National Dietetics Day- Dietitians Reaching the Unreached

Every year on 10th January, the Indian Dietetic Association (IDA) celebrates Dietetics Day nationwide to create awareness regarding appropriate diet, nutrition and good health in the community. IDA, with 23 chapters pan India, plays an important role in promoting wellness of the population by spreading awareness on healthy eating with an emphasis on preventive nutrition and management of diseases.

About the theme- Dietitians reaching the unreached

Food security is an important aspect to pay attention to especially when it comes to the underprivileged sector.  Due to less availability of health setups, the rural population has limited or no access to health facilities and nutritionists and hence the people of low socio-economic background are the ones who are more vulnerable to diseases and malnutrition. Food availability and affordability are two crucial key factors that play a major role in helping the food reach the unreached. A minimum effort of helping people reach the basic level of Primary Health Care centers (PHCs) is also a good enough step to help them get the fundamental health benefits.

What do numbers say about India’s position in health and nutrition?

The first 1000 days of a kid’s life, from birth to 2 years of age, are considered the golden period of growth and development. 43% of India’s children under 5 years of age are underweight and malnutrition is subsequent higher in rural India as compared to urban India.  This is when optimum nutrition plays a vital role and failing to meet adequate nutritional requirements during this phase can lead to malnutrition and compromised health throughout life. 

An unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle are some of the key risk factors for NCDs (non-communicable diseases). Instances like inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases and several cancers; high salt consumption is an important determinant of high blood pressure and cardiovascular risk and increases the risk factor of stomach cancer; high consumption of saturated fats and trans-fatty acids is linked to heart disease; a range of dietary factors have been related to diabetes; red and processed meat consumption is linked with some cancers.

Solutions to look forward to: 

How can you spread awareness around you at a community level?

Nutrition education is one of the ways to promote awareness. Using technology like ICT (Information Communication Technology) and providing information through communications strategies can be explored using a few other ways as follows:

• Organizing information campaigns and distributing information booklets related to therapeutic nutrition.
• Offering dietary advice at minimal cost in health service settings or free health check-up camps. 
• Providing skills that enable consumers to promote healthy diets to prevent and control obesity and diet-related chronic disease. 
• Make people learn the benefits so they are encouraged to act on the information provided like hosting cookery shows, preparing kitchen gardening setups, and providing an enabling healthy food habits environment like discussing with children about benefits of healthy eating, making different foods available.
• Having food and nutrition as a part of the curriculum in schools for children to explore in options like food. Introducing kids to different cooking techniques and tools. 

What you can do as an individual?

You may have heard that the saying ‘charity begins at home’, well they say right, to start with a good cause, you should first begin from your home. Here are a few ways in which you can help your family get good nutrition:

• Stocking up more nutritious food which includes keeping good combinations of vegetables and fruits.
• In case you have kids at home, while making them eat a particular food item, also share the benefits of the food item in a storytelling way so that they remember.
• Try innovative recipes on weekends. Follow a routine where each one gets a turn to cook their favourite recipe once a week. 
• Involve kids and other family members to cook and shop grocery items.
• Investing more in healthy alternatives rather than junk food. Buy foods like puffed rice or raw fox nuts if you are looking for snacks. 
• Keeping junk food not easily accessible or in front of everyone’s eyes like not putting it on the dining table. 

Footnote

We are leaning forward to water pollution to air pollution at a faster pace and the time where eating healthy was just a choice is almost over. The time to put eating healthy as a habit and prioritize has come and let’s help ourselves to keep our own nutritional status in check so as to contribute to moving towards a healthy country as a whole. 

Let’s pledge to build a #healthyhindustan together.