet that is very low in fat. Both vegetable oils and animal fats have been used normally in the preparation of food. For example, in the Bible olive oil is mentioned as a blessing for those who consume it. On the other hand, the consumption of animal fats is prohibited. In the seventh chapter of the book of Leviticus, we read the commandment of God to Moses, the leader of the Israelites: "Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should not eat any fat of ox, lamb or goat." The intake of pork is prohibited in the Bible, so that pork fat itself was also prohibited. In the book of Deuteronomy we read about olive oil: "The Lord your God introduces you into a good land. It is a land of streams and waters, springs and springs that sprout in vegas and mountains; it is a land of wheat and barley; of vines, fig trees and pomegranates; it is a land of olive trees, oil and honey; (...) ». Olive oil is also mentioned in other portions of the script. Some of these references refer to their use in olive lamps. In other passages, such as in a fragment of the book of Numbers, its use clearly refers to its use in the preparation of food: "And it was manna like cilantro seed, and its color like bdellium color. The people spread out and picked it up, and ground it in mills or poured it into mortars, and baked it in a boiler or made cakes of it; it tasted like a taste of new oil. " Some foods are naturally rich in fats and / or oils. These include meats, milk and dairy products, nuts and avocados. In addition, a variety of different kinds of fats and oils are presently available to consumers in supermarkets. Also, both fat and oils are added in various amounts to commonly consumed products, usually during food preparation. These products include dressings, mayonnaise, potato chips, many roasted desserts, pizza, and many others. How and to what extent fats and oils affect our health depends on several factors, especially the amount and kind of fat ingested.

There are several types of fatty acids. These include saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Cholesterol is probably one of the best examples of fats that are commonly consumed. Trans fatty acids occur naturally in such foods as meats and dairy products and can also be created when unsaturated fatty acids (can be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated) are artificially converted to saturated fatty acids. This conversion is achieved using heat and a catalyst. Transformed fatty acids made artificially as well as saturated fatty acids and dietary cholesterol are harmful when consumed in excess. On the other hand, unsaturated fatty acids are necessary for the proper functioning of the body, and protect us from the appearance of certain diseases.
Trans fat, saturated fat and cholesterol increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and certain cancers. They also increase the serum level of cholesterol. It has been known for many years that high levels of serum cholesterol level increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease. Recent studies showed that individuals with elevated serum cholesterol levels have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids are generally beneficial for our health. The polyunsaturated fatty acids are divided between those belonging to the omega 3 group and those of the omega 6 group. Omega 3 fats are considered to be especially beneficial for health. It is also believed that most people living in Europe and North America do not consume the recommended amounts of these fatty acids. The health effect of monounsaturated fatty acids depends on the source of this fat in our diet. If they come mainly from meats and foods of animal origin do not seem to have the same protective effect as when consumed from plant foods. Animal products contain mainly saturated and monounsaturated fats. However, vegetarian products, with a few exceptions, contain mainly unsaturated fatty acids. A healthy diet should consist of a minimum amount or total absence of animal fats, including saturated fat and cholesterol, as well as a minimal amount or absence of trans fat. At the same time, a healthy diet should include a sufficient amount of unsaturated fats, preferably unrefined vegetable products, such as walnuts and extra virgin olive oil.


SOURCE : ROMAN PAWLAK

Summer activities to get children to exercise

Exercise is very important for children. One of the contributors to the obesity epidemic is the lack of activity. There are multiple factors that contribute to children not exercising: lack of safe parks, parents working late into the night, video games, a reduction in physical education programs in schools, just to name a few. Non-competitive sports are a great way to get kids to exercise. Swimming, biking, walking, hiking, and camping are wonderful ways to introduce children to the world of nature and develop a love for the wonderful world of God. In addition, non-competitive sports have less risk of accidents and develop a "competitive spirit" that can be a disadvantage to work well with others. Recently our family was on our first hiking adventure with our 4 and 6 year old children. We have camped with them for years, but this was our first trip to a world without toilets, showers or cell phones. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they had during this trip. They loved having the exclusive attention of dad and mom. I enjoyed being able to have conversations with them without my cell phone ringing with a signal to announce a text message or call. I had not realized how technology had intruded on time for my children until I removed it. For those parents who can not get their children out due to work or other life problems, a carefully chosen sports program can help keep your child exercising. The risk of an accident depends on the child's age, size, and level of maturity.


The highest rates of pediatric sports accidents occur with children between the ages of 10 and 14 and are more likely to happen during team sports activities. Girls are more likely to suffer from an overuse injury and are also more likely than boys to break the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee (especially in football or basketball).
The bones of children before puberty are still growing. The ends of the bones have something called "physeal plate" This is where the new bone material is made. It is more vulnerable to fractures because the bone has not calcified yet. It is important if a fracture occurs that your child gets medical attention immediately because untreated injuries to the physeal plate can destroy the growth potential of the bones, causing discrepancy in the length of the limbs. Children who have gone through puberty are less likely to have fractures and more likely to have muscle distension or sprain injuries. Sports injuries are common among infant athletes but should not deter parents from keeping their children playing. The risk of inactivity and obesity are much greater than the potential for an injury caused by sports. However, the prudence in choosing the coach, as well as a sport that best suits the needs of your child can help prevent injuries.


SOURCE: Rachel Nelson MD