Expert Explains the Nutrients Children Need to Support Intelligence and Height

JAKARTA — Ensuring children have enough to eat is not simply a matter of filling their stomachs. A sufficient and balanced diet is also important for their growth and development, including physical growth and brain development. Animal-based protein is one of the key nutrients children need while growing.

Prof Ronny Rachman Noor, an ecological genetics expert at IPB University, said animal-based protein is important for children’s brain and physical development. However, meeting children’s nutritional needs remains a challenge, as staple foods such as rice tend to make up a larger share of meals than animal protein.

“No one disputes that rice can fill our children up and stop them crying today. But over the next 20 years, milk, meat and eggs will help children become more intelligent and have healthy, strong bodies,” Ronny said in a written statement quoted on Saturday (18 October 2026).

He explained that the human body needs 20 types of amino acids, nine of which are essential amino acids that it cannot produce itself. These nine must therefore be obtained through food and drink.

Ronny said milk, meat and eggs are complete protein sources because they contain all the essential amino acids the body needs. “Tofu and tempeh are sources of protein, but they are not as complete as animal proteins from milk, meat and eggs. Livestock products provide complete protein because they supply all the essential amino acids in one meal,” he said.

According to Ronny, eggs have a biological value of around 100, indicating the high quality of their protein in supplying amino acids for the body to use. Eggs also contain choline, which helps produce neurotransmitters that support brain functions, including memory and concentration.

“Eggs also contain lutein and DHA, which help support retinal health and brain development,” Ronny said.

Meat, meanwhile, is a source of iron, which is essential for producing haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. Ronny said iron from meat can be absorbed by the body at a rate of around 25 per cent.

“If children lack iron, it can lead to anaemia, and their muscles will also be deprived of oxygen. Empirical data show that one in three adolescent girls in Indonesia has anaemia, directly affecting productivity and the quality of learning,” Ronny said.