Therapeutic food

The primary examples of therapeutic foods are used for emergency feeding of malnourished children or to supplement the diets of persons with special nutrition requirements, such as the elderly.

[1] The most common RUTFs are made of four ingredients: sugar, dried skimmed milk, oil, and vitamin and mineral supplement (CMV).

Other qualities that RUTFs should have included a texture that is soft or crushable and a taste that is acceptable and suitable for young children.

A very important characteristic is that the RUTFs have a long shelf-life and that they are micro-organism contamination resistant, without the need for expensive packaging.

[3] RUTFs are used by UNICEF Kid Power malnutrition program, which employ celebrities to raise awareness about the issue.

The parent is then responsible for feeding the child a flour supplement made of cereal and legumes as a replacement for the milk-based foods used in phases one and two.

These formulas contain a mixture of powdered milk, sugar, and other ingredients designed to provide an easily absorbed mix of carbohydrates and essential micronutrients.

[5] Ready to use therapeutic food within the person's own home for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in children under five years of age may be effective at improving weight gain and recovery when compared to alternative dietary approaches.

[7] As of 2013, Plumpy'Nut had been used to relieve malnutrition in thousands of African children, gaining approval as a therapeutic food from the World Health Organization.