The first Romanian Children’s Nutrition Guide written by licensed dietitians and produced by the Association of Romanian Dietitians with the support of Nestlé, is available for free at www.nestle.ro/nutritie and can be accessed by parents who need evidence-based information and inspiration for children’s food.
For children, nutrition plays a crucial role in their growth and development and strengthens the foundation for a healthy life as an adult. A balanced diet provides the nutrients needed for a healthy brain and growing body, stimulating the development of cognitive skills and improving academic performance.
The data we have access to reflects a quantitative excess in the nutrition of children in Romania, but with poor nutritional quality, underlining the need for a more effective and accessible nutritional education for parents. Even if there are no official statistics that reflect the whole situation, we can appreciate that a large majority of parents in Romania have difficulties in providing their children with a balanced diet. Recent statistics show that over 30% of children in the country have weight problems (according to the Global Obesity Observatory). Also, the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia at the national level, which in 2019 stood at 27.1% (according to the National Institute for Mother and Child Health “Alessandrescu Rusescu” Bucharest), particularly affects the paediatric population, especially children aged between 1 and 4 years, where the incidence remains high.
The “Nutrition of children for parents” guide written by licensed dieticians aims to explain in an accessible and friendly way the processes that are the basis of a balanced nutrition, offering them practical and well-founded advice, as well as relevant information related to the components useful for children’s nutrition from the preconception period until adolescence.
“We are happy to support such an approach by dieticians in Romania, considering the chronic need for scientifically validated information that parents can rely on. This project aligns with our ‘Good for you’ nutrition strategy through which we want to offer more nutritious products, but also help consumers adopt a healthier diet by making the right choices every day. Together with NutriPortia, another nutritional tool developed by us, and the two nutritional education programs in schools that we have been supporting for over a decade, we hope that this guide will be an important step towards the nutritional literacy of families in Romania”, explains Nicoleta Tupiță, Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Manager Nestlé Romania, Bulgaria and Adriatic countries.
“Children’s nutritional education begins at home, and the role of parents and the whole family is essential. The guide “Children’s nutrition according to the understanding of parents” responds to the need for specialized information, provided by professionals, helping parents to make conscious and informed choices regarding their children’s nutrition, based on the latest scientific recommendations in the field of nutrition, presented in a accessible language. The volume presents the specific nutritional characteristics of each growth stage, such as energy, water, macronutrient, and vitamin and mineral requirements”, explains Dr. Laura Gavrilaș, President of the Association of Dietitians from Romania, authorized Dietitian.
The launch of the first Children’s Nutrition Guide written by authorized dietitians and carried out by the Association of Dietitians in Romania falls in line with Nestlé’s new nutrition strategy, which provides for the improvement of products and, respectively, education for a balanced and more sustainable diet.