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KOHIMA — Chairperson of the Nagaland State Commission for Women (NSCW), W Nginyeih Konyak, on Tuesday said that by giving more focus on nutrition, health, education and empowerment, one can work towards a healthier, more literate and empowered nation.
She stated this during the awareness programme on Poshan Maah-improving the nutritional status of girls and women-held at the NBCC conference hall in Bayavu Hill, Kohima.
She noted that Rashtriya Poshan Maah, also known as National Nutrition Month, is an annual event in India that aims to improve ground-level nutrition outcomes and encourage behavioural changes. This year, it focuses on key themes such as anaemia, growth monitoring, complementary feeding and poshan bhi padhai bhi for early childhood care and education dietary practices.
“The Poshan Abhiyan seeks to address the challenges of malnutrition through a strategic shift in nutrition content and delivery by creating a convergent ecosystem to develop and promote practices that nurture health. It also underscored the critical interplay between nutrition, education and empowerment in the country's development,” she said,
She added that the programme also emphasised the importance of gender mainstreaming and women's empowerment in tackling nutritional issues. It aims to empower children through universal access to quality education and to promote nutrition understanding to tackle the issue of malnutrition through a lifecycle approach wherein vulnerable life stages such as pregnancy, lactation, adolescence and children.
While highlighting the functions and objectives of the commission, the chairperson stated that it sought to redress women's rights being violated.
The Kohima district coordinator of Poshan, Sohile Tep, spoke on ‘anaemia and nutrition.' She explained to the students in detail about the adolescent age and the importance of healthy and right food for growth for this age group. According to her, the group age experiences rapid growth and requires maximum nutrition for fullest growth.
She further explained that food containing iron, calcium and vitamin D are crucial for adolescence. She encouraged the students to cultivate healthy eating habits at this age to avoid health complications in the future.
“Cultivating good eating habits can also bring better performances in the present life and future,” she said.
Speaking about iron deficiency anaemia, she said it develops in a person when there is less iron to produce Hemoglobin in the body. To prevent it, she said one has to eat rich iron food including green leafy vegetables and animal livers. She also emphasised that eating right is important and advised having vitamin C-containing food when on an iron food diet.
Roseline Richa Dzuvichu, Reader at SCERT, spoke on 'Responsible food choice.'
She pointed out some common food adulteration found in milk products.
“To increase butter fat content, hydrogenated vegetable fat is added to milk or milk powder is mixed with dextrin powder or soluble starch. Ghee is also often found adulterated with vanaspati or animal fats,” she added.
Offering some of the best daily practices, she advised that all nutrients in food stuff be consumed. She further encouraged developing a healthy lifestyle, maintaining a habit of adding at least three colours of food, exercising, having seasonal vegetables and fruits and checking health status.
Other resource persons included medical superintendent of Kohima District TB and Chest Diseases Hospital, Dr. Asunu Thong, who dwelled on 'Good health and hygiene' and Apila Sangtam, legal consultant of NSCW, who spoke on legal awareness.
Students from various schools in Kohima and mothers attended the awareness programme.