Animal Health Level-I

Based on March 2022, Version 4 Occupational Module

Title:Applying Basics of Human Nutrition Practices

LG Code: AGR ANP1 M08 0922 LO (1-6) LG (30-35)

TTLM Code: AGR ANP1 TTLM 0922v1
standard
Complied by: Dinkalem T
Since, Dec,2023
Nedjo
LO1-Identify Categories of agricultural foods
items
LO2-Recognize malnutrition in the community
LO3- Identify the role of agriculture in nutrition
LO4-Demonstrate diversified Agricultural food
production and consumption techniques
LO5- Perform proper handling and storage of
agricultural food products
LO6- Document and report food production,
consumption and difficulties
 LO1-Identify Categories of agricultural foods items
Identifying and explaining basic terminologies and
concepts in nutrition
Definition of terms
 Food: Any product obtained from plant or animal
source that can be taken into the body and contain
usable nutrients to yield energy, for the maintenance of
life and the growth and repair of tissues.
 Diet: Diet refers to the way people feed themselves and
the foodstuffs they use.
It is concerned with the eating patterns of individuals or a
group, and the sequence of meals in a day.
 People may eat twice, three or four times in a day. This
is strongly influenced by people’s traditions and
religion, their economic position, their place in society
and the possibilities offered by their natural
surroundings. Even in one community different
population group may its own eating pattern, i.e., diet.
 Nutrient: Chemical substances that are essential to life
which must be supplied by food to the body to yield
energy and substances for the maintenance of life and
the growth and repair of tissues.
 Nutrition: The science of food and the nutrients there
in, and their body function and interaction with health
 Micronutrient:Micronutrients include vitamins and
minerals. Micronutrients are vital for healthy and
normal functioning of our body.
Micronutrients are used by the body to produce
enzymes, hormones, and other substances
essential for proper growth and development.
The daily micronutrient requirement of the body
is very small. Vitamins are essential for the
development of the immune system of our body.
Majority of minerals involve in the body
metabolic processes.
 Macronutrient: are vitamins and minerals that are needed for
health in Very minute quantities measured in micrograms or
milligrams. Among the micronutrients, three have obtained
worldwide attention due to their high public health significance,
Vitamin A, Iodine and Iron

Balanced Diet: A balanced diet is a diet that

contains all the nutrients in the proportion that is
optimal for long-term health and survival. Literally
it is a diet having the desired proportion of
carbohydrates, proteins and micronutrients.
 Healthy Diet: A Healthy Diet is characterized by its
nutrient adequacy and balance. There are many types of
healthy diets. Optimal nutrient adequacy, balance, and
variety are characteristics of a healthy diet. Healthy diets
contain different foods that provide the optimal
functioning of the body. Variety of food is required to
obtain all of the essential nutrients we need in our body.
What is important is that the contributions of a variety of
individual foods add up to an adequate and balanced diet.
 An Adequate diet is a diet that contains variety of foods
to provide sufficient levels of calories and essential
nutrients. Balanced diet is a diet that gives the body the
right proportion of nutrients and calories that are needed
to maintain healthy body.
 Bioavailability: Bioavailability is a measure of the
relative amount of the ingested nutrient that is absorbed
from the intestinal content and reaches the systemic
circulation.
 It is described as the rate and extent to which the nutrient is
absorbed and becomes available to the body’s metabolic
processes.
 Food taboos: Food taboo is defined as any food avoidance that is
maintained solely because failure to do so would generate
disapproval, exclusion or punishment within one’s own cultural
group or because it would compromise one’s own ethical
standards.
 Window of opportunity: The period between conception and age
two when irreversible damage caused by malnutrition can and
should be prevented.
 Body growth: Refers to the increase of the body size.
Example child gets bigger in size.
 Body Development: Refers to qualitative changes of
the body such as changes in the activity of different
body systems. It is different from growth, continues
throughout the individual's life span
 Hidden hunger: Micronutrient malnutrition or vitamin
and mineral deficiencies, which can compromise
growth, immune function, cognitive development, and
reproductive and work capacity
 Food fortification: The addition of one or more micronutrients
(vitamins and minerals) to a food during processing at the
factory/industry
 Biofortification: The development of micronutrient-dense staple
crop varieties using traditional breeding practices or
biotechnology. It is fortification while the crop is growing and
alive
 Food security: the condition when all people, at all times, have
physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritional
food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active
and healthy life. Food availability, access, utilization, and
stability/vulnerability are pillars of food security
 Nutrition Security:The condition when all people have
ongoing access to the basic elements of good nutrition,
i.e., a balanced diet, safe environment, clean water, and
adequate health care (preventive and curative), and the
knowledge needed to care for and ensure a healthy and
active life for all household members.
 Agricultural food diversification: is the act of
introducing or producing a variety food from agricultural
activities like crop or animal farming.
 Diversification of foods grown by a household can itself
improve dietary diversity and nutrition outcomes.
 Smallholder farmer: Marginal and sub-marginal farm
households that own and/or cultivate typically less than
two hectares of land.
 Malnutrition: is a state in which the physical function of
an individual is impaired to the point where he or she can
no longer maintain adequate bodily performance
processes such as growth, pregnancy, lactation, physical
work, and resisting and recovering from disease
 Cretinism: The stunting of body growth and poor mental
development in the offspring that result from inadequate
maternal intake of iodine during pregnancy.
 Stunting: It is a malnutrition condition reflected by
inadequate linear growth of a child. It is referred to as chronic
malnutrition.
 Wasting: wasting is reflection of current nutritional status and
is measured using the ratio of a child’s weight to
height/length.
 Underweight: underweight children have low weight for their
age.
 Identifying and explaining food groups, nutrient and
their sources of balanced diet
Food groups:
Foods are usually classified in to six different groups based
on the dominant nutrient they contain. The six food groups
are described as follows:
Fig. food pyramid
A.Vegetables food group
This group includes green leaf and yellow vegetables such
as cabbage, kale, spinach, cauliflower, lettuce, carrot,
celery, cucumber, eggplant, green pepper, broccoli,
pumpkin, onion, tomato, and others such as mushroom.
They provide mostly vitamins, minerals, and water.
Vegetables also contain fiber, which is necessary for proper
digestion.
B. Fruits food group
This group includes citrus fruits (oranges, lemons,
and mandarins), bananas, apples, avocados,
cherries, grapes, pineapple, papaya, mango,
peaches, guavas, watermelon, sweet melon, and
many others. Fruits provide mostly carbohydrates,
vitamins, and water.
C. Legumes and nuts food group
•This group includes groundnuts, soybeans, beans,
peas, chick peas, broad beans, kidney beans, and
lentils. They provide mainly protein and
carbohydrates. Soybeans and nuts also contain a lot
of fat in addition to protein and carbohydrates.
•Nutrient content of pulses:
D. Animal source food group
Animal foods include meat, poultry, eggs, milk/milk products, and
fish. They provide protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
-Milk and milk products
Meat provides useful amounts of riboflavin and niacin, a little
thiamine and small quantities of iron, zinc and vitamins A and C.

E. Fats oils and sweets food group

This group includes oil seeds (soybeans, sesame seeds, linseeds, and
groundnuts); avocado pear; cooking oil; margarine; milk and milk
products such as butter and yogurt; meat; fish; and poultry. They
mainly provide fat.
F. Staples food group
Staple foods include cereal grains such as sorghum, millet, maize,
barley, oats, wheat, teff, rice, starchy roots (cassava, sweet potato,
false banana, potato), and starchy fruits (banana). They mostly
provide carbohydrates. They also provide many other nutrients such
as proteins and minerals depending on how they are processed.
Identify nutrient group and their sources
Different food staffs contain different nutrient which the body uses
for life supporting functions. Based on their main body functions
these different nutrients are classified in to 5 groups. Water is also
considered as the sixth nutrient group but not discussed here
A. Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are compounds containing carbon, hydrogen

and oxygen elements. Carbohydrates are the main source of
energy for our body. During metabolism a gram of
carbohydrate generates 4 kilocalories of energy.
Carbohydrates contribute most of the calories in human
diets Carbohydrates should comprise 45-65% of the daily
calorie for optimal nutrition. Carbohydrates include sugars,
starch, and fibers. The carbohydrates in the human diet
exist mainly in the form of starches and various sugars.
Dietary Fiber
In humans, any of the indigestible carbohydrates when consumed in
food pass in the elementary tract as components of faeces. These
carbohydrates are often termed "dietary fibers". Dietary fibre is an
important component in diets. High-fibre diet is important for
normal and healthy intestinal and bowel functioning, and reduces
constipation. Because it facilitates the rapid passage of materials
through the intestine, fiber may be a factor in the control of
problems related to appendix, hemorrhoids and heart related disease
and cancers.
B. Lipids/Fats
Fats, like carbohydrates, are compounds contain carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen, but in different composition and
conformation. Lipids include all fats and oils that occur in
human diets. Usually “oil” refers to liquid, and ‘fat’ to
solids lipids at normal temperature. Fats/oils are
concentrated source and storage form of energy for our
body, and a gram of fat/oil generate 9 kilocalories up on
combustion. Fat should comprise 20-35% of the daily
calories for optimal nutrition.
 Digestion of dietary fat/oils products smaller molecules
called fatty acids and glycerol. Fat/oils make the diet more
palatable. Lipids also serve energy storage and structural
functions. Stored fats serve as fuel reserves for the body by
storing the excess calories. Excess calories from
carbohydrates, protein and lipids are stored in the form of fat
in the body. Structural fats are part of the essential structure of
the cells, occurring in cell membranes, mitochondria and
intracellular organelles. Fats also function in assisting the
absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Fat deposited beneath the
skin serve as insulation against cold, and it forms a supporting
tissue for many organs such as the heart and intestines.
Cholesterol is a lipid present in all cell membranes. It plays a
role in fat transport and is the precursor from which bile salts
and adrenal and sex hormones are made.
The fat/oils in our diets can be saturated or unsaturated.
All fats and oils eaten by humans are mixtures of saturated
and unsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids are those
fats that do not contain any double bonded carbon in the
molecular structure while unsaturated fatty acids have on
or more double bond in the structure. Fats from land animals
(i.e. meat fat, butter and ghee) contain more saturated fatty
acids than do those of vegetable origin. Fats from plant
products and fish have relatively more unsaturated fatty
acids
C. Proteins
Like carbohydrates and fats, proteins contain carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen, they all also contain nitrogen, and
many of them sulfur and few phosphorus and iron. Proteins
are necessary for growth and repair of the body, and for
production of enzymes and hormones. Proteins are the
main structural constituents of body cells and tissues, and
next to water they make up the greater portion of the
substance of the muscles and organs. Unlike carbohydrates
and fats, there is no true storage of protein in the body. Any
protein in excess of the amount needed for growth, cell and
fluid replacement and various other metabolic functions is
used to provide energy
A gram of protein upon combustion yields 4 kilocalories of
energy. Proteins should comprise 10-35% of the daily
calorie for optimal nutrition. The proteins in different body
tissues are not all exactly the same. The proteins in liver,
blood and in different hormones are all different.

If carbohydrate and fat in the diet do not provide adequate

energy, then the body converts proteins to carbohydrate to
produce energy in expense of body growth, cells repair, and
enzyme and hormone production
•All proteins are large molecules which are made of smaller units
called amino acids. The various proteins are made of different amino
acids linked together in different chains. Because there are many
different amino acids, there are many different proteins. During
digestion proteins break down to form amino acids. Animals
(humans) cells unlike plants are unable to synthesize amino acids
directly from simple inorganic chemical substances. Humans derive all
the amino acids necessary for building their protein from consumption
of plants or animal source foods. 20 of the amino acids are common in
plants and animals, and eight of them are termed ‘essential’ amino
acids". They are essential because the body cannot synthesize them
from other amino acids, and therefore should be taken from food.
Different foods items have different kind of proteins that
contain different amino acids. The protein value of any food
is assessed based on total quantity of protein it contains; the
kind number, and proportion of essential amino acids it
contains. The quality of the protein a food contains depends
largely on its amino acid composition and its digestibility. If
a protein is deficient in one or more essential amino acids,
its quality is lower. If one essential amino acid is missed in
the diet, it limits the use of the other amino acids for building
protein in the body.
Proteins from meat and other animal products are
complete proteins, and supply all of the amino acids the
body can't make on its own. The proteins albumin in egg
and casein in milk, for example, contain all the essential
amino acids in good proportions and are nutritionally
superior proteins. Proteins from plant foods are incomplete
proteins. The proteins in maize and wheat for example lack
or have very little quantity of some of the essential amino
acids. These plant-based proteins must combine provide all
of the amino acids your body needs. Consuming variety
foods/meal therefore helps the body get all the essential
amino acids. The deficiency of one food item/group can be
overcome by mixing it with other food groups.
Children need more protein than adults because they
are growing faster. Infants need more protein than
young children. A pregnant woman needs an
additional supply of protein to build up the fetus inside
her. Similarly, a lactating woman needs extra protein
foods, because the milk she secretes contains protein.
D. Minerals
Minerals are inorganic elements. Many different minerals
serve important functions in our body.
Mineral are grouped in to macro and trace minerals. Calcium,
phosphorus, potassium, and sodium are the principal micro
minerals while iron, iodine and zinc are some of the trace
minerals the human body. Minerals have a number of functions
in our body. Sodium, potassium and chlorine are present in form
of salt in the body and serve to maintain osmotic balance. Iron is
the important component of hemoglobin in the red blood cells.
• Calcium and phosphorus form the bones tissues and give
rigidity to the whole body. Some minerals such as chlorine
are used to keep acidic, alkaline, or neutral body fluid
conditions. Iodine is main component of thyroxin hormone.
And zinc is component of different enzymes. Some of the
minerals such as phosphorus are widely available and the
deficiencies are not common.
• The minerals that are of most importance in human nutrition
are thus calcium, iron, iodine, and zinc. Calcium: is
essential for the formation and maintenance of bone
health. It is also necessary for blood clotting and for
muscle and nerve functions. Calcium deficiency can
lead to osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults and
rickets and retarded growth in children.
An excess intake can cause the formation of kidney stones and neural
motor dysfunction.
Magnesium: is important for teeth and bone structure. In addition,
magnesium is required as a cofactor for various enzymes involved in
energy metabolism and for RNA, DNA, and protein synthesis. Like
calcium, magnesium is necessary for blood clotting.
Iron: comes in two different types: haem (meat, offal) and non-haem
(pulses, vegetables, cereals, and dairy). Iron aids the transport of
oxygen via hemoglobin present in red blood cells. Iron is important for
immune function and participates in energy production via the various
enzymes.
Iron deficiency is probably the most common nutrient deficiency
throughout the world and affects all populations
Zinc: is present in all body tissues and important for the
immune system, protein synthesis, growth, and wound
healing. Zinc is also vital for the synthesis of insulin.
Sodium and chloride: help maintain the body’s water
balance and sodium is essential for both nerve and muscle
functions. An excess of sodium chloride may result in high
blood pressure whilst a lack of salt may cause muscle
cramps.
Selenium: -is essential in the production of red blood cells
and development of the immune system.
It is also important in thyroid metabolism. Areas with low
selenium content in the soil have higher prevalence of
selenium deficiency.
Iodine: is essential in the synthesis of thyroxin. The thyroid
hormone controls the metabolic processes in the body and
affects energy metabolism as well as mental function.
Table.1.2: Minerals and trace elements
Name Food source Deficiency Toxicity
Selenium Fish, offal, meat, cereals Keshan disease, Kaschin–Beck >400µ/day
and dairy disease

Magnesium Oysters, fish, shellfish, Hypertension, impaired CHO Hypermagnesaemia

legumes, grains, vegetables metabolism >350 mg/day
Zinc Lean red meat, whole grain Growth retardation, hypogonadism >1g/day
cereals, legumes, and delayed sexual maturity,
impaired wound healing, immune
deficiency
Iron Meat, liver, breakfast Anemia Organ damage
cereals, bread
Iodine Fish, shell fish, meat, milk, Impaired mental function, Wolff–Chaikoff
eggs, cereals hypothyrodism, goitre, cretinism effect
Calcium Meat, fish, dairy products Adults: osteomalacia, osteoporosis Kidney stones
The three most important micronutrient deficiencies of global public
health significance are iron deficiency anemia, vitamin A deficiency,
and iodine deficiency. Iron deficiency anemia:
 May be defined as a low concentration of hemoglobin (Hb) in the
blood.
 In addition to iron, a deficiency of folic acid, riboflavin, and B12
can also lead to anemia. Iron deficiency is of public health concern
as it increases the morbidity and mortality of pregnant women,
 Adversely affects physical capacity and work performance, and
may impair cognitive performance at all ages.
E. Vitamins
Vitamins are organic substances playing vital role for
healthy functioning of the body. They are essential for
proper metabolism and body immunity building. Vitamins
present in minute amounts in foodstuffs. Vitamin A, B, C, D,
E and K are commonly known vitamins. Vitamin A, D, E,
and K are fat soluble vitamins while vitamin B groups and
vitamin C are water soluble. Vitamin A is the most public
health important vitamin.
The vitamins are a group of organic nutrients that cannot be
synthesized in sufficient quantities by our bodies and therefore
must be obtained from the diet. Vitamins have the functions of:
 Biochemical functions: hormones, antioxidants, cell
signaling, tissue growth.
 Precursors for enzyme cofactor biomolecules (coenzymes)
that help act as catalysts and substrates in metabolism.
 Playing vital role for healthy functioning of the body. They
are essential for proper metabolism and body immunity
building.
Vitamins present in minute amounts in foodstuffs. Vitamin A, B,
C, D, E and K are commonly known vitamins. Vitamin A, D, E,
and K are fat soluble vitamins while vitamin B groups and vitamin
C are water soluble. Vitamin A is the most public health important
vitamin.
•Vitamins by solubility are classified into two groups: water-
soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins
are easily absorbed by the body and excreted. Fat-soluble vitamins
are absorbed through the intestinal tract with the help of lipids.
The vitamins are a group of organic nutrients that cannot be
synthesized in sufficient quantities by our bodies and therefore
must be obtained from the diet.
Vitamins have the functions of:
 Biochemical functions: hormones, antioxidants, cell signaling,
tissue growth, etc.
 Precursors for enzyme cofactor biomolecules (coenzymes) that
help act as catalysts and substrates in metabolism.
 Playing vital role for healthy functioning of the body.
 They are essential for proper metabolism and body immunity
building.
 Vitamin Name Source

A Retinol From carotene in dark green leaves, tomatoes,

carrots, papayas

B1 Thiamine Pluses, green vegetables, fruit, cereal grains have B

in germ and outer-seed coat

B2 Riboflavin Green leafy vegetables and pulses

B6 Pyridoxin Bananas, peanuts
PP Niacin Pulses, peanuts
(nicotinic acid

- Folic acid Dark green leaves, broccoli, spinach, beets, cabbage,

lettuce, avocados

C Ascorbic acid Citrus, pepper, guava, mango, papaya

Water soluble Fat-soluble

Thiamin(B1) Retinol (Ait A)

Riboflavin (B2) Cholecalciferol (Vit D)

Niacin (nicotinic acid, nicotinamide) Alpha-tocopherol (Vit E)

Pantothenic acid(B5) Phyloquinone (menaquinones, Vit K)

Pyridoxine (Vit B6)

Biotin(B7)

Foloic acid(B9)

Cobalamin(B12)

L-Ascorbic acid (Vit C)

 Name (standard& Food source Deficiency Toxicity
other)
Thiamin(B1) Meat, nuts, legumes, fortified cereals, Berberi >3g/day
wheat germ bran, yeast
Riboflavin(B2) Liver, kidney, dairy products, fortified Arboflabnosis No reports up
cereals, Marmite to
120 mg/day
Niacin(B3) Liver, kidney, rice, wheat, oatmeal, Pelagra >200 mg/day
Marmite
Pyrodixin(B6) Meat, fish, pulses, potatoes, nuts, Anemia-small cell 2–7 g/day
seeds, bananas, avocados, milk
Folate(Folic acid-B9) Liver, kidneys, nuts and seeds, fortified Anemia-large cell
breakfast cereals, fresh vegetables
Vitamin Liver, sardines, oysters, meat or animal Permicius
B12(Cobalamin) produce such as egg, cheese, milk
Biotin Liver, egg yolk, yeast, cereals, soy flour Very rare No reports up
Panthotonic acid(B5) Whole grains, legumes, animal products Very rare to
10 mg/day
Vitamin C(ascorbic Fresh fruit and vegetables, especially Scurvey 5–10 g/day
acid) spinach, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes,
strawberries.
Dietary sources:
The main sources of retinol are butter, eggs, milk, liver of
beef, pork, chicken, fishes. Carotene is contained in many
plant foods.
Various dark green and yellow vegetables and pigmented
fruits, such as mangoes, papayas and tomatoes, and
pumpkins contain useful quantities of carotene. Vitamin A is
soluble only in fat.
Identifying and describing origin and composition of
food stuffs:
Most food has its origin in plants. Some food is obtained
directly from plants; but even animals that are used as food
sources are raised by feeding them food derived from plants.
Plant source food stuff:
Many plants and plant parts are eaten as food and around
2,000 plant species which are cultivated for food. In fact, the
majority of foods consumed by human beings are seed-
based foods.
Animal source food stuffs:
Animals are used as food either directly or indirectly by
the products they produce. Meat is an example of a direct
product taken from an animal, which comes from muscle
systems or from organs.
Others source food stuffs:
Some foods not from animal or plant sources include
various edible fungi, especially mushrooms.
 Identify energy dense food sources
The energy density is defined as the energy content per
gram of food. The high fat and low moisture content of most
foods makes energy density an important contributor to
energy regulation and overweight.

I. The energy density of foods can range from 0 (water) to

37 kJ/g (fat) (0—9 kcal/g).

Protein source food:

The protein requirements of humans are dependent on a
number of factors. Some of these include: gender, age, body
weight and composition, energy intake and micronutrient
composition of the diet.
Amino acids Infants (3- Pre-school Adults(mg/kg/
4months children (2 years day)
(mg/kg/day) (mg/kg/day
Histidine 28 ? 8-12
Isoleucine 70 31 10
Leucine 161 73 14
Lycsine 103 64 12
Methionine + cystine 58 28 13
Phenylalanine + 125 69 14
tyrosine
Threonine 87 37 7
Tryptophan 17 12.5 3.5
Valine 93 38 10
Total essential amino 714 352 84
acids
Proteins are made up of a collection of 20 amino acids. Of
these, eight are classed as ‘essential’ and need to be
sourced from food, while the other 12 are classed as ‘non-
essential’ and can be produced inside our body.
Good protein sources
• Eggs
• Milk and milk products
• Meat
• Fish and seafood
• Soya bean
• Beans, pea, chickpea, lentils are also good sources of
protein
Fat source foods:
Fats contain a variety of fatty acids. Fats derived from land animals
(e.g., butter and lard) usually contain a high proportion of saturated
fatty acids and are solid at room temperature.
Fats derived from vegetable products and marine animals (e.g.,
groundnut and cod-liver oils) contain more unsaturated fatty acids;
they are usually liquid at room temperature and are termed oils.
 Avocados
 Olive Oil
 Nut Butter
 Butter
 Fatty Fish
 Fatty meat
 Oil seeds
 Vegetable oils
Nutrient dense food sources:
Nutrient-dense foods are those foods that provide multiple
nutrients in appropriate amounts relative to calories.

Fibers sources food:

Fiber is found in healthy, plant-based foods.
It is not digested by the body and does not contain nutrients.
Fiber is critical for healthy digestion and bowel function
and can help to reduce the risk of chronic disorders such as
high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.
LO2-Recognize malnutrition in the community:
Identifying and explaining physical signs of malnutrition:
Malnutrition refers to abnormal nutrition condition, both under
nutrition and over nutrition. Currently it is a public health
problem of both developed and developing countries. While
majority of developed countries suffer from problems related
over nutrition, developing countries suffers from the double
burden of under nutrition and over nutrition. Even in sub-
Saharan countries people are suffering from the triple burden
of hunger, under nutrition, and over nutrition. Globally 868
million people (12.5%) remain undernourished inter terms of
energy and protein consumption, and around 2 billion people
are suffering from micronutrient deficiencies. To the contrary
near to 1.5 billion people worldwide are overweight and obese,
and at risk of contracting chronic non communicable disease
Malnutrition is currently considered the leading cause of child
mortality, and worldwide more than one third of child mortality
is attributed to malnutrition. The global community is urging
for prevention of under nutrition in children by focusing on the
1000 days nutrition interventions- the period from pregnancy
to the first two years of life. This period is called the’ window of
opportunity’ because proper nutrition at this period has the
greatest effect on child health, growth and development. If under
nutrition occurs during this period, the damage on child physical
and cognitive development will be irreversible.
 Identifying forms, causes and consequences of
malnutrition
Forms of malnutrition: From the perspective of developing
countries, malnutrition results from inadequate intake of
nutrients and/or from disease factors and from over nutrition
(over intake of nutrients) which results obesity and
overweight especially in developed countries. Protein energy
malnutrition (PEM), iron deficiency anemia (IDA), vitamin A
deficiency (VAD), and iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) are
the most common forms of malnutrition.
A. Protein-Energy Malnutrition (PEM) arises due
inadequate intake of calories from macronutrients:
Carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
B. Micro-Malnutrition (Hidden Hunger) refers to mineral
and vitamin deficiency such as iron, iodine, and vitamin A.
Both these conditions can have serious negative
consequences for physical and mental health.
Stunting: It is a malnutrition condition reflected by
inadequate linear growth of a child. It is referred to as chronic
malnutrition. Stunted children are too short for their age
Stunted children are too short for their age.
Stunting develops over a long period of time as a result of inadequate
dietary intake, and repeated infections. Proven interventions to reduce
occurrence of stunting during the 1000days of life, and to sustainably
reduce it in the population include:
Appropriate breast-feeding practices
Appropriate child complementary feeding practice

 Promoting and improving household diet diversity through

agricultural interventions such as sustainable diversified food
production and utilization
 Improved child caring practices such as mothers time for child care
 Increased household health care, water and sanitation access in the
community
 Greater access to and utilization of nutritious foods for pregnant
and lactating women, and children during the first 5 years of life
Wasting: wasting is reflection of current nutritional status and is
measured using the ratio of a child’s weight to height/length.
Underweight: underweight children have low weight for their age.
Children may become underweight because of wasting or stunting or
both. Underweight is measured in children using weight for age.
Body Mass Index (BMI): is often used to measure the nutritional
status of adults, especially of adolescent girls and pregnant women. .
It is calculated by dividing the body weight in kilogram to the square
of body height in meters (BMI = kg/m2). A BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9
is an indicator of normal nutritional status. A BMI less than 18.5 is an
indication of underweight while greater that 25.9 is an indication of
overweight status.
Causes of malnutrition

Malnutrition is not caused by a single factor. The

nutritional status of an individual, households, and the
community at large is determined by many different and
interconnected factors. UNICEF in 1990 identified
malnutrition and death in children and women as the final
outcome of a long sequence of interconnected factors.
These factors are classified at three levels of causes as
immediate, underlying, and basic causes of
malnutrition.
A.The Immediate Causes of Malnutrition
Inadequate dietary intake and diseases are the most significant
immediate causes of malnutrition of children and women
B. The Underlying Causes of Malnutrition
The causes for inadequate dietary intake and disease can be
numerous. The underlying causes for malnutrition are context-
specific and classified in to three interrelated groups as follows.
 Insufficient food availability and access
 Inadequate care for children and mothers
 Insufficient health services and inadequate provision of a
healthy environment
C. Basic Causes of Malnutrition
The major basic causes of malnutrition include economic,
technological, political, cultural, and institutional structures
and processes, the means of control of physical resources,
and the level of human development.
Consequence of malnutrition:
Malnutrition has a series of public health consequences that
diminish the individual quality of life and the prospects for
socioeconomic progress. The impacts of malnutrition can be
reflected at the individual, household, and community level.
. Malnutrition harms both physical and cognitive
development. Poor health status, intergeneration cognitive
deficits, and reduced economic productivity and growth are
some of the impacts of malnutrition.
Consequences of malnutrition are described below:
A. Susceptibility to mortality (death)
B. Poor cognitive development
C. Susceptibility to acute morbidity (disease)
D. Decreased economic productivity
E. Susceptibility to chronic diseases in later life
•Importance of adequate diet:Adequate intake is
known about the precise nutritional needs of infants,
nearly all intake recommendations for babies younger than
12 months are given as AIs.
Importance of balanced diet
A balanced diet needs to contain foods from all the main
food groups in the correct proportions to provide the body
with optimum nutrition.
LO 3- Identify the role of agriculture in nutrition:

Recognizing and promoting the role of agriculture for

food Varity:
Nutrition sensitive intervention: