After studying Anthropology at Mai Nefhi College, Luwam Tekle began working in the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare in the Department of Child Protection. Her first book, which is also the first of its kind in Eritrea, focuses on child nutrition and is a comprehensive, introductory guide for mothers and caretakers. With over 150 recipes and just as many references included, this attractive, informative book targets the local population.
What inspired you to write this book?
From a young age, I was influenced by my mother. It is my mother who instilled in me this passion for healthy nutrition. She kept a garden, and was always planting all kinds of vegetables and herbs. She insisted on buying fresh produce, and I think this attentiveness I saw in my mother towards healthy and wholesome foods stayed with me.
When I became a mother, I wanted to provide my child with the best nourishment I could in order to maximize her potential for a full physical and mental development. In fact, it was when I was pregnant with my first child that I read many books, articles, and journals in the field of child nutrition. It was extremely enlightening, and the more I learned the more I kept on researching.
Our mothers guide and show us the ways of motherhood, but when it comes to feeding the baby, I discovered that what our mothers recommend consists disproportionately of carbs. Then I started to ask myself: what about pure proteins like fish and eggs? Or fermented products like yogurt? Can babies consume such food groups?
I tried many different recipes for my baby daughter. I applied what I learned on the way I made my daughter’s food, in the process localizing and contextualizing the recipes as best I could. This whole time I kept a journal of what recipes worked and what didn’t.
How long did it take you to finish writing the book?
It took me about six years. I read extensively when I was pregnant with my daughter and started to actually write the book when she turned one. I published it when she turned seven. Of ourse, it was not always easy. Being a new mother meant my time and attention would be devoted to my family. But I didn’t stop altogether. I kept working on it and getting my hands on the latest research.
What surprises or insights did you discover along the way?
The biggest surprise was when I couldn’t find a published child nutrition book here. Aside from brochures and pamphlets, there wasn’t a volume, either a recipe book or a nutrition book, prepared exclusively for young children. I was very shocked and dismayed that there should be such a want of this particular information in our society.
Why make it so extensive?
At the beginning, I had set out to compile baby food recipes to make into a culture specific, locally applicable recipe book. But then, somewhere in the process, it occurred to me that it wasn’t enough to just give mothers a list of what to do. Knowing why they should feed their babies nutrition-rich foods is just as important. The mother has to understand and be convinced, for example, that micronutrients are important for a child’s healthy growth. Or why breastfeeding is considered to be the most crucial in the first six months of the baby’s life? Why not three months? Why not eight?
I believe there is nothing a mother will not do to ensure the safest and healthiest life for her child. Providing this kind of in-depth knowledge of the basics goes a long way towards guaranteeing that mothers make the right choices. Because as the saying goes, if you educate the mother, you educate the community.
How important are the first 1000 days?
Extremely important. This time starts from conception, not after birth. The 270 days an infant spends in its mother’s womb are highly significant and can seriously affect brain health. The pace of physical growth, especially brain development, is at its fastest and most consequential at this stage. If we don’t support proper development with the necessary nutrients, the side-effects can often become permanent.
What made you go the extra step and localize the recipes?
I think it is deeply unfair that a mother living in an urban area is able to access and purchase many supplementary foods while a mother from a rural setting is unable to find the same ready-made foods simply due to the geography. Why can’t a mother from Gash Barka feed her baby recipes made using millet or barley? My aim is to provide numerous ways in which varying location-specific, organic resources could be used for nourishment.
If an urban mother can purchase fish oil supplements for the purpose of obtaining the nutrient omega-3, why shouldn’t a mother from the coast make the best of the resources her environment has to offer? Afterall, our Red Sea remains unspoiled by the wastes of industrialization.
The reason behind using traditional and/or local metrics?
I wanted to localize everything. I wanted the book to have as much information and as little difficulties as possible for mothers to use.
Has your background in anthropology influenced your work?
It has helped me tremendously to conduct an extensive research, document references, and contextualize my findings. Anthropology is basically understanding a society in the context of its culture and analysing it in a holistic way.
How was your book received by the public?
It’s been received really well. People have contacted me to express appreciation and some have suggested I try to condense it to a smaller package to make it more convenient and widen its readership among mothers.
What do you think should be done to increase awareness about child nutrition?
The distilled information should be constantly broadcast in the media – in the form of sitcoms and educational commercials. In hospitals, clinics and healthcare centers, health practitioners should put additional effort into organizing regular programs focused on educating mothers.
Tell me about the choice to use footnotes? The first chapters read like a science book.
Yes, that was my intention. I wanted the science behind child nutrition to be as clear as possible. I decided to include footnotes to guide the reader with regards to the references but also to aid in further research.
The recipes are numerous, over 150. Was it difficult to assemble them?
Well, it was not easy. But it wasn’t difficult either. I enjoyed trying out different recipes and discovering what my daughter liked and disliked. For every recipe I tried, I kept detailed notes. My friends who were also mothers tried my recipes for their own children, and the recipes became so popular with their kids. It was an amazing journey.
