One meal a day at your peril

As economic times bite harder, some families have been forced to resort to a meal a day. Although this may provide some financial relief, it compromises the family’s health and hinders proper growth and development, Harriet Birungi writes

When they moved into their new house, Aidah Musoke’s children became friends with three children they found in the area. The three were living with their grandmother, Rhoda Nantume, who served breakfast at 10:00am and lunch at 4:00pm.

The late lunch doubled as supper. Nine years later, Musoke’s children have physically sprouted into tall teenagers, while Nantume’s grandchildren grew only a few inches tall although they are aged over 14 years.

Nantume keeps asking Musoke why her children have grown so fast. “What do they eat? It is just a few years ago that you moved into the neighbourhood, but your children are all grown. I do not know what is happening to my grandchildren!” she often wonders.

Nantume’s only consolation is that her grandchildren do not fall sick often. “It would be double tragedy, finding food and money for medical bills. They eat one meal, since it is all I can afford,” Nantume explains. And, there lies the problem, although Nantume has no idea that eating one meal a day can impact on a child’s growth.

CHANGING TRENDS
That is not to say taking only one meal day is a preserve for the poor. As Besy Wandera, a nutritionist with Nutri-Health Services points out, children from rich families are also having one daily meal these days although under different circumstances.

“For instance,” he says, “school going children take packed meals to school, but end up not eating them. Others exchange them for sweets while some are given money to buy food, but use the money to buy petty things. As a result, many parents are not aware that their children are having one meal a day.”

EFFECTS OF ONE MEAL A DAY
According to Dr. Vincent Karuhanga of Friends Polyclinic, this habit is the leading cause of stunted growth both mentally and physically in children. “Mentally, such a child is not able to express their intelligence properly and physically; they do not grow to the required size,” he says. In fact, he adds, this is probably why Ugandan footballers are small bodied. “They probably lacked a balanced diet, which supports growth and development,” he says.

Dr. Jolly Nankunda, a senior consultant in the paediatrics department at Mulago hospital adds that children’s nutrient needs change as they grow. “Children between zero and six months old need to feed

whenever they cry. After six months, you can introduce other feeds which should be supplemented with breast milk. Babies need a minimum of five meals a day with a feeding pattern of breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, snack in between and supper.

This is because babies have small stomachs that accommodate less, so they need to feed at different intervals,” Nankunda explains.

The same pattern applies to toddlers’ meals because they are growing fast, very active and spend a lot of energy playing. Children, therefore, should not be fed like adults because, unlike adults who can have three meals, “pre-teens and teenagers, are in a growth spurt and need more food. They are growing and have a high appetite which has to be satisfied,” Nankunda says.

PROMOTE GROWTH
Karuhanga explains that proper growth and development comes from proper feeding and having a balanced diet. “Children are growing, so they need to eat more often than adults. However, what they eat is important. If they feed on a lot of fat and too much sugar, they are likely to get obese, especially if they have a small play area.”

In between meals, children should snack on fruits, fresh juice, roasted ground nuts and porridge. Avoid foods which contain process  sugars and food colours.

MEAL PATTERNS BY AGE

Below five years: Up to eight times a day. Serve food in small quantities at one hour intervals; too much food will give them big stomachs and delay walking.

Below eight years: Two main meals and three small meals that include a snack and a drink. You will be over burdening them beyond that.

Nine-17years: Two main meals and two small meals.

Adults: Two small meals and one main meal. Eat vegetables or fruits before the main meal to limit the amount of food eaten and to control obesity.