Children under 5 years old in sub-Saharan Africa experience high rates of stunting, wasting, and overweight. This is likely due to poor nutritional quality of complementary foods relative to nutritional requirements. Complementary feeding should begin between 6-24 months and provide nutrient-rich, diverse foods without excess energy, fats, sugars, or salt. Sustainable, locally prepared complementary foods can be made more nutritious through techniques like mixing starchy foods with legumes, fermentation, malting, and roasting. Improving the nutritional quality of indigenous complementary foods makes them more nourishing for children.

1. Nourishing children
sustainably using locally
prepared complementary
foods
Ezekwem Peace Chiamaka
RDN, MPH, MDAN
@_peachynutrition

2. The right to adequate nutrition is a fundamental
right
for every child.
Children who are fed enough of the
right foods, in the right way, at the right time in their
development, are more likely to survive, grow,
develop and learn.
They are better equipped to thrive, even
when faced with disease, disaster or crisis.

3. Burden & Problem:
31.2% children under 5 years of age in sub-Saharan Africa
are suffering from stunting, 5.2% of overweight and 7.4%
of wasting. Malnutrition accounts for about 2% of
children's death yearly
This could be as a result of poor nutritional quality of
complementary food fed to infants relative to nutritional
requirements

4. Credit: Google Photos

5. Definition
World Health Organization
(WHO) defined complementary feeding as a “process
starting when breast milk alone is
no longer sufficient to meet the nutritional
requirements of infants and therefore other
foods and liquids are needed along with breast milk”
Recommended target age range for complementary
feeding is 6–24 month

6. Adequate Complementary Feeding:What makes
the difference?
An adequate complementary food should be
nutrient rich, without excess energy, saturated and
trans fats, free sugars or salt
It should be diverse, available, accessible, affordable
and sustainable

7. Sustainable diets are those that are accessible, culturally
acceptable, affordable, nutritionally, adequate and safe.
They are produced from food systems that protect
biodiversity and ecosystems, while minimizing
environmental degradation from food production

8. Merits of Adequate Complementary Feeding
A diverse range of nutritious foods provide
children with the essential nutrients, vitamins, and
minerals they need to develop to their full physical
and cognitive potential, with benefits that endure well
into adulthood.
A critical opportunity to prevent all forms of
childhood malnutrition, including stunting, wasting,
micronutrient deficiencies, overweight, obesity and
diet-related non-communicable diseases. In addition,
lifelong food preferences, tastes and habits are often
established in childhood.

9. Characteristics & Considerations of
Adequate Complementary Feeding
• Diverse diet
• Nutrient dense
• Inclusion of animal foods
• Addition of fruits and vegetables
• Inclusion of fortified foods or MNP
if needed
• Avoidance of foods and beverages
of high calorie and low nutrients
• Continued breastfeeding

12. Complementary Feed: Energy(kcal) & Protein (g)
Requirements Per Day
Age range (months) Energy (kcal) Protein (g)
6-8 615 9
9-11 689 9.6
12-23 894 10.9

13. Common Local Nigeria Complementary Foods
1. Corn
2. Millet
3. Plantain
4. Potatoes
5. Sorghum
6. Soyabean
7. Cowpea
8. Tubers
9. Egg, Fruits, Veggies, Fish, etc

14. Commonly prepared foods
• Single Ingredient Pap or Gruel e.g Corn Pap (Ogi
Akamu)
• Multi Ingredients Gruel e.g Corn &Millet Pap
• Plantain porridge
• Potatoes porridge
• Soyabean Powder
• Tom Brown
• (Add yours)

15. Limitations
• Poor protein quality: Protein quality depends on
digestibility, amount of amino acids and
bioavailability
• Inadequate micronutrients: Homemade
complementary foods often lack micronutrients such
as iron, vitamin A, zinc and Iodine
• Inappropriate Viscosity

16. Sustainable Techniques to Improve Nutritional Quality at
Household Level
• Mixture of starchy foods with legumes
• Fermentation (decreases carbohydrate and increases
lysine, vitamin B12, etc; increases digestibility and
reduction in viscosity)
• Malting (soaking, germination and drying)
• Roasting (decreases water activity and improves
aroma)
• Dietary care from a dietitian

17. Commercial infant-based foods are pricey and may be
unavailable for average and struggling families hence
the dependence on indigenous available plant-based
foods which are cost-effective and sustainable. Thus, it's
crucial to enhance nutritional quality to make feeds
nourishing.

18. Case study: Prepare a nourishing complementary feed
for a baby
How can you improve a corn based pap considering what
we have learnt?
Consider
Ingredients (what to feed)
Processing Techniques
Hygiene and food safety
Feeding practices (that's how to feed)

19. References
WHO
UNICEF
Addis, G.; Singh, V.; Pratape, V.; Srivastava, A.; Gowda, L.;
Asha, M.; Bhattacharya, S. Development and Functional
Properties of Low-cost Complementary Food. Afr. J. Food
Sci. 2013, 7(9), 274–284. DOI: 10.5897/AJFS12.143.

20. Nutrition Education, Dietary Care & Health
Research Write up
Contact via Whatsapp or Email:
+2348164134361/epeachyworld@gmail.com

21. Thank You