Life stages GapFill

A person's nutritional needs can change a lot over the course of their life, as they go through various stages of  developmentdevolutiondialysisevolution. 

Toddlers, aged 1-3 years old, grow rapidly. This means their energy needs also grow rapidly, and they need increased  legumeproteindairymeat, calcium and vitamin D intake to support healthy growth and development. Guidelines recommend toddlers be given  twothreefourfive portions of starchy food, five portions of fruit and vegetables, three portions of dairy products and two portions of protein per day. As their teeth are developing, foods should be soft enough for them to eat easily, though solid foods can be introduced gradually, and fruit juices should be limited to prevent  sweet toothdeteriorationdamageplaque. 

Like toddlers, teenagers (also called adolescents) go through several periods of rapid growth, called  growth spurtsgrowth hurtslife stagesmoulting. They also go through puberty. Both affect their nutritional needs; all teenagers require increased portion sizes as their bodies grow, while teenagers who begin menstruation due to puberty may need to increase their iron and vitamin C intake to prevent iron-deficient  perniciousfatigueanaemiahypertension. Fats are important for the production of hormones, while carbohydrates are important for increased energy levels, but, as at any point in life, these should be monitored so intake remains at healthy levels.

Once people reach early adulthood, from age 18-35, the growth and development of the body stops and energy requirements level out. Depending on the adult, they may live a more or less active lifestyle, which will further affect their nutritional needs. People with office jobs will use less energy than people who do  manualmanhandlehandheldsedentary labour such as gardening or cleaning. Although growth stops, good nutritional intake is still important to prevent disease and maintain a healthy body. For people in early and middle adulthood (30-65 years), keeping intake of fats, sugars and salt low is important to prevent obesity, hypertension and coronary heart disease. Excess  vegetablealcoholsmokingsodium| intake can cause liver disease, while smoking can increase blood pressure, damage lungs and cause coronary heart disease. 

Toward the end of middle adulthood, women will go through menopause, which will decrease their risk of anaemia but increase their need for calcium, as bone  massvolumespursweight is lost more quickly in post-menopausal women.

Late adulthood, also called the elderly life stage, is when a person reaches the age of 65 or older. Ageing causes bodies to become less active, less efficient and require less energy. Elderly people are at higher risk of developing various conditions such as osteoporosis, hypertension, anaemia and coronary heart disease due to reduced  excretioningestionabsorptiondigestion of nutrients in the digestive tract and a more sedentary lifestyle. Elderly people should therefore increase their intake of various micronutrients, particularly iron, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin B12, alongside increased  proteinvegetablesfibrecarbohydrates for bowel health and decreased sodium to prevent hypertension.