All children and adolescents need healthy snacks and mealsto support their growth and development.A nutrient-rich diet plays an important role in your child’s mental andphysical development.
Unfortunately, nutritional deficiencies can occur in childrenwhen their diets include an excess of foods that are high in fat, sugar andsalt. These are often in the form of treats (chips, chocolates, lollies, softdrink) or in food that has been processed (such as take-away food). Childrenwho don’t eat a varied diet that includes enough fresh and whole foods risklong-term health consequences.
A healthy diet with the right nutrition also plays a vitalrole in maintaining a healthy weight in children and adolescents. Eatingpatterns established in childhood continue into adulthood, so the more healthychoices children are offered, the better.
Signs and symptoms of a poor diet
Symptoms of poor diet can include:
- being underweight, overweight or obese
- constipation or changes in bowel habits
- being pale or lethargic
- tooth decay
- poor physical growth.
In some children, poor diet may be associated with:
- behavioural problems
- sleep issues
- problems with emotional and psychologicaldevelopment
- poor concentration or difficulties at school.
What causes nutrient deficiency?
Nutrientdeficiencies may occur in children who do not eat a balanced diet, which oftenresults in inadequate intake of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Some commonproblems that affect a healthy diet in children and adolescents include:
Not enough fruits and vegetables
Fibre keeps the digestive and immune systems healthy. A lackof whole fruits and vegetables and whole grains in the diet can mean childrenand adolescents don’t get enough fibre. Low-fibre diets can cause constipation,and put children at greater risk of developing bowel cancers and heart diseaselater in life. Having adequate amounts of fibre in the diet can be protectiveagainst excess weight gain and type 2 diabetes.
Fruits and vegetables are also a good source of Vitamin C,which is needed by the body to assist with iron absorption, fighting infectionand wound healing.
Choosing a variety of different coloured whole fruits andvegetables (yellow, red and green) and including these as part of your child’snormal diet can help prevent problems associated with nutrient deficiencies.
- Aim for 5 serves of grains (e.g. brown bread,pasta and rice), 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit each day. Readmore on numberof serves here.
- Fresh fruit and vegetables are best, but canned(in natural juice, drained) or frozen varieties are also good options andgenerally contain the same amount of nutrients as fresh. Dried fruit isnutritious, but has a high amount of natural sugar so should be eaten lessfrequently.
Allergies and intolerances
Children or adolescents who have been diagnosed with foodallergy or intolerances should have their diet modified or supervised by adietitian to ensure they get the nutrients required for healthy growth anddevelopment.
Allergies to particular foods or food intolerances (e.g.lactose or gluten) can result in a limited diet and nutrient deficiencies ifchanges are not managed safely.
- Lactose intolerance can lead to a decreasedcalcium intake – make sure your child has an alternative (e.g. lactose-freecow’s milk or yoghurt or calcium-fortified dairy alternatives).
- Coeliac disease can lead to inadequate intake offibre and increases the risk of iron deficiency due to gut inflammation – makesure your child has adequate iron-rich foods in their diet, such as red meatand leafy green vegetables.
- Restriction of FODMAP containing foods canresult in inadequate consumption of fibre and other important nutrients.
Independent food choices and restricted diets
As children get older and become more independent they maydecide to follow particular diets or restrict certain food groups. There are manydiets that adolescents may find appealing, and it is common for older childrento experiment with ‘fad’ diets. Unnecessarily restricting particular foodgroups may result in nutrient deficiencies which can be detrimental to healthas your child may be missing vital nutrients for growth and development (e.g.going gluten-free when it’s not needed, low-carb diets).
Adolescents who restrict their intake of animal products(meat and dairy) are particularly at risk of iron and calcium deficiency,especially if choosing to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet. Iron is needed fortransporting oxygen to the body, and lack of iron often presents as a lack ofenergy. Including foods that contain iron in the diet to prevent irondeficiency is important for both physical health and brain development.
Calcium is required for healthy bone growth, particularlyduring adolescent growth spurts. Inadequate intake of calcium in adolescencecan lead to osteoporosis or weak bones in adulthood.
- If your child has decided to restrict certainfood groups, or has decided to follow a special diet, speak to a GP anddietitian about implementing a balanced diet that meets nutritional needs.
- Following a diet that isn’t planned orsupervised by a health professional could lead to poor health.
Weight
Children andadolescents who are underweight or overweight can be nutritionally deficient astheir diet usually lacks healthy nutrient-containing foods.
While thereare many factors that contribute to a child’s weight (e.g. genetics) it is heavily influenced by theirfood choices.Common dietary contributors to excess weight gain includejunk foods, sugary drinks, large portions and processed takeaway foods.Overweight children do not naturally ‘slim down’ or lose weight as they getolder: they require healthy eating habits in conjunction with exercise to reacha healthy weight.
Poor food choices
Treats and processed foods (chips, chocolates, lollies, cakes,biscuits and take-away food) should be limited to special occasions and beconsumed in moderation in accordance with the AustralianGuide to Healthy Eating.
Sugary drinks (soft drinks, juice,flavoured waters, cordials and sports drinks or energy drinks) are not required,even following sport, and should be avoided. Water is the healthiest choice andshould be the main drink for all children over 12 months.
Treats, processed foods and sugary drinks areoften filled with sugar or artificial sweeteners, fat or salt and add nonutrition or benefit to a child’s diet. Too many serves of these foodsand drinks are linked to poor health, weight gain and tooth decay.
- Reduce the number of treats offered to childrenand teenagers and provide healthy alternatives for snacks.
- Avoid using treats as rewards – using treats forbehavioural or emotional reasons does not support the development of healthyeating habits.
Care at home
Generally, most vitamin deficiencies can be managed at homewith minor changes to diet. Making healthy food choices and knowing how manyserves your child needs for their age can be helpful. See more at the AustralianGuide to Healthy Eating.
- Involve your child in planning meals, foodpurchasing and preparation – these improve your child’s understanding ofhealthy eating and their food choices.
- Reduce the number of treats available andprovide healthy alternatives for snacking.
- Avoid buying or offering sugary drinks – wateris the best drink for children.
- Include a variety of fruits and vegetables inyour child’s diet.
- If your child has special dietary requirementsor needs to avoid particular food groups, ensure they eat appropriate foods toreplace the nutrients they miss out on.
Reading labels
Reading food labels is the best way to know how healthy aproduct is. Always look for the fat and sugar values as these will guide you inmaking good choices.
- There are many names for fat (e.g. oils,shortening, milk solids, monoglycerides) and sugar (e.g. sucrose, glucose,dextrose, syrups, malt).
- Ingredients are listed in descending order (i.e.a product contains the most of the first ingredient and the least of the lastingredient).
- Use the ‘Per 100g’ values listed in thenutrition information panel to compare products.
- The fewer ingredients listed, the better.
There are resources and apps that can help understandlabelling. Try Eatfor Health or the FoodSwitch app.
When to see a doctor
You should take your child to see your GP if you are unsureabout your child’s general health, weight or diet. Your GP will be able torefer you to a dietitian for additional support to ensure your child has abalanced diet.
You should also see your GP if your child or adolescent:
- is avoiding food groups or restricting theirdiet
- has allergies or food intolerances
- has an unbalanced diet and you are concernedabout nutritional deficiencies
- is underweight or overweight.
Key points to remember
- A nutrient-rich diet is important for healthygrowth and development.
- Generally, most vitamin deficiencies can bemanaged at home with minor changes to diet.
- You should take your child to see your GP if youare unsure about their weight or diet or if you are concerned they may have anallergy to particular foods.
For more information
- Visit The Royal Children’s Hospital Food and Nutrition Serviceswebsite
- The Royal Children’s Hospital’s Weight Management Service
- The RCH National Child Health Poll:Kids and food
- Your GP or a dietitian
- Raising Children Network Healthyeating habits for kids, Healthyeating habits for teenagers and Cookingwith kids and teenagers.
- AustralianGuide to Healthy Eating.
