Vaidehi Amogh Nawathe,

Vaidehi Amogh Nawathe,

NUTRITION FOR TINY TOTS

Basis of a healthy adult life lies in the good dietary habits developed during the childhood. Careful selection of variety of food items is very important right from the weaning diet till the adolescence.

Start breast feeding at birth. Breast milk which is very essential for a minimum of 0-6 months of age.  No other foods like honey, jaggery, water, glucose to be given unless specified by the doctor. Avoid Bottle feeding. If top milk / feed has to be given make use of clean spoon and katori / feed with ‘Bondla.’

 Weaning or supplementary food:

Weaning food should be introduced preferably from the  5^thmonth onwards to supplement the breast milk for the achieving the normal milestones.

Introduction of semisolid supplementary foods which continues till the child is taken off the breast completely is called Weaning.

Practical suggestions for introducing new foods to the baby:

• Introduce only one new food at a time.
• Allow the baby to become familiar with one food before introducing another.
• Initially only small amounts should be given only when baby is hungry.  Increased gradually.
•  One should start with a thin consistency, then progress to semisolids / solids as the age increases.
• Avoid forced feeds.  If a particular food is disliked it should be reintroduced after a gap of time.
• Give only freshly cooked foods. Food should be simple, mildly flavored. No chillies / pepper please.
• Serving size should be small.  Avoid giving big pieces and hard food like nuts etc.
• Hold the baby upright while feeding. Feed the baby about five times a day.
• Finger foods like boiled carrot/ beetroot / dried dates can be given while teething.
• Luke warm food should be served.
• Maintain the pleasurable atmosphere while feeding the baby.
• Prefer home-made foods for weaning.

Supplementary mixtures:       

• Wheat flour – 2 tbsp. + Moong flour – 1 tbsp. + Groundnut powder – 1 tsp. + Jaggery 3 – 4 tsp.
• Chana dal flour – ¼ cup + Groundnut Flour – ½ cup  + Jaggery – 4 – 5 tsp.

ARF:

1.  Soak cereals like jowar, wheat, moong overnight.
2. Drain water and tie in a moist cloth till they are sprouted.
3. Dry in the sun and roast.
4. Remove the sprouts and make the flour.
5. Store in the air-tight container.
6. Reconstitute with water whenever required.

SCHOOL GOER'S DIET

• Let the child eat on it’s own
• Prefer small and frequent meals.
• Include the variety of food items from all the food groups i.e. cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products, fats and sugars.
• Nibbling in between meals should be discouraged.                                                      

Breakfast:

A nutritious breakfast is a good start of the day. eg. Mix veg upma / poha, dosa, idlis, uttapam, dhokla, cornflakes , whole wheat  sandwich, frankies / chapatti roll, French toast, oats/ rawa/ dalia  porridge, with  sprouts / paneer / cheese  accompanied with a cup of milk and dry fruits.

Lunch:

Lunch should be creative and attractive and  nutritionally balanced. Chapatti and vegetables can be replaced by stuffed parathas of vegetables, dal and paneer etc. plain rice and dal preparation can be modified to a veg pulao/ biryani, accompanied with whole pulse preparation like moong, chana etc. Ensure that protein rich food like pulses or milk products or soya is included in every meal. Vegetable in the form of salad / raita is a must.

Snacks:

Milk, fruits, home made chevda / dry snacks to be preferred instead of chips / noodles.

Dinner:

Principles are  Same as lunch. Keep a  gap of atleast 2 hours between dinner and sleep. Eating with the familiy  should be encouraged. Avoid watching T.V. while eating meals.

             Some healthy food habits :

• Avoid overloading the child with sweets / chocolates / pastries as a token of affection or reward.
• Give your child healthy snacks to carry to school. This will improve mental alertness  and will give energy for playing. Don’t allow him/her to take chips / biscuits in his/ her lunch box.
• Avoid encouraging to eat in the school cafeterias, as invariably wrong choices of food are made.

 Most colored sweets, soft drinks, ice cream, ready to eat snacks contain a high level of food additives, besides being low in ratio of essential nutrients.