Good nutrition is not the same thing as expensive food. The most nutritious items in a Cameroonian market are among the cheapest, and the expensive ones are largely optional.
The best value in the market
- Beans. Protein, iron and fibre, at a fraction of the price of meat. Cook a large pot and use it across days.
- Groundnuts and groundnut paste. Protein and energy, and a spoon stirred into a child’s food adds both.
- Small dried fish, eaten whole. Protein, calcium and iron together. Grind and stir into sauces.
- Eggs. Complete protein, and one a day makes a measurable difference to a small child.
- Dark green leaves. Often the cheapest thing on the stall and among the most nutritious.
- Liver, once a week. Cheap, and the densest source of iron and vitamin A available.
- Seasonal fruit. Mango, pawpaw, guava, banana, at the season price.
Buying
- Buy in season. Out-of-season produce is several times the price for the same nutrition.
- Buy staples in bulk where you can, and keep them dry and sealed.
- Market, not shop, for vegetables.
- Late in the market day is often cheaper for what will not keep.
- Grow what you can: leaves, okra and pepper need little space.
Where the money leaks
- Soft drinks and sweetened juice. Pure cost, no nutrition, and a direct route to diabetes.
- Prepared and packaged food, which costs more per meal and carries more salt.
- Bouillon cubes bought in quantity. They cost money and raise blood pressure.
- Fortified drink powders and "nutrition" supplements sold for children. An egg and a spoon of groundnut paste beat almost all of them at a tenth of the price.
Making a small amount of protein go further
Beans with maize or rice in the same meal give a more complete protein than either alone. A little fish or meat used to flavour a large pot of beans and greens feeds more people better than a small piece of meat each. Grind dried fish into the sauce rather than serving it as a separate portion.
If there is genuinely not enough
Feed the children and the pregnant woman in the household first, and say so at the health centre. Nutrition programmes, supplementary feeding and vitamin A distribution exist and are free; they are used by people who ask. A child who is losing weight should be seen, not waited on.
