Eating well even when food supply is limited

Health experts have emphasised the importance of good nutrition in fighting against coronavirus. But with restricted movement and dwindling funds, a number of families find themselves having to eat the same meal every day. As the lockdown drags on, some people are wondering whether their repetitive meals might be putting them at risk.
The key to getting a balanced diet even with limited food supply is balancing nutrients according to dietician Mary Jackie Nanyonjo.

“From a nutrition point of view, there is no big problem with having the same meal everyday (if it is what you can afford) provided it contains the essential nutrients. A malnutrition problem may arise if the food you choose is lacking in essential nutrients (carbohydrates for energy, proteins for growth, vitamins and minerals for protection against diseases,” she notes.
To help you get the nutrients you need, without getting too much of what you do not need, you should be mindful of how much you eat, and how often.

“For example red meat is a great source of iron and zinc, but it is also a source of saturated fat and cholesterol. So, eating it every day means you run the risk getting too much of those nutrients while not getting enough of others,” Nanyonjo explains.
Due to the prevailing circumstances, most households are consuming more carbohydrate foods than protein foods in order to feel full for longer periods of time. “For example, having maize porridge for breakfast, posho for lunch and supper with little serving of beans/peas/any other protein and little or no vegetable could result in malnutrition for the children and nutrient deficiencies in adults or risk of metabolic disease,” she warns.

Malnutrition according to WHO is an underlying cause of 2.6 million child deaths each year. One million more children survive, but suffer lifelong physical and cognitive impairments because they did not get the nutrients they needed early in their lives when their growing bodies and minds were most vulnerable. When children start their lives malnourished, the negative effects are largely irreversible.

She notes that contrary to popular belief, even wealthy families are likely to suffer from malnutrition if they do not know how to balance their meals and limit their nutrition intake.

Variety
To avoid these problems, she suggests that when choosing food options; select a variety so that you get a wide range of nutrients. It also helps to prevent getting bored of any one particular food. “Plan a meal rotation that allows you to incorporate a variety of nutrients from a variety of foods. Make sure the meals are filled with fruit, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, healthy fat and dairy,” she advises.

Balancing
According to Purity Wako, a nutritionist and lifestyle coach, there is no problem with having a repetitive daily meal plan as long as it is well balanced. “Eating the same meal every day is not the best but is good enough as long as it balanced on the plate. How big are the portions representing different nutrients are on the plate? For instance let us say you have posho, beans and buga for lunch. How much posho do you put? Ideally, you should have more vegetables because they have the most nutrients the body needs. Beans have a lot of protein, potassium and calcium then posho has carbohydrates. If you have porridge for breakfast, add a banana and an egg.

A more diverse diet does not necessarily lead to a higher-quality diet or better metabolic health if it includes unhealthy foods. Watch your portions and stick to a variety of healthy foods,” Wako advises.
Wako notes that eating a variety of healthy foods can be easier said than done. She encourages families to experiment with their meals as a way of avoiding getting stuck in boring food ruts.

“You can also make life easier by adopting new recipes. If you see a dish on your friend’s timeline that your family might like, ask for the recipe and try it out. If you are in a mixed tribe family choose a day to prepare your traditional meals and introduce your children to their heritage; they may be locked up, but their taste buds can do the travelling. You can also look up recipes online and prepare meals for them from all over the world. This will not only allow you to have a variety of nutrients, but also make meal times special,” she advises.

Involve the family
If it looks like you are spending too much time in the kitchen trying to make everyone’s favourite meal, you probably are. This will finally take its toll on you and will force you to make shortcuts or give them the same thing every day. To avoid this burnout, enable children to make their own meals. All you need to do is avail the basic ingredients and let them make their own creations. You might need to supervise if you have a young family.

Change the way you cook
When you are cooking in a healthier way, it is crucial to start with the best ingredients you can afford. Without a ton of butter, sugar or salt, you cannot make up for poor quality.
• Use iodised salt and reduce general salt consumption.
• Reduce your use of soy sauce, tomato sauce and processed sauces and condiments (for example mayonnaise and salad dressings) because they contain high levels of salt.
• Cook in liquids (such as stock, wine, lemon juice, fruit juice, vinegar or water) instead of oil.

• Use low-fat yoghurt, low-fat milk, evaporated skim milk or cornstarch instead of cream in sauces or soups.
• When browning vegetables, put them in a hot pan then spray with oil, rather than adding the oil first to the pan. This reduces the amount of oil that vegetables absorb during cooking.
• Microwave or steam vegetables instead of boiling them.
• If you like to boil vegetables, use a small amount of water and do not over boil them.
• Include more stir-fry recipes in your diet. Stir-fried vegetables are cooked quickly to retain their crunch (and associated nutrients).

Basic guide
According to Mary Jackie Nanyonjo, a dietician, eating healthy is not that difficult once the individual is educated on the importance of balancing nutrients. She recommends an all-in-moderation approach to meals. Below is what to keep in mind when preparing meals with limited supplies.
• Opt for cheap but nutritious food choices such as soya porridge for children (as it contains both carbohydrates and proteins), mukene, nkejje instead of refined or processed foods such as noodles, chips, spaghetti.
• Children should be given more protein-rich foods than carbohydrate foods.
• Adults should incorporate fruits and vegetables in their meals on a daily basis as these will help to boost their immunity.
• Adults who are already overweight could opt for unrefined carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, cassava, Irish potatoes) to avoid adding excess weight.
• Eat a few meatless meals per week. This helps drive down the cost, and is good for your overall health as well

Additional reporting from betterhealth.com

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