The Food Square to Balanced Meals

You may have heard of the Food Pyramid. But have you heard of the Food Square?

The Food Square is useful in determining the right ingredients for weaning recipes. As a baby grows older, he needs more nutrients and energy which cannot be readily obtained from milk alone. From 4 months onwards, Mum is anxious to introduce baby’s first solid food.

A STAPLE FOODS Supplies mainly carbohydrates Rice, wheat, corn, potatoes, yam, millet	B PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS Vegetable or animal based Beans, peas, groundnuts, yoghurt, soft curd, cheese, fish, chicken, eggs, lean meat
MILK
C VITAMIN AND MINERALS SUPPLEMENTS Vegetables or fruit Dark green vegetables, pumpkin, tomatoes, carrots, capsicums, oranges, bananas, papaya and other fruits.	D ENERGY SUPPLEMENTS Fats and oils Palm oil, groundnut oil, butter, ghee, margarine, cooking fat, sesame oil, coconut cream, sugar

HOW TO BEGIN

Solid foods differ from milk in taste and texture. Swallowing solids involves a different technique from sucking at a bottle or breast. Your baby is being introduced to eating using a spoon for the first time. Often the Asian mother prefers to use her fingers to feed her baby. Thus is acceptable as long as her fingers are clean.

Normally, a baby’s first solid food constitute of cereals mixed with milk. Rice is the cereal of choice for most babies as it digests well and does not trigger allergic reactions in babies. You have to be alert on possible allergic reactions when starting baby on solid foods. Allergies can be detected after baby has had the same new food for at least three times in a row.

GENERAL POINTS TO CONSIDER

Every meal must consist of the right combination of ingredients to provide optimum nutrients mix. The simplest recipe is having two ingredients. This could be adding a legume to the cereal. However, to make a meal balanced, one needs to combine 4 basic ingredients, one each from the quadrant A, B, C, and D above.

When these 4 basic ingredients from each of the quadrants are combined in the right proportions, they would constitute a balanced meal. As milk by itself can be considered a complete food for babies below 4 months old, it is put in the middle of the square. This is also to emphasize its importance during the weaning process and milk still provides a valuable source of energy and nutrients. Milk is often used as a base for weaning foods.

Salt and sugar are not used in baby foods as too much salt can lead to dehydration and hypertension in later years. Also, in younger babies, their kidneys are still immature, and adding salt in their diet may overload the kidneys and lead to their early damage.

Too much sugar will lead to a sweet tooth and cause tooth decay. Do not add ketchups and sauces to baby food as they contain a lot of sugar, salt, spices, mono-sodium glutamate and artificial flavourings which may also be harmful to baby.

BABY RECIPES

Most baby foods can be made using a blender or liquidiser. Baby’s liquidiser should be separate from the one used for preparing adult food as it needs to be clean and free of chillies and spices. Busy working mothers may find ready pre-cooked, tinned cereals are a good base to use when introducing other solid foods. Tinned cereals provide a hygienic, wholesome, and nutritionally balanced meal for baby as they incorporate all the nutrients needed to baby’s healthy growth.

Here are two recipes that can be used with tinned cereals:

Chicken with Rice or Wheat Cereal

4 level tablespoons of precooked cereal (rice or wheat)

60g finely sliced or shredded plainly cooked chicken breast (steamed or roasted)

1 tablespoon warm water or milk

Mix all above ingredients in a bowl and baby using a plastic spoon. This can be baby’s lunch .

Easy Pre-Cooked Cereal Mix with Milk and Fruits

Papaya

4 level tablespoons pre-cooked cereal (rice or wheat)

65g (6-7 heaped teaspoons) mashed papaya

6 tablespoons lukewarm water

Mix together in a bowl and serve while warm.

Orange/ Carrot

4 level tablespoons pre-cooked cereal (rice or wheat)

4 ½ tablespoons (70ml) orange juice or carrot juice

1-2 tablespoons lukewarm water

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve warm. The papaya and orange/carrot mixed with cereal can be baby’s breakfast foods.

Please note that babies should always be fed warm food when starting to wean as they are already accustomed to warm milk. Cold or iced drinks are not introduced to babies until they are over a year old.