Build Healthy Kids Program
OVERVIEW
Mr. Tirth Shah a 14-year-old boy studying in a leading international school was part of the “Build Healthy Kids Program’ to imbibe and inculcate the practice of making the right food choices to live a healthy life later.
His readings (at the start of the program) were as follows:
Weight: 46 kgs
Body Fat: 13.9%
BMR: 1250 kcals
BMI: 17.6 kg/m2
Skeletal Muscle: 37.4%
APPROACH
Tirth Shah's mother approached Café Nutrition with an intent to help bring a change in his eating habits for his growth and development and to also form sound eating habits to be healthy in his adulthood.
The team started with the consultation by documenting his dietary habits, daily routine, and schedule - school and sports sessions. This was followed by a body composition analysis. Though Tirth was eating a lot of healthy foods, the lacking nutrients from certain food groups were not a part of his diet. He was also reluctant to carry meals which were leaky to school which led him to avoid dals completely which made his protein intake insufficient through the day. This led us to design one meal dish comprising of all food groups while taking into account his preferences. Providing him with protein-rich foods for both his main meals and his post-workout snacks was another priority as he followed intense badminton practise and fitness sessions.
We also discovered from the recall that he was consuming a lot of biscuits and tang during his sports training for hydration and glucose / energy supply, for which we swapped this to healthier options of hydration and glucose supply. His fat intake was kept to minimal as goal was to almost maintain his weight, reduce his fat percent and develop his skeletal muscle mass. To address to his mother's chief consultation requirement, we educated the child on how an ideal meal plate should be by explaining him ‘my plate’ concept with relevant examples and food combinations.
RESULTS
Intended results at the program's completion were achieved. His weight was maintained within reasonable parameters, and his fat percentage decreased by 3.3% while his skeletal muscle mass grew by 1.2%.
His readings (at the end of 12 months) were as follows:
Weight: 45.6 kgs
Body Fat: 10.6%
BMR: 1254 kcals
BMI: 16.6 kg/m2
Skeletal Muscle: 38.6%
CONCLUSION
He was inspired to keep up his good eating habits by these noticeable improvements in his body composition. Tirth also started creating his tiffin menu while keeping my plate concept in mind.