'Tajin' as milk substitute<\/p>\n
We refer to a letter that appeared in your paper on March 19,
\n1998, written by Ms. Ratna Ramanah from Cimahi, West Java, on
\nusing tajin as a substitute for milk. As a part of the United
\nNations systems most concerned with infant and young child
\nnutrition we would like to mention that many young children in
\nthe world grow up without milk because it is either not part of
\ntheir culture or they cannot afford it.<\/p>\n
For healthy growth children should receive exclusive
\nbreast-feeding for the first 4 to 6 months. Any substitute,
\nincluding tajin (thick water from cooked rice), should not be
\ngiven. Also, in a period of economic recession the quality of
\nbreast milk remains the best that an infant can get. Studies
\ndemonstrate that exclusively breast-fed children suffer less from
\ninfectious disease, avoiding the need for scarce family resources
\nto be spent on expensive medicines.<\/p>\n
Beyond the age of four to six months breast milk alone does
\nnot any longer supply sufficient energy and vitamins for the
\nlarger child and needs to be complemented by other foods. If
\nthese foods do not include foods of animal origin (meat, eggs,
\nmilk) it is difficult to meet the requirements of the fast
\ngrowing child. These products become less affordable during this
\nperiod of economic crisis and Unicef is worried that this will
\nincrease the rate of malnutrition in Indonesia. As a rapid
\nresponse to the crisis, Unicef is supporting the distribution of
\na low-cost industrially prepared complementary food that will be
\nmade available to low income families through the Family Welfare
\nMovement (PKK).<\/p>\n
Under the current circumstances we should be even more careful
\nto avoid making the mistake to recommend foods such as milk that
\nare beyond the reach of an increasing number of families. The use
\nof tajin can therefore play a role, although it will not have the
\nsame nutritional value as milk. Tajin can be the right vehicle to
\nmix with other foods to make it more nutritious. Because it is
\nboiled it at least provides a clean source of liquid. Boiled
\nwater should always be used to prepare complementary foods for
\nour young children.<\/p>\n
STEPHEN J. WOODHOUSE<\/p>\n
Area Representative<\/p>\n
Unicef Indonesia & Malaysia<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tajin-as-milk-substitute-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }