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From the Sustainable Nutrition Manual (SNM) flyer series
Food, Water, Agriculture & Environment
Foods in Malawi
Extracted from SNM Part 3 Health Designs Appendix 1 & 2
Supported by
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Table of Contents
About this Pamphlet extracted from SNM Part 3 (Healthy Designs)
Appendix 2: Menu planning
Malawi Food Group Summary
Basic Menu Plan for an Adult
Making food choices
Appendix 1: Guide to Common Foods in Malawi
1. Staples - 44 indigenous of 50 foods
2. Fruits - 121 indigenous of 148 foods
3. Vegetables - 178 indigneous of 219 foods
4. Legumes and Nuts - 17 indigenous of 28 foods
5. Animal Foods - 28 indigenous of 36 foods
6. Fats & Oils - 29 indigenous of 48 foods
About SNM: Food, Water, Agriculture & Environment
Get your own Free copy of SNM
About this Pamphlet extracted from SNM Part 3 (Healthy Designs)
Part 3 (Healthy Designs) of the manual brings parts 1 (Healthy People) and 2 (Healthy Environment) together.
To access the whole manual, which I encourage you to do, see the last pages of this booklet.
This booklet starts wtih appendix 2 since you might not have read the rest of the manual (yet!). It then goes
into the list of foods, with emphasis on finding and multiplying indigenous knowledge.
• Appendix 2: Meal Planning - This section helps you to plan meals for yourself, your family, or large
groups. There is a simple summary of the food groups including: amounts needed for an adult, the main
nutrients in each group and examples of foods for each group. A basic menu plan will give you an idea
of meal planning and a few tips on making food choices.
In the full version of the SNM you will find blank food availability sheets to help you work out what foods
are available from each food group and what knowledge there is about using those foods. Examples are
provided for workshop menus, which can be used with kitchen staff as well as menu item suggestions
and blank menu sheets, by food group, for a week or for a day.
• Appendix 1: Guide to Common Foods in Malawi - More than 600 foods are listed by the Six Food
Groups. That’s a lot of diversity for your agriculture, businesses, and diet! Even more foods have been
added to this edition of the manual including many more animal foods. The list provides names in English
and Chichewa and gives the scientific name too. Scientific names are the same in all countries, which
helps global communication. This section removes growing information, go to the full SNM for that.
At our home in Chitedze we have about 250 of these foods, which we raise, eat, and share with others. That
is why we called our home NeverEndingFood.
See how many more new and different foods you can start using. Older generations are often the best source
of information about local foods. They know how to find, identify, and prepare them. When you learn about
new foods, share your knowledge with others.
Remember - Let Nature be your Guide and Teacher!
Learning about all the different species is fun, and you will be rewarded with dietary diversity, good health,
more leisure time, and a beautiful and healthy environment.
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Appendix 2: Menu planning
Malawi Food Group Summary
chipande / zipande = serving spoon/s. T = tablespoon. tsp. = teaspoon.
Food Group
Amount
High Nutrients
Some Nutrients
• Examples of Foods
ü Hints for choosing the highest nutrients
Staples
5-6 zipande
carbohydrates
including fibre
proteins
minerals
vitamins
• Grains: rice, wheat, sorghum, millet, maize.
ü Whole grains with bran (gaga or madeya) and germ (mtima).
Germinated / fermented grains.
• Starchy Roots: yams (chilazi, viyao), sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes,
cassava
ü Edible skins of starchy roots
Fruits
3 zipande
vitamins
water carbohydrates
including fibre
• All Fruits except for those in fat or vegetable group. Sweet or tangy
fruits that are often eaten raw: papaya, guava, tangerine, banana,
mchisu, granadilla, sugar cane
ü Brightest colours, choose a variety of colours
ü Tangiest tastes
Vegetables
3-4 zipande
fibre
minerals
vitamins
proteins
• Greens: bonongwe, chisoso, luni
• Fruits: pumpkin, tomatoes, peppers
• Roots: onion, garlic
• Mushrooms and other fungi
• Flowers: Pumpkin flowers
ü Darkest, brightest, variety of colours
Legumes
& Nuts
11⁄2 zipande
proteins
carbohydrate
including fibre
minerals
vitamins
fat
• Legumes: hyacinth bean (khungudzu), ground beans (nzama),
soybeans, pigeon pea (nandolo), peas (nsawawa), mucuna
(kalongonda), groundnuts
• Tree Nuts: mbula, maula, cashew,
ü High fat: nuts and soy
ü Sprouted (use only legumes that are edible raw)
Animal
Foods
1 chipande
proteins
fat
minerals
vitamins
• Flesh: mice, chicken, pigeon, pig, goat, fish,
• Insects: ngumbi (termites), caterpillars
• Eggs, milk, chambiko (yoghurt), cheese
Fats
3 T seed
or
3 tsp. oil
fat
proteins
minerals
vitamins
fibre in plant fats
Foods that feel “fatty” in your mouth:
• Oilseeds: from pumpkin, sesame, sunflower
• Cooking Oils pressed from seeds
• Fruits: avocado pear, coconut
• Animal Fats: butter, lard
ü Whole seeds, avocado, coconut, sprouted seeds
Water
8-12 cups
water
minerals
• Water, juices (fresh, 100% juices), and other drinks.
ü Limit / avoid refined sugars, alcohol, and caffeine drinks.