We must respect the different level of satiety in children
The nutritional needs of adults are clear that they are individual. It does not occur to anybody that all women of the same age have to eat the same thing, but nevertheless, for children it seems that we apply a different pattern, and it seems normal that all children of the same age, whatever be th
The nutritional needs of adults are clear that they are individual. It does not occur to anybody that all women of the same age have to eat the same thing, but nevertheless, for children it seems that we apply a different pattern, and it seems normal that all children of the same age, whatever be their conditions, they need the same amount of food.
In Guiainfantil.com we tell you why there is a different level of satiety in children and how we can know the needs of each one.
We must respect the different level of satiety in children
Children, like adults, have nutritional needs that vary from one child to another. This translates into a different level of satiety in children, although the basis of this level of satiety is in their total nutritional or energy needs. We must bear in mind:
- The body needs a minimum amount of calories daily to keep the organs functioning. This is known as needs or basal requirements and are the calories the body needs to be at rest. Although there may be slower and faster basal metabolisms, it could be said that this number is relatively constant, so it can be generalized and applied to the vast majority of children. A - To the basal needs we must add what the organism spends in daily physical activity, and here, obviously, each child is different
. Moreover, not only does each child have a different level of physical activity, but also their metabolism, slower or faster than what is considered normal, affects in a forceful way, so, in the same dish of food, it is normal that a child can be filled before another. A - The child's total caloric needs can also be affected by occasional factors, such as the ambient temperature, sinceextra energy is needed to regulate body temperature depending on the outside temperature
and how warm / undisturbed the child goes child, or diseases, because when the child is sick or with a fever, the organs may have more difficulty to function, to maintain body temperature and / or to fight the origin of the infection. Any minor alteration of health may require an extra energy intake, although normally the sick child is also more inactive, which can result in less than usual consumption of food. It is our task, as parents, to respect their decisions and let them learn to listen to the signals of satiety that their body sends them, because if we do not do it and we encourage them to finish the dish, or to eat a teaspoon more, we are, from our position of power - the child trusts that his parents know what is best for him and follows his indications - suggesting that these signals are not valid. If a child learns to ignore the signs of satiety, he is more likely to end up eating more, and increasingly, daily.
