Nutrition determines the physical development, intelligence, stature and learning ability of children. Ensuring nutritional needs helps children develop well in health, prevent overweight/obesity, etc. That is to say, no matter what age, children need a reasonable nutritional regimen. The same goes for primary school children, their nutritional needs depend on age, gender and physical activity.

Nutritional needs: Different for each age

For a long time, parents and the community have only paid attention to children under 5 years old because they are still young and need special attention. However, in the development process, primary school age also plays an important role because this is the time when children begin to enter the path of learning, some children enter the pre-puberty stage... Therefore, understanding children's needs to build a reasonable diet will help children maximize their physical and intellectual potential.

Energy needs are the most important point in the diet, when the energy needs are sufficient, it means ensuring that the child is full, when the child is full, then the balance of the diet should be considered. Food is the main source of energy for the body, in which protein, fat, and carbohydrates in food are substances that generate energy. Providing insufficient or excess energy compared to the child's needs for a long time will lead to malnutrition (malnutrition) or overnutrition (overweight/obesity).

According to the recommended nutritional needs for Vietnamese people approved by the Ministry of Health, for primary school children from 6 to 11 years old, the recommended energy is as follows: Boys aged 6-7 need 1,570 Kcal/child/day, 8-9 years old need 1,820 and 9-11 years old need 2,150. Similarly, the nutritional needs for girls in the above 3 age groups are 1,460, 1,730 and 1,980 (Kcal/child/day).

What primary school children need to eat:

The structure of a meal consists of 4 food groups: protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. However, each age, gender and physical activity requires appropriate adjustment of needs.

For primary school students, protein plays an important role in the composition of cells, is an important component of hormones, enzymes, and participates in the production of antibodies. Protein also participates in metabolic activities, maintaining fluid balance. In addition, protein also plays an important role in transporting nutrients through the intestinal wall into the blood and from the blood to the body's tissues and through cell membranes. Protein is abundant in meat, fish, milk, eggs, beans, peanuts, etc. Protein needs vary depending on the age, weight, and gender of the child. The energy provided by protein is from 13-20% of the body's energy needs. In which, the ratio between animal protein/total protein should reach ≥ 50% (for children from 6-9 years old) and this ratio should reach ≥ 35% (for children from 10-11   years old). 

Fat, also known as lipid, plays an important role in the structure of cell membranes and is stored in tissues as the body's energy reserve. Lipids are solvents for dissolving fat-soluble vitamins. On the other hand, lipids are also an important energy source in the diet. Sources of lipids are fats, oils and nuts such as peanuts, sesame, cashews, etc. According to the recommended needs for Vietnamese people, for primary school children, the energy provided by lipids needs to reach 20 - 30% of the body's energy needs, in which animal lipids/total lipids account for about 30-50%, saturated fatty acids do not exceed 11% of dietary energy.

Glucid (starch) provides energy for the body. In addition to its role in generating energy, glucid has a shaping role. The main source of glucid for the diet is from rice, vermicelli, glass noodles, potatoes, tubers, etc. For primary school students, the energy provided by glucid needs to reach 50-60% of the body's energy needs.

Vitamins and minerals, although accounting for a small proportion in the body, are indispensable. Calcium helps the body form strong bones and teeth. All metabolic processes in the body require calcium. For primary school age children from 6-7 years old, the calcium requirement is 650 mg/day, 8-9 years old is 700 mg/day, 10-11 years old is 1000 mg/day, the calcium/phosphorus ratio reaches the best level of 1-1.5. In addition, iron and zinc contribute to promoting blood formation, growth as well as increasing children's resistance. Vitamins A, C and group B are like gatekeepers protecting children's health. Lack of these micronutrients causes dry skin and mucous membranes, leading to easy infection, dry eye disease, etc. These vitamins are abundant in fresh fruits, green vegetables, tubers or animal organs, milk, cheese and eggs. That proves that building a diet suitable for children's age is not too difficult. Therefore, parents and schools need to provide children with nutritious, reasonable meals suitable to their body's needs.

Refer to the table of vitamin and mineral requirements

(Part 2: How to build   and organize reasonable meals for primary school students)

MSc. Dr. Nguyen Van Tien -  Institute of Nutrition