"Mom," Toni asks, "is paprika healthy?". Of course his mother answers yes. "And pretzels?" he asks again. "Pretzels are actually healthy too," is the answer here too. "However, it's not enough if you only eat pretzels and peppers. To eat healthily and get all the nutrients your body needs, you should eat lots of different things. Depending on your age and what you do every day, you need more or less of one thing or another." Toni takes in the information and looks over at his grandpa. "So grandpa needs different things to me?".
The boy understood quite well. The fact is that you need different amounts of different minerals, vitamins etc. at different stages of life. For an infant, for example, it is primarily important to take in plenty of calcium, iron and fluoride. These are responsible for the proper development of bones and the brain. The WHO recommends breastfeeding babies completely for the first six months or - if breastfeeding does not work - giving them an adequate milk substitute. After the first six months, it is important to provide additional vitamins through fruit and vegetables.
For small children, however, carbohydrates play an increasingly important role. Sources such as wholemeal bread, pasta, potatoes and rice are particularly important here. These provide the body with important energy for everyday life. Fats are also an important source of energy for children and should make up around 30 percent of their daily calorie intake. Vegetable oils, fish, nuts and soybeans are particularly suitable here. If you add proteins and vitamins from, for example, dairy products, pulses, various fruits and vegetables, the little body is already very well equipped to develop wonderfully (source: Stiftung Gesundheitswissen)
Some nutrients are particularly important for older people due to their reduced energy requirements. These include calcium and folic acid (source: Important nutrients in old age, health portal).
In order to meet these different requirements, the WHO has defined a healthy and balanced diet for all people on earth as one of its goals. Toni is very lucky: his mother is well informed and makes sure that the whole family gets the right food. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many families and in many regions of the world there is a lack of knowledge about proper nutrition.
We have therefore been running a program in Tanzania for a long time, in which information on proper nutrition and food preparation is provided through workshops and lectures for the population of rural Lindi (Community Healthcare Project). In addition, last year (2023), with the support of the 24-gute-Taten project(video about the project), we were able to launch an initiative in which families in the region can grow particularly valuable foods, such as manjok, in their own gardens.
We are very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the WHO's goals and will certainly continue these efforts.
