Nutrition Literacy: Nourishing or Nurturing, Which is More Important?

Eating is the only way to meet the nutritional needs of children and adults. What we eat is crucial because eating means introducing specific substances into the body. If the intake is correct and balanced, then nutritional needs are met and the health of children or adults is better assured. For children, eating a balanced diet is a crucial milestone that determines their growth and development. 

Providing a balanced diet for children is therefore a duty that parents or caregivers must carry out to the best of their ability. What children eat is always the focus in meeting their nutritional needs. The intense focus on this often obscures the other side of eating: nurturing. Eating is not just about nourishing the body but also about building relationships. Nourishing and nurturing should receive equal attention. 

Nourishing without nurturing, or nurturing without nourishing, cannot maximally meet a child's nutritional needs. Both sides of eating require changes in habits and increased literacy among parents or caregivers on nutritional issues. If eating cannot meet nutritional needs, children will be malnourished. Currently, Indonesian children are even experiencing what is often called the triple burden of malnutrition, which includes:  

1. Undernutrition (stunting and wasting)  

2. Overweight  

3. Micronutrient deficiencies. 

Of these various forms of malnutrition, stunting has become a prominent issue. The national government has also set specific targets for addressing stunting in Indonesia. "Stunting children are at risk of chronic diseases. The problem in the future is not just that the quality of children will be poorer but that it will become a threat to national health," said DR. dr. Tan Shot Yen, M.Hum, a doctor and public health nutritionist who is actively advocating for the transformation of nutritional literacy among parents. 

A Parental Nutrition Literacy Crisis 

A child's ideal nutritional status is highly dependent on parents and caregivers' ability to provide a balanced diet and their understanding of parenting styles that align with feeding their children. "Let's transform from parents who simply obey to parents who understand. It's not just about following a long list of dos and don'ts, but truly understanding the why behind it," said the woman fondly known as Doctor Tan. 

Why do parents and caregivers need to provide a balanced diet for their children? Why do parents and caregivers need to change their family's eating habits to ensure that children grow up healthy and develop optimally? Why must parents and caregivers agree, be committed, and be consistent in feeding and caring for their children? 

By finding the answers to these questions first, parents and caregivers will automatically and consciously fulfill their children's nutritional needs. "There's no need to count calories. Look at and read the KIA book (Mother and Child Health Book). It clearly summarizes that children should eat family food, measure and weigh the child every month, so parents shouldn't deny it. If the child doesn't gain weight in a month, consult a doctor immediately. Also, make sure the child is not anemic," Doctor Tan emphasized. 

Make feeding a nurturing activity. In other words, eating is not just about consuming food, but also about exploration for both children and parents. Spend time sitting at the dining table, without gadgets, and eating together. Talk to your child about what's on the plate. If your child consumes processed or ultra-processed foods, discuss with your child how they feel after consuming them, the various risks of ultra-processed foods, or the benefits of whole foods. Besides parents, children can't just blindly obey what is good and bad to eat. But children must also understand why certain foods are good and others are bad, especially when consumed in excess. 

If the mother works, whether as an office worker in the city or a farmer in the village, ensure that the available support system has a similar understanding of feeding and caring. Doctor Tan suggested, "Two weeks before the child starts with the caregiver, make sure the caregiver has been trained in parenting styles that align with yours. This must be discussed and agreed upon." Consistent feeding and care will ensure that children's nutritional needs are met and that they grow and develop safely and comfortably. 

Increased parental nutrition literacy can also increase awareness of stunting. Stunting doesn't only occur in remote and underdeveloped villages but also in urban contexts with families of sufficient economic conditions. "Can overweight children be stunted? Yes, because their food portions are not appropriate for their age. Their diet may be excessive in sugar, salt, and fat," said Doctor Tan. If parents and caregivers have good and correct nutrition literacy, they will not be easily tempted by foods that are disguised as natural and healthy but are actually processed, removing nutrients beneficial for children's growth and development. "Eating foods that are higher in sugar, salt, and fat also disrupts the normal flora in our intestines, commonly known as probiotics. Probiotics also support immunity," she added. 

Dining Tables in the City or Village: Nutrition Should Be Fulfilled 

Parents and caregivers in urban areas are inundated with information about child nutrition and have too many food choices available. Meanwhile, parents and caregivers in rural areas have increasingly easy access to information, but due to a lack of adequate understanding, misinformation is often prevalent. The abundant local food in villages is often not processed, again due to limited knowledge and skills. 

Improving parental literacy about child nutrition must occur in all regions of Indonesia, regardless of location or economic level. "Children in the city are given imported complementary foods that are still instant. They are expensive and ultra-processed. Meanwhile, children in eastern Indonesia eat like foreigners in their own country," said Doctor Tan. The reality of parents working as fishermen but their children never eating fresh fish but canned sardines is a fact. The reality of parents working as office workers in the city but their children rarely eating together at home is also true. 

Doctor Tan emphasizes that meeting children's nutritional needs in Indonesia requires the following five solutions: 

1. Increasing public literacy on child nutrition issues through competent cadres and health workers who understand the intricacies of complementary feeding. 

2. Media that is not filled with endorsement content from products that are actually not good for children. 

3. Academics who provide balanced and valid information. 

4. The government acting as a referee. 

5. Businesses willing to allocate funds to programs that support children's health. Specifically for rural contexts, collaboration and synergy between parties are needed to find local champions whose children are proven to be healthy because their food uses local ingredients. Make this figure a role model for families whose parenting styles are appropriate and whose children grow up healthy. 

"Want your children to eat right? Parents should eat right too. Eating together as a family is very important," concluded Doctor Tan. 

From Grassroots to the National Government: WVI Works to Ensure Healthy Indonesian Children 

Working in collaboration with community health workers, midwives, healthcare professionals, parents, caregivers, community leaders, and the government, Wahana Visi Indonesia implements activities targeting nutrition and sanitation issues in line with national government objectives. WVI believes that every child has the right to adequate and balanced nutrition, nurturing care to promote optimal growth and development, and a clean and healthy lifestyle. 

Parents with young children are exposed to various insights, skills, and policies that can help meet their children's nutritional needs through activities such as: strengthening Posyandu cadres, developing the capacity of cadres as educators or motivators for complementary feeding (PMBA), Nutrition Posts, Nutrition Gardens, and providing clean water and healthy toilets in homes. These diverse activities are interconnected to create a healthy, safe, and comfortable environment for children to grow and develop. Even from the time a child is still in the womb. 

In 2023, 38,283 children under five years old (55 of whom were children with disabilities) benefited from the health programs implemented by WVI to prevent stunting. More than 90% of babies living in WVI-supported villages completed exclusive breastfeeding. WVI also provided intensive support in remote areas such as Asmat, Papua, and successfully initiated a Floating Nutrition Garden, helping children and communities eat a more varied diet. 

A valuable lesson that WVI has learned from its involvement in public health issues is the importance of participation and awareness from all parties to advocate for better child health. Simple activities like eating require the involvement of parents, family, neighbors, even schools, and the government. Therefore, the hope of a stunting-free Indonesia requires stronger collaboration, more strategic planning, and commitment from various parties. Let's unite in action and achieve our great goal of a bright future for Indonesia's next generation.

Author: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)