Food and Growth: Nutrients for Growth/ Height, Balanced Diet

Food and Growth: Food is the major source of nutrients. Furthermore, nutrients are the major materials for energy and growth. Nutrients provide energy to the body to do all kinds of functions, such as breathing, walking, digestion, etc. Nutrients are fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. When it comes to healthy growth, a person needs all these nutrients in a balanced amount. Thus, expert dieticians suggest eating foods that are rich in nutrients.

For proper growth, a person needs a balanced diet. A proper meal can give us healthy growth. A proper meal does not refer to milk, meat, and eggs that are rich in protein but also vegetables and fruits. Moreover, consuming a proper meal helps us get all the nutrients required for growth. Not only that, but healthy food also promotes growth in height. We all know that our height grows in our teenage. Thus, having healthy food can significantly help in height growth. Read on to find out more.

Food and Growth

Each and every living thing on Earth need food to survive. Whether it’s a big living thing like a whale or a microorganism like bacteria, they all need food for survival and growth. Furthermore, all living creatures have their own source of getting food. For example, plants create their own food through photosynthesis, water, and minerals. On the other hand, animals can’t make their own food. Therefore, they depend on plants and other small animals for food.

We, humans, also depend on plants and animals for food. Moreover, there are various kinds of food we get from plants and animals. For example:

Food from Plants: Plants provide us with food like vegetables, fruits, cereals, pulses, spices, nuts, oils, beans, sugar, bread, etc.

Food from Animals: Animals provide us with food like milk, eggs, poultry, meat, oil, etc.

What are Nutrients?

Nutrients are the substances or materials that we get from food. Our body needs nutrients to do all kinds of activities. Furthermore, our body needs nutrients for healthy growth and development. There are mainly seven kinds of nutrients that are body intake. These nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and water.

A person should have these nutrients for healthy growth. However, deficiency or excess amount of any of these nutrients can cause several health issues. Therefore, we should take a balanced diet to maintain these nutrients in our bodies. This will not only promote growth but also help remain healthy.

Various Types of Nutrients

Students can check various types of nutrients required for growth below:

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the major source of energy for our bodies. They provide energy to do work and support all body functions.
Our body needs carbohydrates in large amounts. Up to 65% of energy comes from carbohydrates.
The main sources of carbohydrates are bread, wheat, potatoes, maize, rice, pasta, macaroni, banana, sweets, sugarcane, sweet fruits, and honey.
Foods like vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds contain less amount of carbohydrates.

Proteins

Proteins are an essential component of our diets for growth, especially for children, teens, and pregnant women.
They help improve immune functions.
They play an important role in making essential hormones and enzymes, in tissue repair, preserving lean muscle mass, and supplying energy in times when carbohydrates are not available.
The main sources of proteins are milk, meats, chicken, eggs, beans, ground nuts, lentils, fish, and cheese.
All animal foods contain more protein than plants. Therefore, animal foods are usually a better source for body growth.

Fats and Oil

Fats and oils are concentrated sources of energy.
They are important nutrients for young children who need energy-rich food for growth.
Fats also make food more tasty and satisfying.
The sources of fats are meat, chicken, milk products, butter, creams, avocado, cooking oils, cheese, fish, and ground nuts.

Vitamins

Vitamins are necessary for the body to function normally.
They are also called protective foods. Vitamins help in maintaining healthy bones, boost the immune system, heal wounds, repair damaged cells, and convert food into energy.
Examples of vitamins are Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, etc.
Check different types of vitamins and their functions and sources below:

Vitamins	Functions	Sources
Vitamin A	– Night Vision – Development of Teeth and Bones – Healing Epithelial Cells	Tomatoes, Cabbage, Lettuce, Pumpkins, Mangoes, Papaya, Carrots, Egg Yolk, Milk, Butter, and Cheese Cream
Vitamin D	– Absorption of Calcium from Small Intestines – Calcification of the Skeleton	Ultra Violet Light from the Sun, Eggs, Butter, Fish, Fortified Oils, Fats, and Cereals
Vitamin K	– Blood Clotting	Green Leafy Vegetables, Fruits, Cereals, Meat, and Dairy Products
B Complex	– Metabolism of Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats	Milk, Egg Yolk, Whole-grain Cereals, Meat, Whole Bread, Fish, and Bananas
Vitamin C	– Prevention of Scurvy – Heal Wounds – Absorption of Iron	Fresh Fruits like Oranges, Banana, Mango, Grape, and Lemons, Vegetables like Potatoes, Cabbage, Carrots, Pepper, and Tomatoes, and Breastmilk

Minerals

Minerals are nutrients that we need to ensure our health and correct working of tissues, fluids, and skeleton.
Examples of minerals are calcium, iron, iodine, fluorine, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, selenium, and sodium.
Check functions and sources of various minerals below:

Minerals	Functions	Sources
Calcium	– Strengthen Bones and Teeth – Proper Functioning of the Nervous System	Milk, Cheese, and Dairy Products
Iron	– Formation of Haemoglobin – Helps in Thyroid Gland Function	Meat, Eggs, Bread, Green Leafy Vegetables, Pulses, Fruits
Iodine	– Normal Metabolism of Cells	Iodised Salt, Sea Vegetables, Yogurt, Cow’s Milk, Eggs, Cheese, and Fish
Zinc	– Normal Growth and Development of Children – Wound Healing	Maize, Fish, Meat, Beans, and Breastmilk
Sodium	– Controls Blood Pressure – Helps in Nerve Impulse Conduction	Celery, Beet, Carrot, Radish, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cheese, Meat, Cereals, Fish, and Shellfish

Fibre

Fibre is a mixture of different carbohydrates that help in food absorption and prevent constipation.
Sources of fibre are vegetables like cabbage and carrots, fruits like banana and avocado, peas, beans, and whole-grain cereals like wheat flour.

Nutrition for Growth and Height

Here are some sources of nutrition that we should take for proper growth:

Whole-grain foods with carbohydrates, fibre, and B-vitamins
Fruits and vegetables with vitamins A and C, potassium, and fibre
Low-fat dairy foods with protein, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus
Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans or nuts with protein, iron, zinc, and B-vitamins

Now that you have a detailed article on Food and Growth, we hope you get to understand how food help in growth. Do check our website or download our app, if you have any queries. We will be happy to help you.

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