The Family Nutrition Guide (2024)

NUTRITION NOTES

Good meals

Eating good food, especially with family and friends, is oneof the pleasures of life.We all know that people who eat healthy, balanced dietsare likely to have:

• plenty of energyto work and enjoy themselves;

• fewer infections and otherillnesses.

Children who eat well usually grow well.Women who eat well arelikely to produce healthy babies. That is why it is important to know whichcombinations of foods make good meals and what the different food needs ofdifferent members of the family are.

Foods and nutrients

A food is something that provides nutrients. Nutrients aresubstances that provide:

• energy foractivity, growth, and all functions of the body such as breathing, digestingfood, and keeping warm;

• materials for the growth andrepair of the body, and for keeping the immune system healthy.

There are many different nutrients.We divide theminto:

Macro (big) nutrients that we need in large amounts.These are:

• carbohydrates(starches, sugars and dietary fibre);

• fats - there are several kinds(see Box 4);

• proteins - there are hundredsof different proteins.

Micro (small) nutrients that we need in small amounts.There are many of these but the ones most likely to be lacking in the dietare:

• minerals - iron(see Box 6, page 19), iodine and zinc;

• vitamins - vitamin A, B-groupvitamins (including folate) and vitamin C.

BOX 4 · FATS, FATTYACIDS AND CHOLESTEROL

Our bodies use different nutrients in different ways as shownin Box 5.

BOX 5 · IMPORTANT USESOF SOME NUTRIENTS

BOX 6 · IRONABSORPTION

The best way to make sure that we get enough of each nutrientand enough energy is to eat a mixture of foods. Topic 3 explains how tocombine foods to make good meals. Appendix 1 lists sources of each nutrient (seeTables 1 and 3) and the nutrient content of different foods (see Table2).

Different types of foods

Staple foods are usually cheap and supply plentyof starch (for energy), some protein, some micronutrients (especially some ofthe B-group vitamins) and dietary fibre.

Circle the staple foods used locally and add others to thelist.

Legumes and oilseeds. Legumes are good sourcesof protein, some micronutrients and dietary fibre. High fat legumes and oilseedsprovide fat.

Circle the legumes and oilseeds used locally and add others tothe list.

Milk. Breastmilk can supply all the nutrientsneeded for the first six months of life and a useful proportion of the nutrientneeds up to at least 2 years of age. Animal milks, and milk foods, such ascurds, yoghurts and cheese, are excellent sources of protein, fat and manymicronutrients, such as calcium (but not iron).

Eggs are a good source of protein and fat andseveral micronutrients.

Meat, poultry, fish and offal from these foodsare excellent sources of protein and often of fat. They supply importantamounts of iron (especially red meat and red offal) and zinc, and many othermicronutrients including some B-group vitamins. Liver of all types is a veryrich source of iron and vitamin A.

Circle the animal foods used locally and add others to thelist.

Fats and oils are concentrated sources ofenergy. For example, one spoon of cooking oil contains twice as much energy asone spoon of starch or one spoon of sugar. Fats contain fatty acids some ofwhich are needed for growth. In addition to ‘pure’ fats (e.g. butter)and ‘pure’ oils (e.g. maize oil), other rich sources of fats and oilsare oilseeds, cheese, fatty meat and fish, avocados and fried foods. Red palmoil is a rich source of vitamin A.

Sugar gives only energy and no other nutrients.It is useful for making foods taste nice and for improving appetite, forinstance during illness. However, eating sugary foods too often can be harmfulto health for several reasons. Sweet, sticky foods, such as ice lollies, orsnacks and pastries prepared with pleanty of sugar, honey or syrup, are bad forthe teeth if eaten often. Many sugary foods also contain much fat, whichincreases the risk of ‘overeating’ for those who should limit theirenergy intake. People who often eat sugary foods and consume sweet drinks suchas sodas (bottled fizzy drinks) are more likely to become overweight and todevelop diabetes. These people also often eat less of other, more nutrient-richfoods. There is much sugar in sweets (candy), lollies, sodas, jam and sweetcakes and biscuits.

Circle the fats, oils and sugars used locally and add othersto the list.

Vegetables and fruits are important sources ofmicronutrients and dietary fibre but the amounts vary according to the type ofvegetable or fruit. Orange vegetables, such as orange sweet potato and carrots,and orange fruits, such as mango and pawpaw but not citrus fruits (e.g. orangesand lemons), are excellent sources of vitamin A. Most fruit and fresh(notovercooked) vegetables provide vitamin C. Dark green vegetables supplyfolate and some vitamin A. Many vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, onions) provideadditional important micronutrients that may protect against some chronicconditions such as heart disease. The best way to make sure we get enough ofeach micronutrient and enough fibre is to eat a variety of vegetables andfruits every day.

Circle the vegetables and fruits used locally and add othersto the list.

Flavouring foods. Everyone uses salt in cookingand there is salt in many processed foods. Too much salt is harmful and can leadto high blood pressure. Iodized salt is an important source of iodine. Herbs,spices, garlic and onions are examples of other flavouring foods that help tomake meals tasty.

Water. We need about eight cups of water eachday and more if we are sweating or have a fever or diarrhoea. In addition todrinking water, we get water from tea, coffee, juices and soups, and from fruitsand vegetables.

Food needs of the family

The amounts of different nutrients a person needs varies withage, sex, activity and whether menstruating, pregnant or breastfeeding. Needsalso vary during sickness and recovery. The nutrient needs of different familymembers are listed in Appendix 2, Table 4, and are discussed in Topics 3 and5-10.

SHARING THIS INFORMATION

Before sharing this information with families, you may needto:

1. Find out. What different types oflocal foods are eaten. What people already know about foods andnutrients.

2. Prioritize. Decide which information is mostimportant to share with groups or individual families.

3. Decide whom to reach. For example: parentsand other caregivers, teachers, older school children, youths and leaders ofcommunity groups.

4. Choose communication methods. For example:illustrated talks, discussions, and demonstrations of foods.

Examples of questions to start a discussion
(chooseonly one or two questions that deal with the information families needmost)

Why do we need to eat well?

Can you list some important minerals and vitamins?

Which important nutrients are found in: cereals, legumes,milks, meats?

Why is too much sugar bad for us?

Why is the fat in plant foods usually more healthy than thefat in margarine or street foods?

Why do we need iron? Which foods are the best sources ofiron?