protein prevents stunting

Hi Hermina Friends. Accelerating the reduction of stunting, the problem of failure to thrive in children due to chronic malnutrition, has been the focus of the Indonesian government in recent years.


The main cause of stunting is malnutrition, especially animal protein, even when the child is still in the womb. The impact is that children have short stature and below average levels of intelligence. They are also more prone to suffer from chronic diseases in adulthood. Various studies show that the main cause of stunting is chronic malnutrition, even from the time the child is in the womb.

Stunting prevention should start before marriage, namely by consuming animal protein to prevent anemia.

Adolescent girls who suffer from anemia are at risk of becoming anemic women of childbearing age, then becoming anemic pregnant and lactating women.

Anemia in young women is caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Referring to the 2018 Riskesdas data, around 65 percent of adolescents do not have breakfast, 97 percent consume less vegetables and fruit, lack physical activity and consume excessive sugar, salt and fat (GGL).

Nutrition for the first 1000 days
Preventing stunting or failure to thrive must be done from the first 1000 days of a child's life. That means, mothers have to pay attention to nutritional adequacy from the beginning of pregnancy. Stunting can occur since pregnancy if there is growth restriction in the fetus in the womb.

Make sure the food intake of pregnant women is sufficient so that the fetus develops properly. If the mother's food intake is sufficient and there are no other complications, generally the fetus will grow and develop properly. The adequacy of this food intake can later be seen by the increase in fetal weight according to gestational age.

Try to ensure that pregnant women consume enough macronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, and fat. In this case, give priority to pregnant women get animal protein. Balanced also by consuming micronutrients, namely vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables.

Stunting prevention then continues into the breastfeeding period. Mothers must understand the correct way of breastfeeding, so that children do not experience malnutrition, especially malnutrition. Followed by giving the correct MP-ASI to support the growth and development of children
During the first 1000 days of a child's life, starting from the beginning of pregnancy until 2 years after birth, it is very important to meet basic needs for optimal growth and development. Basic needs are grouped into 3 groups, namely physical-biomedical needs (fostering), affection/emotional needs (love) and stimulation needs (cushioning).

One of the important parenting needs is nutrition, especially for children up to 2 years old. The first two years of life are a critical period/critical window, in this phase children must receive food intake with optimal nutrition.
Fulfillment of child nutrition is then divided into several phases. Starting from breastfeeding until the age of 6 months. Followed by ASI and MP-ASI for children aged 6-12 months. Then, breast milk is added to family food for children aged 12-24 months.

Meeting the needs of children in this period will form good nutrition and normal height. mothers can provide sea fish and meat, to meet adequate intake of essential fatty acids (DHA & ARA).

Meanwhile, for children under 1 year of age, it is more advisable to be given food made at home. Avoid giving MP-ASI whose manufacturing process is not clear. Especially in terms of safety and fulfillment of nutrients.
If you want to provide ready-to-eat food, you must ensure that the food is registered with the Ministry of Health or the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM).
Giving snacks to children must also be considered, mother. Providing inappropriate snacks can interfere with meal times, so that children's food intake becomes less.

snacks should be given only 2 times a day, between meals. That is, snacks should not be given before mealtime. In addition, also make sure that the snacks have good nutritional value. To be safe, it's better to give fruit, pudding, and biscuits.