“Good Nutrition is a foundation of a child’s survival, health, and development”.
Regardless of age, good and proper nutrition is important in order to expect positive health outcomes. For children, they are essential in ensuring that they have the capacity to survive, live a healthy life, and have proper growth and development. A child’s body depends highly on good nutrition towards proper functioning and the performance of mechanisms of growth and development. Furthermore, good nutrition also helps a child in developing healthy eating habits that they shall retain for the rest of their lives.
More importantly, in the first 1000 days of a child’s development, the brain is in rapid action for development. In this process, good nutrition plays a significant role in ensuring that the brain is able to obtain the necessary nutrients it needs in its development. Some of these nutrients include iron, protein, zinc, iodine, and folate. This is also the reason for the importance that mothers acquire proper nutrition since the fetus also depends on her for the nutrition they acquire for their growth. After birth, breastfeeding is necessary for the child to still receive the nutrients needed for growth and development. The aforementioned nutrients may also be found in breastmilk so it also contributes to brain development. In general, poor nutrition leads to poor health, growth, and development.
References:
Stirling-Reed, C. (2020). The Importance of Nutrition During the First 1000 Days of Life. https://www.srnutrition.co.uk/2020/12/the-importance-of-nutrition-during-the-first-1000-days-of-life/#:~:text=Other%20nutrients%20of%20particular%20importance,eating%20well%20during%20this%20stage.