Did you know: Children in Malaysia have the potential to grow about the same height as their peers in supposedly ‘tall’ continents such as Africa, America and Europe regardless of their genetic or ethnic makeup. A study by the Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA) revealed that children should achieve 60% of their adult height by the age of 5.
Then why is it that children in Malaysia end up on the shorter end of the stick as they grow older? The answer to this lies in another question…
Q: “Are they getting the right nutrition?”
A: “Just feed our children with nutritious and healthy food-lah.”
Sounds simple and easy when you think about it. However, getting your child to sit and behave while eating nutritious and healthy food is easier said than done. What’s even harder is if your child is a picky eater!
Plus, if we factor in time constraints attributed to busy lifestyle, as well as, work and financial commitments, some parents might be tempted to take the easy route by opting for cheaper and less nutritious foods like snacks and fast foods. However, opting for this choice will eventually lead to more problems to our children especially in their growth phase.
Now, do you understand why children in Malaysia are not growing to their height potential? When children are presented with an unbalanced and unhealthy diet, they are at risk of stunted growth.
Compounding this situation is the fact that stunting and other health-related issues concerning children under 5 years have been on the rise as displayed in the table below.
Prevalence of nutritional status among children under 5 years
Definition
[1] Stunting is defined as two standard deviations below expected height-for-age.
[2] Underweight is defined as two standard deviations below expected weight-for-age.
[3] Wasting is defined as two standard deviations below expected weight-for-height measurement.
The growth in the number of children under 5 years who suffer from stunting, underweight and wasting is certainly cause for concern not only to the children themselves but also parents.
These forms of deficiencies are commonly associated with undernutrition, which – if left untreated – can lead to more serious implications. As it is, affected children are at higher risk of malnutrition, infections and diseases, and cognitive deficits.
According to a study by the Institute for Public Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, parental factor is listed as one of the main causes linked to malnutrition among children. These include parent’s height, education level, income and work status, and eating habits.
Parents with children whom are stunted, underweight or wasted would have to bear with various consequences including:-
- Higher medical costs as their child is susceptible to illnesses and infections.
- Lower productivity as it affects their work when they take time off to care for their child.
- Parental distress affecting mental health, which can lead to depression and anxiety.
FOOD LITERACY TO CURB STUNTING, UNDERWEIGHT & WASTING
Good nutrition is important not only during the early years of a child’s growth and development phase but also into their adulthood. Based on various studies, stunted children are susceptible to weakened brain development, which affects their mental and physical abilities, and weakened immune system, which could lead to recurrent infections. Consequently, these children might face learning and working challenges and, hence, are less likely to perform well in school or at work.
Let’s practise these steps to achieve optimum childhood nutrition:-
- Healthy and balanced diet
Introduce your child to a variety of foods from the main food groups including fruits, vegetables, rice, bread, cereals, eggs, meat and milk. If in doubt, you may refer the Malaysian Food Pyramid below.
2. Children should start the day with a proper breakfast
We know parents nowadays are a busy lot but that shouldn’t be the reason for absolving your child from having a proper breakfast.
3. Prepare homecooked meals instead of eating out or snacking on processed food
Homecooked meals allow parents to have better control of what goes into our child’s plate. In comparison, dishes prepared in restaurants or processed food usually contain more oil, fat, sodium, and additives.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT MILK FORMULA
As a complementary feeding solution, choosing the right milk formula can meet the child’s nutritional and dietary needs.
Let’s get one thing straight: what’s right for others may not be what’s right for your child. Simply put, other children may like a particular type of formula but it may not fulfil your child’s nutritional and dietary needs. For instance, some children may have allergies or intolerances to certain types of milk, or require specific dietary needs.
Here we list down key points to consider when choosing the right milk formula.
- Brand reputation & quality
It is recommended to choose a brand that is well-known, reputable and established for a number of years. Even better if the brand has been around for a very long time as it represents good track record of developing milk formula and liked by many over the years.
2. Does it contain the right nutrients
Choose a milk formula that provides comprehensive and balanced nutrition for children’s immunity, height, brain, eyes, and digestive health. A good milk formula should contain a range of essential nutrients including protein, fat, calcium, vitamins and minerals to support a child’s physical growth, brain development, build immunity and other nutritional needs.
3. Does it contain sucrose
Unlike ordering drinks at a kopitiam or mamak, we can’t request for kurang manis (less sweet) when preparing a bottle of milk for your child.
Benefits of opting for milk formula that do not contain sucrose include:-
- Reduces the risk of obesity
- Lowers the risk of tooth decay in children
- Improves the development of taste preferences
INTRODUCING THE NEW & IMPROVED MORINAGA CHIL-KID
The new and improved Morinaga Chil-kid contains no sucrose and is enriched with micronutrients such as higher amount of Calcium and Vitamin D, provides a more balanced and comprehensive nutritional support for the overall growth and development of Asian children. By drinking 2 cups (400ml) of Morinaga Chil-kid daily, along with complementary foods in their diet, children can meet the Malaysian Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNI) for calcium and vitamins.
This milk formula is also packed with over 45 essential nutrients such as ARA, DHA, Inositol, GOS, 5 Nucleotides and 27 Key Vitamins & Minerals, to support the nutritional needs of Malaysian children.
Morinaga has more than 100 years of R&D experience since its inception in Japan, and is currently produced and packed in a state-of-art plant in the Netherlands. The brand adopts a strict quality control process starting from the dairy farm to transportation until the end of the product development including nutrition, hygiene and quality of the milk formula. Not only that, samples of the milk formula are sent to Morinaga Japan for a second inspection before the product is released into the market.
Now you can get a Morinaga Chil-kid trial pack of 600g at RM10 only: https://bit.ly/3VfRaB3
GET A FREE TRAVEL BACKPACK FROM MORINAGA
Redeem this exclusive Morinaga Travel Backpack, crafted by award-winning company Terminus, with every purchase of 10 boxes of Morinaga Chil-kid (600g) or 6 tins of Morinaga Chil-kid (900g).
Shop Morinaga Chil-kid here: https://bit.ly/3R2ZlOJ
