Moringa recommendations
for daily allowances (RDA)
http://moringatrees.org/
CONCLUSIONS MORINGA NUTRITION
Leaves and pods of Moringa Oleifera can be an extremely valuable source of nutrition for people of all ages.
For a child aged 1-3, a 100 gram serving of fresh Moringa leaves would provide all his daily requirements of calcium, about 75% of his iron and half his protein needs, as well as important supplies of potassium, B complex vitamins, copper and all the essential amino acids. As little as 20 grams of Moringa fresh leaves would provide a child with all the vitamins A and C he needs.
For pregnant and breast-feeding women, Moringa leaves and pods can do much to preserve the mother’s health and pass on strength to the fetus or nursing child. One portion of Moringa leaves could provide a woman with over a third of her daily need of calcium and give her important quantities of iron, protein, copper, sulfur and B vitamins. Just 20 grams of Moringa fresh leaves will satisfy all her daily requirement of vitamin C. For both infants and mothers, Moringa pods can be an important source of fiber, potassium, copper, iron, choline, Malnourished children can benefit
from addition of Moringa leaves to their diet. The high concentrations of iron, protein, copper, various vitamins and essential amino acids present in Moringa leaves make them a virtually.
Moringa leaves can be dried and made into a powder by rubbing them over a sieve. Drying should be done indoors and the Moringa leaf powder stored in an opaque, well-sealed plastic container since sunlight will destroy vitamin A. It is estimated that only 20-40% of vitamin A content will be retained if Moringa leaves are dried under direct sunlight, but that 50-70% will be retained if Moringa leaves are dried in the shade. This powder can be used in place of Moringa fresh leaves to make leaf sauces, or a few spoonfuls of the Moringa powder can be added to other sauces just before serving. Addition of small amounts of Moringa leaf powder will have no discernible effect on the taste of a sauce. In this way, Moringa leaves will be readily available to improve nutritional intake on a daily basis. One rounded soup (table) spoon of leaf powder will satisfy about 14% of the protein, 40% of the calcium, 23% of the iron and nearly all the vitamin A needs for a child aged one to three. Six rounded spoonfuls of Moringa leaf powder will satisfy nearly all of a woman’s daily iron and calcium needs during times of pregnancy and breast-feeding.
If one rounded tablespoon of Moringa powder is added to an infant’s food, three times daily, the 25g of Moringa leaf powder will give him roughly the following:
- Protein: 42%
- Calcium: 125%
- Magnesium: 61%
- Potassium: 41%
- Iron: 71%
- Vitamin A: 272%
- Vitamin C: 22%During periods of pregnancy and breast-feeding, women are most at risk of suffering from nutritional deficiences. If a woman consumed six rounded tablespoons of Moringa leaf powder per day during these times, she would receive roughly the following in terms of RDA:
- Protein: 21%
- Calcium: 84%
- Magnesium: 54%
- Potassium: 22%
- Iron: 94%
- Vitamin A: 143%
- Vitamin C: 9%
Given the world food crisis, the use of local resources like Moringa is critical to reduce the dependence of developing countries on imported goods, and to improve nutrition among poor households.
Two or three Moringa trees
in a courtyard are sufficient for the needs of one family.