HYDERABAD: Taking care of the nutrition of children under five years of age is important as improper diet and lack of nourishment can lead to stunting and wasting in children, making them prone to diseases. Nutritionists and doctors guide us on what to include in the diet for under-five children
Every year, Nutrition Week is celebrated from September 1 to 7 in order to raise awareness about proper diet and nutrition for children and adults. As per the findings of National Family Health Survey Report - 5 for the year 2019-2021, about 35.5% of children below five years of age in India have stunted growth. Stunting refers to low height with respect to age and weight caused by severe malnutrition. Also, wasting occurs in about 19.3% of children in the same age group, which means children have low body weight with respect to their height. Improper nourishment over a longer period of time causes wasting in children. This condition also leads to a high morbidity and mortality rate. Around 32.1% of children under the age of five are underweight.
It is evident that the specific age group is more vulnerable to malnutrition as opposed to others. Taking care of children’s feeding habits, proper diet and nutrition is extremely important. “As nutritionists, we always find the under-five age group as the most challenging one. When we look at statistics too, we see that under-five mortality is actually picking up. In fact, it’s not improving. The nutrition for this group should be from the point when they are weaning off and getting onto solid food by one year of age. But three to five years of age is the phase where they are so active that they lose interest in their food and are more into activity. That is the age group where we need to take care of their food habits,” said Dr Lata, Chief Nutritionist and head of the Department of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics, Fernandez Foundation.
According to Dr Lata, the nutrition intake for this group must include a balanced diet that has a combination of carbohydrates, proteins and fats along with adequate vitamins and minerals to boost immunity. “The basic food for this age group is milk and milk products. We always target three major meals and at least two snacks for this group. Each meal can be provided with dairy products in some form,” she adds.
She points out that toned milk should be used unless the baby is not gaining weight after three years, then full cream milk can be used. She also said that region-specific cereals or grains should be provided to children. “After the first year of life, children should be eating from the family pot. They need to get used to eating all that is prepared at home. The breakfast, lunch and dinner would be in portions but in the right combinations. Ensuring that there is a cereal-pulse combination to keep the quality of the food good. We need to include adequate whole legumes like chickpeas. I would include vegetables at lunch and dinner such that there is a green leafy vegetable every day in any form in the child’s diet. Greens can be added to the dal or into the roti,” she said.
“For non-vegetarian meals, egg is essential. And it needs to be a whole egg with a yolk. It’s not necessary we need to give it boiled. It can be a whole-boiled egg or a soft scramble or a soft omelette,” she added.
“Children feel better when they eat well. Parents should make sure that there is limited intake of processed foods, fast food and sugary drinks. Sugary drinks include soda, lemonade, juice and sports drinks. They can lead to cavities and unhealthy weight gain. The best drinks for children are water and milk. Milk provides calcium and vitamin D to build strong bones. Whole fruit is better than juice. If you are providing juice then it needs to be 100% fruit juice without additives, served with meals,” said Swathi Gogineni, Consultant Gynaecologist, Apollo Cradle, Jubilee Hills.
Dr M Gayathri, Senior Clinical Dietician, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderguda provides some dishes that can be served to children. “Carrot halwa or carrot rice, curd rice with pomegranate seeds or curd rice with boondi, sweet khichdi prepared using jaggery and added dry fruits or khichdi with multicoloured veggies. Idli or dosa can be made interesting by adding colourful veggies, puri with chhole or palak puri. These foods can be prepared and provided to children so that they get all the nutrients,” she said. “Some children are lactose intolerant. Alternatives for them can be soya milk, almond milk or coconut milk,” she concluded.
BALANCED DIET IS THE KEY
According to Dr Lata, the nutrition intake for this group must include a balanced diet that has a combination of carbohydrates, proteins and fats along with adequate vitamins and minerals to boost immunity