The Ghana Health Service (GHS), in collaboration with the KOKO Plus Foundation, has organised a nutritional food demonstration for mothers and pregnant women in Bankuman, a suburb of Tema Newtown, to reduce malnutrition among children.
The demonstration, which focused on the topic: “Diet Diversity,” was aimed at developing balanced local diets and introducing KOKO Plus into various dishes to provide children with the needed protein nutrient.
The demonstration highlighted a shift from the use of corn for porridge locally known as “kooko” for children and whipped up interest in the usage of millet instead.
Some of the dishes displayed for parents to feed children include the local foods “mpotompoto” and “apapransa,” which different variants were created using blends of vegetables, fish powder, mackerel, yam, cocoyam, and palm oil.
Madam Philomena Agyire, the nutrition officer at Manhean Polyclinic, said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that it was important to add diverse and nutritious ingredients to the meals to promote a balanced diet for babies and mothers.
She said it was important for lactating mothers to eat well-balanced meals to produce more breast milk to help in the child’s development.
The nutritionist also advised against adding sugar, salt, spice, and pepper to babies’ food, especially when starting complementary feeding, due to the fragility of their digestive system.
She encouraged parents to use natural sweetness, such as fruits, to replace sugar in babies’ dishes.
Madam Comfort Mensah, a mother, told the GNA that the demonstration has broadened her knowledge on how to properly feed her baby and herself.
She also expressed gratitude for the introduction of KOKO Plus, which would improve her baby’s diet.
Ms Cecilia Eshun, a mother, also lauded the initiative, saying the knowledge she acquired on the preparation of different baby foods would help improve her child’s diet.
KOKO Plus is a protein and micronutrient powder with soybeans as its main ingredient, which is to be added to any complementary foods.
GNA