Balanced Nutrition Guides For Early Childhoods, To Prevent Stunting

Illustration of healthy food (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Father, Mother, early childhood need balanced nutrition to grow and develop. At that age children need food that is not only filling but also rich in nutritional content for the foundation of health for life, endurance and affects children's intelligence and skills.

Nutrition not only affects high and short and fat or thin a person, but also affects many other aspects of health, as well as physical development and intelligence in children. Because, if children are malnourished, it can result in late growth in children so that they will be easily infected, and in the end can hinder children's development.

Quoted from the page let's be healthy.kemkes.go.id, the principle of balanced nutrition for early childhood, including eating healthy food. There is even a term "Isi Piringku" which is a guide for balanced daily nutritional needs, born from the development of science and improvement of nutritionists, and compiled by the Indonesian Ministry of Health.

The difference with 4 Healthy 5 Perfect is that the diet Filling my plate does not only provide guidelines for the types of food and drinks consumed once you eat, but also the portion of food that can meet your nutritional needs in one day.

In the contents of my plate every time I eat, 50 percent of the plate is filled with vegetables and fruit, while the other 50 percent is filled with staple food and side dishes.

Basic food ingredients in Indonesia also vary, such as rice, corn, sago and tubies (ubi, talas, cassava), potatoes, wheat and processed products, such as noodles, bread and pasta. The consumption is adjusted to local conditions, habits, and culture.

Although diverse, this staple food must contain carbohydrates (HA), it is fun, it tastes neutral, the price is cheap, easy to get, planted and processed and stored for a long time.

Animal And Plant Protein

Mother's father, I also have to have side dishes from animal and vegetable protein that have their own strengths and disadvantages. Meanwhile, vegetables are for mineral and fiber sources (bayam, carrots, cabbage, broccoli,), and fruits for sources of vitamins (jeruk, apples, bananas, and others).

Children are also allowed to consume sufficient oil and salt, as well as pay attention to daily sugar consumption in children. Because, if excessive sugar consumption can pose a risk of disease in the future.

Don't forget to meet the needs of vitamins, minerals, iron, zinc, phosphorus and others in children. Mother's father can consult a nutritionist to gain a balanced understanding of children's nutrition.

It is also recommended that fathers and mothers not only fulfill nutritional and food intake, but also apply clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS). For example, when sneezing and coughing covering the mouth and nose, washing hands with soap and clean water, cleaning the place of residence, maintaining environmental cleanliness, and not eating the foods that have fallen, and so on.

Early childhood can carry out physical activities, such as light exercise, playing, and learning to do homework, such as sweeping, watering plants, and so on.

In addition, Mother and Father must regularly weigh children's weight. This is to see the development of children's weights and their growth and development. From the child's weight scales, nutrition improvement interventions can be carried out if it is still not sufficient.

This is also to avoid the risk of stunting children. By conducting routine monitoring and fulfilling good nutrition, it is hoped that children can grow healthy and become a quality next generation.