Dietary diversity plays a significant role in maintaining children’s health and is utilized as a tool
to measure dietary quality, micronutrient adequacy, and food accessibility.1
Young children must
consume a variety of nutritious foods to fuel their physical and mental growth.2
Research shows that
consuming diverse foods during the first two years of life is associated with improved linear growth.
Conversely, a diet lacking in a variety of nutrient dense foods such as eggs, flesh food, dairy, fruits
and vegetables can increase the risk of undernutrition (stunting, wasting, and underweight) and lead
to irreversible setbacks in cognitive and physical development