In today’s fast-paced world, it is easy to overlook the nutrition count in our diets.
As a developing country, India deals with a multitude of challenges, affecting individuals across various social groups. National Nutrition Week serves as a timely reminder of the significance of proper nutrition in our meals.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), malnutrition is a major part of the disease burden on the Indian government, especially children under 5 years of age.
By understanding nutrition principles and making informed choices, we can pave the way for a healthier future for ourselves and generations to come.
This blog aims to shed light on the key aspects of healthy eating and explore how adopting a nutritious diet can positively impact your physical and mental health.
Explore one of India’s largest natural and organic e-marketplace, Re:fresh.
India’s Battle with Malnutrition:
India has the second most land under agriculture and is one of the largest producers of food crops, cereals, spices, and millet in the world. This complex problem affects millions of people countrywide, particularly children and women.
State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report highlighted that India is home to 194.6 million (19.5 crore) undernourished people – the highest in any country in the world. This complex problem affects 13.7% of the total population.
Food and Agriculture Organization defines ‘Undernourishment’ means that a person who is not able to acquire enough food to meet the daily minimum dietary energy requirements over one year. The FAO describes wasting as ‘low weight-for-height’, a lethal form of malnutrition, whereas stunting is described as ‘low height-for-age’ and is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition.
India’s number of children (under five years) ‘wasting’ was 21.9 million (18.7 percent), and 36.1 million (31.7 percent) children were stunted in 2022.
Public Spending on Health:
While we discuss food security and nutrition in India, it is important to correlate the numbers with government spending in this field.
As India nears its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for eliminating chronic hunger by 2030, the country has witnessed remarkable progress of almost 3 percent of children below 5 years of age who are stunted or chronically malnourished.
Good nutrition is the bedrock of child survival and development as it forms the base of any country’s population.
Nutrition has direct and long-lasting impacts on a child's entire lifetime, a healthy diet bridges the gulf between merely surviving and truly thriving.
Malnutrition poses a great threat to the economic burden, by successfully tackling wasting,India can recover US$48 billion in lifetime lost productivity.
The Impact of Nutrition on Health:
In nation-building or at home, the most important and often overlooked topic is a healthy meal. Everything, right from sleep, digestion, stress, and environmental issues affects nutrition.
Before understanding the situation of nutrition in India, it is imperative to get hold of the impact of nutrition on health. For the well-being of the body, a balanced diet, with all the essential nutrients of the body, should be taken.
Generally, a healthy diet consists of many fresh fruits and vegetables, with limited processed foods.
Physical Health:
A balanced diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, reducing the risk of obesity and related conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
What is a balanced meal?
A balanced meal contains a variety of foods from all major food groups in appropriate proportions. This ensures that your body receives a wide range of essential nutrients.
United Nations described a ‘healthy diet’ as comprising four key aspects: diversity (within and across food groups), adequacy (sufficiency of all essential nutrients compared to requirements), moderation (foods and nutrients that are related to poor health outcomes), and balance (energy and macronutrient intake).
Harvard School of Public Health explains the amount of essential nutrients we ought to add to our daily meals, without missing out on taste.
Fresh Vegetables and Fruits - ½ of your plate.
The number of calories in a food refers to the amount of energy stored in that food. Your body uses calories from food for walking, thinking, breathing, and other important functions.
The average person needs about 2,000 calories every day to maintain their weight, but the amount will depend on their age, sex, and physical activity level.
Males tend to need more calories than females, and people who exercise need more calories than people who don’t.
Whole Grains - ¼ of your plate.
Whole and intact grains—whole wheat, barley, wheat berries, quinoa, oats, and more.
These are essential for building and repairing tissues. Examples include poultry, beans, lentils, and tofu.
Choose healthy vegetable oils like olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and others, and avoid partially hydrogenated oils, which contain unhealthy trans fats. Remember that low-fat does not mean “healthy.”
Does Organic hold the solution?
The organic food industry has grown significantly in the last decades. India has over 1 million organic food producers, standing at the top of production.
This system replenishes the soil to retain its core nutrients and nurtures the biodiversity of the land. Understanding the perils of artificial fertilizers that impact the quality of the produce, people are switching to an organic way of living.
According to Research, Organic food is potentially healthier than conventionally harvested food. Organic varieties of certain foods provide significantly greater levels of vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus than non-organic varieties.
Prioritizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats is essential for meeting your nutritional needs.
How Sissen Village in Arunachal Pradesh is an Ideal for Organic Agriculture
September 12th, 2024
Categories