Nutrition is the nourishment required by the body cells to stay alive. It is a science that tells us how nutrients and other substances in food contribute to the growth, reproduction, maintenance, health and disease of any organism, including human beings. It includes not just food intake, but how the food is used by the body.

A balanced diet is essential for healthy growth and development throughout our lives. It wires our brains, builds our strength and muscles, gives us energy and keeps us healthy.

Complementary feeding

• From birth till approximately six months, a child needs only breast milk to grow well. However, after six months, the child starts to grow more rapidly and only breast milk is no longer able to meet their energy and micronutrient requirements. This is the time when infants are given their first intake of food other than breast milk. The food complements breast feeding, hence is known as complementary feeding.

Orange, white and green don’t just represent the Indian national flag, but also signify a balanced meal with representation from different food groups – carbohydrates, protein, vitamin and minerals. The concept of Tiranga Bhojan has helped people inculcate right food habits following colors of the national flag:

• White for rice, paddy, milk and eggs
• Green for fresh green vegetables
• Saffron/orange for ripe fruits, pulses

A combination of all three constitutes a balanced meal. This Tiranga Bhojan guides a child’s plate of food as well.

In India, gender discrimination is one of the most significant underlying factors for poor nutrition.
Gender inequalities in food and nutrition security lie at the root of the cycle of hunger and malnutrition in this country. It is an issue of woman’s own perception of her status. Only when women begin to feel empowered and equal in status to men, will the stranglehold of gender disparities across society weaken and break. Improvements in food availability and in women’s education are the keys for future progress in child nutritional status.

Pregnancy is a demanding physiological state. In India, it is observed that diets of women from the low socio economic groups are essentially similar during pre-pregnant, pregnant and lactating periods. Consequently, there is widespread maternal malnutrition leading to high prevalence of low birth weight infants and very high maternal mortality. Additional foods are required to improve weight gain in pregnancy (10-12 Kg) and birth weight of infants (about 3 Kg). It is hence important to ensure provision of extra food and healthcare to pregnant and lactating women.

Adolescents (children from 10-19 years) experience intense physical, psychological, emotional and economic changes as they grow from childhood to adulthood. Growth during adolescence is faster than at any other time in an individual’s life except the first year. A balanced adequate diet along with hygiene practices and physical activity is important for the physical and cognitive growth and development at this stage in life.

• Men often have priority when it comes to food.
• They may eat before everyone else and enjoy the most nutritious food.
• Women and children are often left with smaller portions and less nutritious meals which exposes women and girls to a range of harmful physical and emotional health outcomes.
• In many households and communities, men make key decisions about what to grow, which animals to raise, what to sell, how much to store, and what foods to buy.

• Malnutrition has intergenerational consequences because undernourished women give birth to low birth weight babies.
• Such children can face cognitive and other limitations all their lives, making it difficult to escape from poverty.
• When women face food discrimination on a national scale, the human capital of the nation is put at risk.
• However, many initiatives target women and girls, and ignore men.
• Women may learn a lot from courses on good nutrition, but excluding men means that women may not be able to act on their improved knowledge.

By virtue of their power and privilege, men are in a prime position to tackle malnutrition in their own homes and in the broader community. All it takes is a little change in their attitude and behavior .

• Encourage men to think about the benefits to the whole family of eating nutritious food together with women and children rather than separately.
• Discuss the special needs of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. Emphasise the importance of good nutrition to children’s development.
• Build trust Engage with men and boys about nutrition, taking time to win their trust and develop their confidence.
• Develop men-only groups to help men support each other in changing their behavior and challenge concepts and practices related to traditional ways of being a man.
• Strengthen men’s personal commitment to gender equality and equip them with the nutritional and agricultural knowledge and skills to put that commitment into practice in their own lives
• Start relating messages to men as fathers.

KALLOLA-5 is the perfect opportunity for you to show your concern on the issue and contribute your bit to the cause of ensuring our children a healthy and safe childhood and future. Come, explore your creativity, and join the campaign!!