This day also advocates for food security and zero hunger goals. Let us understand how proper nutrition, healthy eating habits, sustainable practices, and embracing traditional food patterns can help make a difference and achieve what this day aims for.
Why is Proper Nutrition Important?
Nutrition levels can make or break a person. Food insecurity and malnutrition can increase health problems and reduce productivity. Be it the proper functioning of the brain, cognitive performance, or the immune system, every bodily aspect is threatened when a healthy diet is not ensured.
Key Eating Habits to Ensure Ideal Nutrition Levels
Try incorporating different food groups like staples, legumes, fruits, and vegetables into your diet. Maintaining a balance is important. Hence, the intake of crucial nutrients in the right proportions also becomes vital. Here are some simple eating habits that can boost health:
- Reduce daily intake of fat by steaming or boiling foods and cut down on processed food items.
- Try limiting excessively salty or sugary snacks.
- Consume both seasonal and local produce. The idea is to reap the maximum benefits from the foods available.
- Adopt healthy eating habits. Practice portion control and eat mindfully to prevent obesity and associated risks.
Organic Farming: Returning to Nature
The demand for organic food and drinks has increased. People in India are now more careful and aware of basic nutritional requirements. Inorganically produced foods are being discouraged as people are experiencing various health complications. Instead, everyone wants organic products that do not involve harmful synthetics or strong chemicals. The benefits of organic farming strategies include:
- Better soil health and fertility,
- Nutrition-packed crops, and
- Environment-friendly procedures.
Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable practices are thoughtful choices. They consider the impact of farming and production procedures on the environment and personal health. Using sustainable products has multiple advantages.
The most prominent of them is the reduction in carbon footprint. World Food Day aspires to educate people about the perks of practicing sustainable food production techniques. Sustainable agriculture can help because:
- It preserves biodiversity and enables the restoration of ecosystems.
- Manages soil health and prevents soil degradation or erosion
- Promotes economical use of water and encourages trimming water waste to the minimum.
- Reduces the contamination risks for food supply by shrinking the usage of harmful chemical components like pesticides and fertilizers.
- It also understands the challenges posed by climate change and tackles them by following strategies that nullify its effect on the production of eatables.
- Employs sustainable packaging systems that use recyclable and biodegradable containers to manage waste.
- Encourages purchase of locally and seasonally grown crops to cut back transportation expenses.
- Traditional preservation techniques like fermenting, pickling, and drying are also employed to stretch the lifespans of ingredients.
India: Key nutritional challenges and the rich Indian cuisine
Statistics related to nutrition in India point towards a serious situation. With a population as huge as India’s, stubborn challenges like poverty, internal conflicts, lack of resources, natural disasters, and unsustainable agricultural practices prevent the country from achieving ideal levels of nutrition and health for all its citizens. Thus, actions should be taken to make India’s nutrition-rich foods available to its entire populace.
The traditional Indian diet is chiefly plant-based. Be it dal rice or regular chapati and curry, India’s staple foods and diet plans cover almost every dietary requirement of an individual. Indian cuisine varies depending on the state that you are in. This offers diversity in spices and flavors. Spices have other roles besides adding flavors. While some are known to have strong anti-inflammatory properties, others can assist in digestion.
Conclusion
Awareness is pivotal. The path to accomplishing the goals of World Food Day involves educating people regarding nutrition, healthy eating habits, sustainability goals, organic farming, features of their native food patterns, and more. The Indian government has launched several schemes and initiatives so far but making people aware of the same is also as important.
The Theme for World Food Day 2024 is "Right to Food for a better life and a Better future”. This theme further underlines the importance of adequate nutrition for all. By making the slightest changes in your lifestyle, you too can contribute to the cause. Collaborate with Brown Living in promoting this sustainable practice.
