Abstract

VASQUEZ-GARIBAY, Edgar M.  and  ROMERO-VELARDE, Enrique. Approaches of healthy diets in children during their different stages of life: Part I. First two years of life. Bol. Med. Hosp. Infant. Mex. [online]. 2008, vol.65, n.6, pp.593-604. ISSN 1665-1146.

When one thinks about healthy foods, the first question to be addressed is how should they be? And the fundamental premise is that they should be part of an adequate diet. This means that the nutritional quality must be unquestionable; that the amount should be sufficient for covering the nutritional requirements of children at different stages of life; varied which includes the basic groups of foods; equilibrated, this is with optimal proportion in the energy distribution among carbohydrates (55-60%), fat (<30%, with no more than 10% of saturated fat) and high quality proteins (10-15%); innocuous, which means that it lacks any noxious ingredient for the health of an individual, and it is practically free of pathogens. However, because of the differentiated characteristics of growth and development, a healthy diet depends on the specific stage group of children. For instance, it is important to differentiate a healthy diet for infants, preschool children, school children and adolescents. Each stage group has its own specific requirements to be taken into consideration.

Keywords : Food, healthy; child; life, stages.