Why nutrition needs change across life
A car needs different care when it is new, when it races and when it is old. People are the same: the basics of good food stay the same, but how much of what we need changes as we grow, move and age.
Before this course: Nutrition in Practice: meal planning and food labels (course 10.5.2), which builds on Nutrition Basics (course 10.5). You already know the balanced plate, meal planning on a budget, label reading, allergens on labels and safe food at home. This course goes one step deeper: how needs differ by life stage, sport and special diets, and how to judge claims.
- WHO says the exact make-up of a healthy diet varies with individual characteristics such as age, gender, lifestyle and degree of physical activity, and with cultural context, locally available foods and dietary customs. The core principles stay the same: adequacy, balance, moderation and diversity.
- WHO's healthy-diet advice (fact sheet, January 2026):
| Topic | WHO advice |
|---|---|
| Fruits and vegetables | Everyone older than 10 years: at least 400 g a day |
| Free sugars | Less than 10% of total daily energy; 5% or less may bring further benefits |
| Total fat | 30% or less of total daily energy may help prevent unhealthy weight gain |
| Salt (adults) | Less than 5 g a day (2 g sodium) |
- WHO says women, infants, children and adolescents are at particular risk of malnutrition, which includes undernutrition, too little of some vitamins and minerals, and overweight and obesity.
- National food guides: FAO says more than 100 countries have developed food-based dietary guidelines, recommendations on foods, food groups and eating patterns. Courses 10.5 and 10.5.2 used Canada's food guide as one example. Your own country's guide is the one to follow; find it on your health ministry's website.
- Life stages in this course: babies and children (lesson 2), pregnancy and breastfeeding (lesson 3), active people (lesson 4), older adults (lesson 5), special diets (lesson 6).
- Write the four WHO principles: adequacy, balance, moderation, diversity.
- Find your country's official food guide on your health ministry's website and write its name.
- Compare it with the WHO table: does it also talk about fruits and vegetables, sugars, fat and salt?
- List the people at home and their life stage (child, teen, adult, pregnant, older adult, athlete).
- For each person, write one question about how their needs may differ.
- Check: you can explain why one menu does not fit every person in a family.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "Good food basics don't change. But what each person needs does."
[Text on screen: Age, gender, lifestyle, activity, culture] "WHO says a healthy diet varies with age, gender, lifestyle, activity and culture."
[Text on screen: 400 g, under 10%, under 5 g] "WHO advises at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day, free sugars under ten percent of energy, and less than five grams of salt for adults."
[Screen: food guides from different countries] "More than 100 countries have their own food-based dietary guidelines."
[Host] "Learn the principles, then follow your own country's guide."
Make a table of the people in your household: life stage, one way their needs may differ, and one question you would ask a doctor or dietitian.
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I'm learning "Nutrition for Life Stages: sport, ageing and special diets" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Why nutrition needs change across life". What the lesson teaches: - WHO says the exact make-up of a healthy diet varies with individual characteristics such as age, gender, lifestyle and degree of physical activity, and with cultural context, locally available foods and dietary customs. The core principles stay the same: adequacy, balance, moderation and diversity. - WHO's healthy-diet advice (fact sheet, January 2026): - Topic - WHO advice - Fruits and vegetables - Everyone older than 10 years: at least 400 g a day - Free sugars - Less than 10% of total daily energy; 5% or less may bring further benefits - Total fat - 30% or less of total daily energy may help prevent unhealthy weight gain - Salt (adults) - Less than 5 g a day (2 g sodium) The exercise I'm working on: Make a table of the people in your household: life stage, one way their needs may differ, and one question you would ask a doctor or dietitian. I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it. 4. This is for learning only. Remind me to check with a licensed professional before I make a real decision about my own money, health or legal situation.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Why nutrition needs change across life" from the course "Nutrition for Life Stages: sport, ageing and special diets". Here's what the lesson says: A car needs different care when it is new, when it races and when it is old. People are the same: the basics of good food stay the same, but how much of what we need changes as we grow, move and age. Before this course: Nutrition in Practice: meal planning and food labels (course 10.5.2), which builds on Nutrition Basics (course 10.5). You already know the balanced plate, meal planning on a budget, label reading, allergens on labels and safe food at home. This course goes one step deeper: how needs differ by life stage, sport and special diets, and how to judge claims. The activity: Make a table of the people in your household: life stage, one way their needs may differ, and one question you would ask a doctor or dietitian. Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time. Keep it general and educational. This is not advice for a real situation.
Sources
- WHO, Healthy diet fact sheet: www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
- WHO, Malnutrition fact sheet: www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malnutrition
- FAO, Food-based dietary guidelines: www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/home/en/
Babies, children and teens
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Pregnancy and breastfeeding
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Active people and sport
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Older adults
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Special diets: vegetarian, allergy, intolerance and celiac disease
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Judging nutrition claims and supplements
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Final project
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Quiz
What four principles of a healthy diet does WHO name?
Adequacy, balance, moderation and diversity.
How much fruit and vegetables does WHO advise for everyone older than 10?
At least 400 g a day.
What does WHO say about free sugars?
Less than 10% of total energy, and below 5% brings extra benefits.
How long does WHO advise exclusive breastfeeding?
The first 6 months.
Do sugars in a whole apple count as free sugars?
No. Sugars in fresh fruit and vegetables and in milk do not count; juice and honey do.
When should folic acid ideally start, according to WHO?
Before conception.
What is low energy availability?
Too little energy intake for the amount of exercise done.
What does the IOC advise before an athlete uses supplements?
Expert professional advice and a complete nutrition assessment.
Why do older adults need to watch fluids?
Some lose their sense of thirst as they age.
Where is vitamin B12 found for vegans?
In fortified foods, such as some breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast; it is not in plant foods unless fortified.
What is the difference between a food allergy and an intolerance?
An allergy is an immune system reaction and can be life-threatening; an intolerance is not an immune reaction.
Name one red flag in a nutrition claim.
Any one: dramatic writing, promises of cures, claims that sound too good to be true.
Final exam
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.
Certificate
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