Nutrition Across Our Life Cycles

Nutrition Across the Life Cycles

            Across all life cycles, our bodies require different types of nutrition to help us progress in life. From helping us develop certain aspects of our bodies, to starting of our bone density as toddlers. And then cutting back on certain nutrients as we get older, to prevent certain diseases and to minimize weight gain. The following table will have the recoded nutrients that an individual will need throughout their life cycle, and the proper RDA’s/ DRI’s.

Nutrients	Age Groups and RDAs/DRI’s
	Infants: (7- month-old)	Children: (5-year-old male)	Adolescent: (15- year-old male)	Adult: (32 year-old female)	Elder: (62 – year-old male)
Calories	800 cal/day	1,400 cal/day	3,036 cal/day	2,055 cal/day	2,547 cal/day
Carbohydrates	55%- 440 cal/d 110 g/d	50%- 700 cal/d 175 g/d	50%- 1,518 cal/d 379.5 g/d	50%- 1,027.50 cal/d 256.88 g/d	50%- 1,273.50 cal/d 318.38 g/d
Protein	25%- 200 cal/d 50 g/d	25%- 350 cal/d 87.50 g/d	30%- 910.80 cal/d 227.7 g/d	25%- 513.75 cal/d 128.44 g/d	25%- 636.75 cal/d 159.19 g/day
Total Fat	20%- 160 cal/d 17.78 g/d	25%- 350 cal/d 38.89 g/d	20% 607.20 cal/d 67.47 g/d	25% 513/75 cal/d 57.09 g/d	25% 636.75 cal/d 70.75 g/d
Iron	11 mg/d	10 mg/d	11 mg/d	18 mg/d	8 mg/d
Calcium	260 mg/d	1,000 mg/d	1,300 mg/d	1,000 mg/day	1,000 mg/d
Vitamin D	10 µg/d	15 µg/d	15 µg/d	15 µg/d	15 µg/d
Folic Acid	80 µg/d	200 µg/d	400 µg/d	400 µg/d	400 µg/d

(NASEM, 2020)

            The Macronutrient, vitamin, and mineral that I have chosen would be Carbohydrates, Iron, and Vitamin D. Carbohydrates tend to be around a higher percentage so that people can have enough energy levels to get through the day. And as we are still children, it helps with our growth. Most of us will receive most of our calories per day from carbohydrates. People that tend to go on a carb free diet, will not have enough energy to make it through the day, and also become slightly malnourished. Iron is something that remains the same throughout our entire life cycle, from toddlers, to elderly. This is something that helps us from becoming anemic, and helps with our blood cells transporting oxygen. Iron helps with the production of hemoglobin within our blood cells. And the last vitamin that I chose was Vitamin D, that also remains the same throughout our life cycle as well. With only a 5 µg/d difference between a infant, and an elderly individual, it is something that is well maintained if watched well enough. Vitamin D is something that we can get from the sun, so as long as we go outside enough, it is easily consumed.

-Cyral I Callender III

References:

Calculator.net. (2020). Calorie Calculator. Retrieved from: https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=62&csex=m&cheightfeet=0&cheightinch=69&cpound=188&cheightmeter=180&ckg=65&cactivity=1.55&cmop=1&coutunit=c&cformula=m&cfatpct=20&printit=0&x=74&y=19

Healthy Children. (Dec. 8, 2015). Sample Menu for a 8 to 12 Month Old. Retrieved from: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Sample-One-Day-Menu-for-an-8-to-12-Month-Old.aspx

The National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine. (2020) Summary Report of the Dietary Reference Intake. Retrieved from: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/summary-report-of-the-dietary-reference-intakes