Things Parents Need To Pay Attention To When Giving Children Healthy Food

Pediatric Metabolic Nutrition Consultant Dr. Yoga Devaera, Sp.A(K) emphasized that there are several things that parents need to pay attention to when giving their children healthy food. 

"Of course, in principle, we provide food mostly to meet nutritional needs," said Yoga in an online discussion in Jakarta, Tuesday. 

Yoga, a pediatric metabolic nutrition consultant at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia-Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital, said that providing healthy food starts from the family. Parents need to set an example for their children and explain the importance of consuming nutritious food. 

For example, the benefits of food containing animal protein and clean and proper processing methods so that there is no risk of causing disease in the family. Parents need to pay attention to the shelf life of meat and cook it until cooked. 

When making complementary foods for breast milk (MPASI) that are made directly for one day, parents must really pay attention to cleanliness and storage temperature so as not to trigger bacteria to grow. He recommends that MPASI food be placed in the freezer at a temperature below 5 degrees Celsius. 

By making MPASI frozen, the texture of the food is not easily damaged and prevents it from drying out when heated. Food can be heated at a temperature of around 60-65 degrees Celsius to kill bacteria. 

The next thing that parents need to pay attention to is related to the nutritional content of the food ingredients that will be processed and the child's needs. 

Yoga gave an example that if a child has an iron deficiency, parents can give chicken liver which is rich in iron. Meanwhile, if the child needs fat, it can be obtained from sea fish. 

However, if the family is not sure about processing it due to various factors such as fish contaminated with mercury, parents can rotate food by using other menus that contain the same nutrition or using fortified foods. 

"We can't just keep eating one type of food. The more (food) that is rotated, the more complete it will be, the more able to meet the needs for some (substances) that are difficult such as iron, vitamin D," said Yoga. 

Tag: Children Healthy Food MPASI Pediatric Metabolic Nutrition Consultant