For some reason activism sits in my bones and marrow

In Art of War, Sun Tzu reckoned that “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight”. Updating South Africa’s dietary guidelines for infants and young children to align with the current WHO’s recommendations is more than just a battle. Let’s settle like Russia’s Putin for the term A Special Project. The concept of battles or even war attracts too much attention.

Let me explain why it is important that our dietary guidelines for infants and children needs updating. The Very Special Project the StartWell Foundation is busy with.

The WHO is vivid and direct in their October 2024’s ‘Recommendation for complimentary foods for children 6-23 months old’. Their use of language and words is intentional and leave little space for ambiguity. As food and diet is linked to culture, customs, traditions, believes and commercial drivers, ambiguous language is politically correct, accommodating and inclusive to all the above and more. Once on the road to please, hard science or biology 101, easily founds itself in a bottom drawer.

The WHO, after explaining that mommy’s milk or animal milk need to stay part feeding, it directs towards introducing a diverse diet of solid foods;

1. “Animal source foods, including meat, fish, or eggs, should be consumed daily.
2. Fruits and vegetables should be consumed daily.
3. Pulses, nuts and seeds should be consumed frequently, particularly when meat, fish, or eggs and vegetables are limited in the diet.”

Compare this with South Africa’s Road to Health Booklet published in 2018;

“Your baby needs iron-rich foods (dried beans, egg, minced meat, boneless fish, chicken or chicken livers, ground mopane worms). These foods must be cooked and mashed to make them soft and easy for your baby to swallow.

Also, give your baby:

• Starches (such as fortified maize meal porridge, mashed sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes),
• Mashed, cooked vegetables (such as pumpkin, butternut, carrots)
• Soft fruit without pips (such as avocado, bananas, pawpaw, cooked apples)”.

Is aligning, really cause for going into battle? YES, it is. Full scale war if it must! One we will win as the WHO has already done the research.

Although it might look a tad technical, let me explain: From mommy’s breast, baby receives an array of nutrients, but primary it is about the proteins and fats during every feeding session. The amino acids and fatty acids in the proteins and fats are the building blocks for the rapid growth. Dietitians know well beans do NOT carry all the essential amino acids and fatty acids. We see two crucial adjustments required.

• Call a spade a spade. Follow the WHO and use the words Animal Source Foods. Now mommy and daddy can understand better. Using the term Iron-rich foods is trying to be politically correct.
• Besides that, is stands first in the list, beans should not be in the same list with egg, minced meat, boneless fish, chicken or chicken livers, ground mopane worms? It gives a false promise to mommies and daddies that beans are of the same quality. If you are cash constraint and cannot afford the more expensive foods, your child will be OK with beans only is the message.

There is only one truth. Give that to mommy and daddy. They are aspirational about their children. They will do anything so that the next generation will have a better future and position in life than they had. They will find the means and resources to nourish baby with the correct food if they knew how critically important it is.

By updating our regulation to call a spade a spade can and will help us to address child stunted growth in SA.