Bringing the food pyramid to a plate

The food pyramid is nice to look at and a great ideal to aim for … in theory. How should parents translate that to a plate though?

Nutritionist Nor'azah Mohd Sidi explains that Danone Dumex now has the Dugro Komplete Nutri Plate to help parents visualise how much of each food group their child should be taking for each meal.

Nor'azah is one of the judges on the reality cooking show Dumex Chef Cilik Komplete Nutri (Astro, channel 104). She is also the scientific and regulatory affairs manager at Danone Dumex Malaysia.

She explains that the basic food pyramid is the same for all countries. The only difference between the western food pyramid and the Malaysian one is the serving size. The local serving size is smaller because of the energy expanded daily due to the climate and body structure. It is not because Asians are more sedentary or generally smaller than their western counterparts.

She explains that the calorie requirements and serving size are not the same for adults and children. In Malaysia, we follow the recommended nutrient intake by the Health Ministry. This varies for children aged 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and adolescents, as well as for adults.

However, in general, you can use the Malaysian food pyramid as a guide for all age groups.

“Most people find it hard to imagine how much of carbohydrates, protein, vegetables and fruits to take based on the food pyramid. Only nutritionists can understand and visualise based on the food pyramid. To help Malaysians, Dumex has translated the pyramid onto a plate by calculating exactly the serving size. This is actually being done in other countries as well. In Britain, they have what they call the eatwell plate,” she says.

Nor'azah explains that the divisions on the plate to indicate the different food groups are proportionate to the Malaysian food pyramid where the biggest portion comes from the cereals and carbohydrates group which should be the main source of energy.

“Preferably, the source of energy for us is from carbohydrates and the second largest portion is fruits and vegetables which is high in vitamins, minerals and fibre, and less in calories,” she adds.

As the plate is a guide for a day, Nor'azah says it is okay to make up for dinner what we find lacking in lunch, as long as we have a balanced diet in a day.

“If you take more of one type of food or none of another, then for the next meal you can make up for it. We would use the same plate for children aged two and above,” explains Nor'azah.

For those who eat out regularly, Nor'azah suggests going for variety, moderation and balance.

“You should still follow the food pyramid or Dugro Komplete Nutri Plate rather than have char kway teow (fried kway teow) five days a week.”

She admits to having economy rice when she eats out as it allows her to choose all the different food groups rather than just having chicken or carbohydrates, which often happens if one goes to a chicken or pasta restaurant. With economy rice, she gets carbohydrates, protein and vegetables, too.

Creative meals

Nor'azah believes that parents can be creative in their cooking and presentation to attract children, without spending a lot of money.

“It doesn't necessarily have to involve a big cost. It's more about the way you cook it and present it. For example, you can arrange the food in a way that is attractive to the child. You can use different methods of attracting them. You don't necessarily have to use expensive imported vegetables, for example. In fact, it can even be the simple kangkung. Sometimes the way we cook is also a factor. We might be used to cooking the vegetables until they are soft, and kids might prefer something crunchy.

“Don't always just boil or stir fry when you're cooking your vegetables. You could just cut carrots and give it to the children as a snack.

“Parents should explore different methods of cooking and perhaps sometimes make it into a snack, rather than always making it a dish for a main meal.

“Rather than giving them unhealthy snacks, try giving them vegetables or fruit. And don't give them something unhealthy like sweets as reward for eating their vegetables. It defeats the purpose of trying to get them to eat healthily. Even if you want to give them biscuits, give them something healthy like fibre biscuits,” she advises.

Nor'azah explains that via the Dumex Chef Cilik TV series, she hopes that Malaysian parents, especially those with children who are fussy eaters, will be able to get some ideas on creative and attractive meals which are nutritious.

“That's why we tell contestants to be creative, don't just cook in the usual method. We give them themes every episode. For example, we might have soup, and we tell them to make it interesting for children.”

She believes that the best way to introduce fruits, vegetables and new foods to children is to keep trying again and again, rather than hide it in their food or blending the food.

“This way they know what they are eating and where they are getting their nutrients from. In the first place, the parents should be good role models. They themselves should have good eating habits for the kids to follow. Secondly, make it more interesting for them by telling them an interesting tidbit about what they are eating. For example, if you eat spinach you can be strong like Popeye, so that they know that eating spinach will make them strong.

“This is better than hiding the spinach in some other food because then the child won't know what they are eating nor the benefits they get from it.

“If the child is fussy, you don't really have to follow the proper portions as recommended in the Malaysian food pyramid. Just use it as a general guide and as long as they take the foods from every food group then they will get a balanced meal.

“In terms of portions, some days kids eat a lot and some days they eat less,” she says, adding that's okay.

Nor'azah tells parents not to worry if the child only wants to eat the same dish for certain seasons, such as chicken rice daily. She believes children sometimes go through these phases. Parents just need to keep introducing different foods to them. Eventually, hopefully, the perseverance will pay off and they will start eating new and different foods.

Tips for families

Her recommendations to parents?

- Babies and small children need NOT be introduced to salt and sugar. While parents may think the baby's food is bland, the truth is that the small child doesn't even know the taste of sugar and salt yet so for them the food is not bland. They really don't need the additional sugar and salt, especially since foods have their own flavours, for example fish is naturally salty.

- Cook using less oil. Use olive oil or palm oil, both of which are high in monounsaturated fat (which has health benefits).

- If cooking or eating chicken, remove the skin.

- Don't be too strict in following the exact servings and portions of the food pyramid when it comes to children.

“If children don't want to take rice, don't force them or chase them around the house. Give them bread or biscuits – these are varieties that will give them the same nutrients from the same food group. If you force them they might develop a phobia of that particular food,” advises Nor'azah.

- Be more adventurous in trying out a variety of foods which gives different nutrients from the different types of vegetables and foods. A good gauge is the different colours on your plate which offer different nutrients. For example, the orange colour from carrots offers beta-carotene. The different colours of foods on a plate also make the meal more attractive to children.

- Candies and chocolates are luxury foods, so treat them like a real luxury by only having them once in a while and not regularly.

- If you're concerned about the food sold and served in school canteens, prepare packed and healthy meals from home for your children.

- Replace santan (coconut milk) with milk or yoghurt.

- Family meals should have variety, balance and moderation.

- Be a role model for your kids by eating healthy balanced meals.

- Have a main meal together as a family.

- Kids like to snack – make it healthy and at a fixed time so they know that meal times are fixed, too. If you let them eat snacks all the time, they might overeat and when the main meal comes, they might not want to eat because they are full.

If parents want to get some ideas for what to cook for their families, Nor'azah suggests tuning in to the Dumex Chef Cilik Komplete Nutri TV show where contestants have been coming up with dishes that look really tasty and are healthy, too. Having tasted the dishes, Nor'azah admits she's not just saying it – the food contestants prepare really is yummy!