Hyderabad: Correcting deficiencies due to malnutrition and under nutrition in children should be the prime objective of 2018.
Government policies should be framed to promote consumption of cereals, millets and other nutrition-enriching foods among the poor and undernourished as well as among the over-nourished middle and upper middle class, where childhood obesity is a problem.
Chief dietician of the Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, M. Radhika, said, “A lot of children have only one type of cereal and there is very little focus on a balanced diet. There is also a lack of variety of foods in the diet. In school canteens, calorie dense foods are served which make children obese. There is also very minimal consumption of green leafy vegetables and fruits.”
Nutritionist Zeenat Fathima said that there is lack of awareness among the poor section of the society about healthy diet “while in the upper class, we see challenges of compatibility with taste. Teenagers are used to tasty foods and they find these (healthy foods) bland. Cooking and presenting the food in different styles will make it more appealing.”
The government is planning to distribute millet as a coarse grain in the ‘nutri-cereals’ category through the public distribution system. This will encourage consumption of millets among the poor and benefit health as millet is rich in iron, calcium and overall mineral content compared to wheat and rice.
