Getting nutrition back on the school high table

Synopsis: Covid-19 or otherwise, there is a need to ensure children are nurtured or nourished properly.

Introduction

Covid has heightened the risk of increasing malnutrition. Even before it, India was facing significant nutritional challenges. So, there is an urgent need to immediately tackle and address the nutritional requirements of children and adolescents in schools.

What is India’s triple burden of nutrition in schools?

Indian school faces a combination of problems like 1. Undernutrition, 2. Overweight/ obesity, 3. Micronutrients deficiency such as iron, zinc, calcium and several vitamins.

What are the Social factors impacting nutrition?

–living environment under which children are living.

–lack of diet diversity are leading to imbalanced micronutrient intake or consumption of high carbohydrate and high sugar foods.

These endanger the child’s health by compromising their immunity.

What is the government’s role to tackle the nutritional problems?

The government introduced PM Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana to tackle the nutritional challenges.

What India should further do to tackle nutritional challenges in schools?

India should look beyond minimum calorie requirements and ensure children consume a balanced diet in schools.

1. The diet should consist of fresh fruits, cooked meat/poultry and sea fish sufficient to meet daily proteins and fats requirements. 2. The diet should have adequate micronutrients as they are essential for the production of enzymes, hormones and other substances for good immune function, healthy growth and development.

Source: This post is based on the article “Getting nutrition back on the school high table” published in The Hindu on 1st November 2021.