Mwinilunga District Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) District Coordinator, Shadrick Kaluba has called on residents in the area to consider preserving seasonal foods.
most seasonal foods are rich in nutrients which are helpful in the biological development of a human being.
He said expectant mothers should observe not only a balanced but diverse diet from the early stages of pregnancy.
“The mother shares nutrients with the unborn child, so if the mother has poor diet, then the child equally has poor diet meaning it won’t grow well,” Mr Kaluba said.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mr Kaluba said lack of eating balanced and diverse diets by expectant mothers, negatively affects the unborn child’s brain and physical development.
“The first 1,000 days of a child from the day of conception are critical in terms of nutrition as it determines their physical and social performance,” he explained.
Mr Kaluba further said poor feeding affects the ability of the child to absorb what they learn at school.
He noted that consumption of natural foods which are affordable to most households is important as it reduces chances of stunting.
Mr Kaluba said members of the community should develop a culture of eating not only balanced but diversity of natural foods.
He said instead of only getting proteins from meat products, people can get the same nutrients from non-meat proteins such as beans.
“People should not just be getting their nutrients from one source, but can diversify and get the same nutrients from other food sources,” Mr Kaluba said.
He has since implored Mwinilunga residents to take advantage of the abundant natural seasonal foods and harvest them for preservation which can later be eaten when such foods are not available.
