The latest data from Riskesdas 2018 shows that the current prevalence of stunting in Indonesia is 30.8 percent, still far above the threshold set by WHO, which is 20 percent.
There are two possibilities that can be the cause of stunting in children, the first is a lack of breast milk, while the second is the selection of MPASI that is not appropriate.
This was stated by Pediatrician, Specialist in Nutrition and Metabolic Disease in Children, Dr. dr. Damayanti Rusli Sjarif, Sp.A(K).
He said that the best types of complementary foods for children to prevent stunting are foods that contain animal protein, not vegetable protein.
This statement has also been proven by research conducted in Uganda, Africa. There are two villages that are used as references in the research, the first village is a village where their children eat vegetables, while the second village is a village where their children eat meat.
After being researched, it was the first village whose children consumed vegetables whose bodies did not grow optimally, they tended to be shorter and fatter.
Meanwhile, in the second village, where their children eat meat, their bodies grow optimally, tall, and ideally.
Why is that so?
Besides beef, what animal protein is suitable for children’s complementary foods?
1. Why are vegetables not good for children’s solid food?
Not bad, vegetables also need to be included in the child’s complementary food list, but not enough to support the nutrition he needs.
Amino acids derived from animal protein are more complete for bone growth and also baby’s intelligence.
That way, vegetables can still be consumed by babies, as long as they are mixed with other animal proteins.
If your little one is only given vegetables, don’t be surprised if later he will experience stunting. Not only can it affect the growth of his body, stunting can also affect his intelligence in the future.
So, to prevent stunting in children, give optimal complementary foods before they are 2 years old. If it is more than that, it will be difficult for Mama to catch up with children’s nutrition.
2. Foods that contain animal protein
It doesn’t have to be expensive, there are some animal protein foods that are cheap and easy to find.
Here are some of them:
• Beef
The main animal protein that is good for consumption when complementary foods is beef.
In addition to containing high amino acids, meat also contains iron, protein, fat, B vitamins, vitamin D, and omega 3.
• Fish
All types of marine and freshwater fish are very rich in protein. For a baby who is not allergic to fish, it is recommended to eat it every meal.
You can combine boneless fish with rice and vegetables, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
• Chicken meat
Chicken is also a good source of protein consumed by babies. But it’s better for Mama to choose free-range chicken than inject domestic chicken.
Also make sure to cook the chicken pieces properly so that they are free of bacteria.
• Egg
By far the most abundant source of protein is in eggs. If the baby does not have any allergy restrictions, there is nothing wrong with giving the baby a boiled egg menu.
Well, if the baby is not yet one year old, let him eat only the yolk, because it is more useful.
3. Benefits of animal protein for babies
After knowing the benefits of some foods containing animal protein above, it can be concluded that this one protein is needed by babies.
Animal protein is known to make the growth of body organ cells properly or repair damaged body cells, increase endurance and help growth.
In addition, animal protein also forms the human brain and red blood cells, so that it can directly improve brain function, as well as improve the achievement and productivity of children in the future.
Well, those are some facts about animal protein that is good for consumption during the baby’s solids period.
Knowing that there are so many benefits that children will get, then don’t give up this type of protein.
Prevent stunting in children from now on!
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