ABSTRACT
This chapter raises awareness of common themes in children's nutrition, such as: maintenance of healthy weight, understanding of body mass index (BMI)-for-age and daily energy intake, building blocks of nutrition, benefits of the anti-inflammatory of Mediterranean diet pattern, environmental concerns, key dietary supplements, and food sensitivities. Maintenance of healthy weight is important in both healthy children and in those living with chronic illnesses. It is now understood that healthy weight in children is programmed early, even influenced in utero by maternal prenatal BMI and by maternal weight gain during pregnancy. An understanding of carbohydrates is important because of their prevalence in the pediatric diet. Carbohydrates vary in their effects on blood glucose levels and can be compared using the glycemic index, which reflects the potency of foods to raise blood glucose and rates of glucose clearance. In addition to total calorie intake and calorie distribution, correct proportions of food groups are important.
