Food Variety

• Continue to breastfeed (for at least 2 years) and feed a variety of foods at each meal to your young child. For example:
• Animal-source foods (meat, chicken, fish, liver), and eggs, milk and milk products 1 star*
• Staples (maize, wheat, rice, millet and sorghum); roots and tubers (cassava, potatoes) 2 stars**
• Legumes (beans, lentils, peas, groundnuts) and seeds (sesame) 3 stars***
• Vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables (mango, papaya, passion fruit, oranges, dark- green leaves, carrots, yellow sweet potato and pumpkin), and other fruit and vegetables (banana, pineapple, watermelon, tomatoes, avocado, eggplant and cabbage) 4 stars****

Notes for community worker:

• Foods may be added in a different order to create a 4 star food/diet.
• Introduce animal source foods early to babies and young children and give them as often as possible. Cook well and chop fine.
• Additional nutritious snacks (extra food between meals) such as pieces of ripe mango, papaya, banana, avocado, other fruits and vegetables, boiled potato, sweet potato and fresh and fried bread products can be offered once or twice per day.
• Use iodised salt.