Nutrition, Diet and Meal Planning across Life Stages
Nutrition, Diet and Meal Planning across Life Stages
This domain tests nutrient needs, balanced diets, and safe, practical meal planning for infants, children, adolescents, pregnancy/lactation and older adults. Expect questions on breastfeeding, complementary feeding, iron and calcium, malnutrition and therapeutic diets.
Core rules
- Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months; start complementary foods at 6 months while continuing breastfeeding to 2 years. First foods must be energy-dense, mashed and iron-rich.
- A balanced diet supplies energy, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water. Use local, seasonal, affordable foods; plan by food groups rather than expensive health foods.
- Adolescents need iron for growth and menstruation, and calcium for bone growth; adolescent girls are a key anaemia group.
- Pregnancy: extra iron, folate, calcium and energy; avoid alcohol and tobacco.
- Older adults: adequate protein (about 1–1.2 g/kg/day in healthy ageing), calcium and vitamin D, fibre and fluids; soften texture for chewing or swallowing problems.
- Food safety: safe water, handwashing, cooked food kept hot, leftovers reheated thoroughly.
Worked example
Plan a day for a 72-year-old with few teeth and constipation. Reasoning: soft texture for chewing, high fibre for constipation, adequate protein to prevent sarcopenia, and fluids through the day. Breakfast: soft porridge with milk and mashed banana. Mid-morning: curd. Lunch: well-cooked dal, soft rice, mashed vegetables, a little oil. Evening: fruit and warm milk. This meets texture, fibre, protein and fluid needs using affordable foods.
Traps that cost marks
- Advising fat restriction for all older people, risking malnutrition.
- Giving water or dilute juice instead of ORS in diarrhoea.
- Planning expensive foods that the family cannot buy.