Nutrition Literacy: Shaping Future of Children & Youth

 The ability required to comprehend the significance of healthy eating for preserving health is referred to as nutrition literacy. The initial goal of nutrition literacy is to improve people's understanding of food so they can better decide which foods and in what amounts are necessary to maintain health.

Consumers today enjoy an unheard-of variety of food products. It is also very easy to find information on food to make sure that what we eat is nourishing.

Understanding the fundamental nutrient groups and their distinct functions in preserving health as well as their dietary sources is provided via nutrition literacy referred to as the "Food Pyramid".

The Food Pyramid addresses every aspect of nutrition intake and facets like vitamin D and multivitamin supplements. By encouraging healthy eating habits and diets, nutrition literacy helps to lower the chance of developing chronic diseases like obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Information about food supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients, that may be necessary in specific situations to meet nutritional demands, is also provided by nutrition literacy. It also includes providing information on eating disorders, that include anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating disorder.

Beyond the fundamentals of reading, writing, speaking and listening, nutrition literacy also includes the abilities needed to comprehend and interpret the frequently complex information regarding foods and their nutrients.

For many families, eating healthfully and reaping its numerous benefits is not easy. Children, especially, have little knowledge about where the food comes from or how certain foods affect their general health. Sustainability in health is a complex problem with many facets.

By teaching children about nutrition literacy, our schools may significantly contribute to changing eating habits. A child’s knowledge about nutrition helps them in the consumption of healthy food which in turn plays a significant role in supporting their good health and preventing illnesses. Therefore, teachers are also encouraged to teach children about nutrition in schools.  

In March 2019, IMPAct4Nutrtion, an initiative convened by UNICEF, Tata Trusts, Sight and Life, CSRBOX, CII, WeCan and NASSCOM Foundation was launched in New Delhi. IMPAct4Nutrition is a platform for the private sector to actively engage and build a social movement with their employees, customers and employees’ families who form a part of their business ecosystem and support the POSHAN Abhiyaan. The platform helps in engaging and supporting the private sector to increase nutrition awareness and improve Nutrition Literacy – or health, hygiene, food and literacy. Besides becoming a part of the POSHAN Abhiyaan, it has also given companies a chance to impact social and economic change by promoting malnutrition-free families.

The PM POSHAN Abhiyaan (previously known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme) is the largest school-feeding programme in India that prioritises monitoring school children's nutritional status in addition to serving them nutritious meals.

PM POSHAN Abhiyaan, was introduced by the government on August 15, 1995. To provide children in primary school (Class I to V) with one meal each day, the programme was introduced in 2,408 blocks across the nation. Following a Supreme Court decision from the same year, dated November 28, it was later rendered universal by expanding the coverage to all government and government-aided schools in 2001. In 2007, the programme's reach was expanded to include students in Upper Primary (Classes VI through VIII).

In the hope of receiving a nutritious meal, millions of children in India go to school. Community involvement and monitoring, together with ongoing government efforts, are the greatest ways to guarantee efficient implementation of MDM.

Through community involvement, we nurture and nourish children and encourage them to pursue their education that helps them mould a better future. For more than two decades, Bengaluru-based NGO The AkshayaPatra Foundation has served as the programme's implementing partner.

The organisation also strives to educate  children how to use nutritional information to build healthy eating habits through nutrition literacy by making children aware about nutrition-focused health outcomes with the help of its individual and corporate partners.