Traditional Complementary Foods: A Critical Review

Traditional complementary foods are popular minimally processed baby food used to introduce old infants and young children to adult foods. Cereal grains are it main ingredient, when cooked, because of its starch content, get gelatinized and swollen thereby making the diet viscous and bulky, so that it gives the stomach of old infants and young children enormous work to do. Traditional complementary foods consumed by old infants in many parts of the third world are deficient in essential macronutrients and micronutrients leading to malnutrition, which is one of the serious problems in developing countries. Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) generally occurs during this growing stage when children are weaned from breastmilk to semi-solid and later to family foods. The purpose of this study is to review literature findings on complementary foods. It’s also aims to draw the attention of stakeholders and decision makers on the need to assess the nutrients quality and health risks associated with the consumption of low quality complementary foods and, consequently, the necessary measures and steps to reduce intake of low quality complementary foods by old infants and young children.