Nutrition
Food groups and nutrients
Energy-giving foods (cereals, roots, fats), body-building foods (pulses, milk, egg, flesh foods) and protective foods (fruits, vegetables). Key micronutrients: iron, iodine, zinc, calcium, vitamin A, B-complex, C and D. A balanced diet supplies all three groups daily, with oil and varied vegetables.
ICDS supplementary nutrition norms
Children 6–36 months: 600 kcal and 18–20 g protein per day; children 3–6 years: 850 kcal and 20–25 g protein per day; pregnant and lactating women: 600 kcal and 18–20 g protein per day. Take Home Ration is given to 6–36 months and to pregnant/lactating women; hot cooked meals to 3–6 year olds. Twenty-six feeding days a month is the working norm.
Infant and young child feeding
Colostrum within one hour of birth; exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months with no water; complementary feeding from 180 days while breastfeeding continues to two years; thick, energy-dense preparations with oil; responsive feeding.
Deficiency pictures
Marasmus - severe wasting without oedema. Kwashiorkor - bilateral pitting oedema with skin and hair changes. Vitamin A deficiency - night blindness and Bitot's spots. Iron deficiency - pallor, fatigue. Iodine deficiency - goitre. Vitamin D deficiency - rickets.
Worked example
An AWC has 40 children aged 3–6 years and 26 feeding days. Minimum protein from the menu = 20 g × 40 × 26 = 20,800 g, i.e. 20.8 kg. Always multiply per-child-per-day norm by children by feeding days before checking the menu.
Traps
Saying breastfeeding is exclusive "up to six months" instead of for six months; counting only calories and ignoring protein; treating Take Home Ration as a substitute for household food rather than a supplement.