Kids' Nutrition

A child will eat roti. A child will not eat your carefully reasoned argument about micronutrients.

Which is the whole opportunity. You do not have to win a negotiation. You just have to change what is in the dabba. The roti looks identical. The calcium, iron and protein going into a growing body do not.

What growing bodies are actually short of

• Calcium. Peak bone mass is largely built before the early twenties. It is a one time window and it is mostly in childhood.
• Iron. Deficiency in children is not only about tiredness. In a six month randomised trial in Indian schoolchildren, those eating iron rich pearl millet showed measurably better attention and memory than controls.
• Protein. Needed for growth, not just for gym goers.

Recommended for you

Six flours from our range, chosen for this concern and ranked by how much difference they make.

Ragi Atta

Around 344mg of calcium per 100g, the highest of any cereal by a distance. Ragi malt is why a generation of Karnataka kids have good bones.

From Rs. 56.19

Bajra Atta

The iron one, with an actual randomised trial in Indian adolescents behind it. Better iron status, better attention and memory.

From Rs. 113.33

Makki Atta

Naturally sweet, gluten free, and the easiest sell at the table. Makki ki roti is a negotiation you win.

From Rs. 63.81

Pure Besan

Chilla, dhokla, pakora. Protein, folate and iron disguised as things children already ask for.

From Rs. 76.19

Multigrain Atta

Eight grains in one, so you are not running a separate nutrition project per child.

From Rs. 113.33

Everyday Protein, 17g Atta

A gentle protein lift without going to gym level numbers. The right rung on the ladder for a growing child.

From Rs. 75.24

How to actually do this, this week

• Ferment for absorption. Ragi dosa or ragi malt batter left overnight breaks down phytic acid and frees up the calcium and iron. Fermented ragi genuinely beats plain ragi.
• Add lemon or tomato to iron rich meals. Vitamin C dramatically improves iron uptake from plants.
• Blend, do not announce. 25% ragi or bajra into the regular atta is invisible. Declaring "this is healthy roti now" is not a strategy.
• Keep tea away from meals for older kids, because it blocks iron absorption.

Where this comes from

• Scott SP, Finkelstein JL, et al. Cognitive performance in Indian school going adolescents is positively affected by consumption of iron biofortified pearl millet: a 6 month randomized controlled efficacy trial. Journal of Nutrition, 2018. Read the paper
• Finkelstein JL, et al. A randomized trial of iron biofortified pearl millet in school children in India. Journal of Nutrition, 2015. Read the paper
• Devi PB, et al. Finger millet: nutritional properties, processing and plausible health benefits. Read the review
• Calcium figure per ICMR and NIN Indian Food Composition Tables.

Nutrition information, not medical advice. For children under two, and for any child with a suspected deficiency, allergy or growth concern, speak to your paediatrician.