Which scenario indicates lack of adequate nutrition?

• A. The caretaker regularly provides adequate food
• B. The caretaker regularly fails to provide adequate food, leading to malnutrition
• C. The child eats a balanced diet
• D. The child drinks only juice

Answer: (B)

Adequate nutrition means a child receives enough calories and essential nutrients consistently to support growth and health. When a caregiver regularly does not provide adequate food, it can lead to malnutrition, which is exactly the pattern described: insufficient food over time resulting in poor growth or weakness. That direct cause-and-effect relationship makes this scenario the clearest indicator of lack of adequate nutrition. The other situations show either proper feeding (adequate food is provided, or a balanced diet is eaten) or a potential worry (drinking only juice can create nutrient gaps if it replaces solid foods), but they do not state a persistent lack of adequate food the way the malnutrition scenario does.