By H H Mohrmen
COVID-19 has made both health and not so health conscious people to focus on their diet. Amongst the health conscious people losing weight has now given way to building immunity against the disease. Exercise, trying to get good sleep, keeping stress under check and eating the right food that provides macro and micro- nutrients is the new mantra in the fight against COVID-19. But in a state like Meghalaya, the matter related to food is easier said than done. It is easy to tell poor people to eat nutritious food but the question is how can people access healthy food.
A study conducted by the International Food Research Policy Institute (IFPRI) and CGIAR research program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) found that food consumed by people in the country are not nutritious enough. It was found that there is excess consumption of cereals across all strata of society in India. Indian diets are below optimal because there are not enough proteins, fruits, and vegetables in their diet. This is true even in the state, where rice is the staple food of the people.
In Jaintia Hills rice is the most important item in nearly all meals, and also most of the popular snacks of the people are all made of rice. Apart from the popular snack like Pu tharo in Khasi; tpu seiñ in Pnar and twew san in War Jaintia, Pu maloi; Tpu langdong; twew ludong, kpu khlein/tpu phniang/myngkruid or twewpuri, there are eight other snacks made by the Pnar and the War Jaintia people in which rice is the main ingredient. This is not to count shira; in Khasi, khooner; in Pnar and rhia sner in War Jaintia and hando which is also made of rice which is later dried.
Milk was never part of the food in the Khasi Pnar culture; it was not used even as an ingredient in making any of the snacks consumed by the people. People do not have any knowledge of making other milk products like butter, ghee etc nor do they have stories related to milk or cows in connection with food. Cattle rearing is mainly for fattening the animals, to get cow dung to be used as manure and of course for meat. Even bullocks are rarely used in ploughing the fields. Dairy farming was introduced to the area mostly by the Nepali and Bihari people. This is the reason why unlike in the neighbouring culture, cow was never given the status of a mother in the Khasi Pnar culture. Now when milk by tradition was not part of the diet of the people, there must be some other foods that they consume which supplements the macro and micro nutrients found in milk.
Meat is another major food item of the people and like any tribals who were hunters till very recently, bush meat was also part of the stable food of the people. In the list it includes all kinds of animals including some insects’ larvae with the only exception being snake. Though traditionally people also domesticated animals and there is a theory that the Khasi Pnar were the first to domesticate chicken base on the oral narrative of, ‘ka krem lamet ka krem latang,’ where rooster is the main character. The other three domestic animals reared by the people are cattle, pigs and goats. The chickens also provide eggs which are also part of the staple food of the people. Fish and other aquatic life which are mostly fresh water fishes are also major source of food for the people. Fishes are also dried and eaten dry.
The popular adage is ‘an apple a day will keep the doctor away’ but the apple is a foreign fruit which still retains its original ‘apul’ name even in day to day conversation of the people and it is expensive. But that does not mean that people do not consume fruits. The fruits that people consume are local fruits endemic to the area like ‘u Soh phie/ Saphai or Bolmeseng’ Garo, the common English name of which is Bay berry and scientific name Myrica esculenta, ‘u Sohphoh Khasi/saphoh ptet or wild apple the scientific name of which is Docynia indica khasiana, ‘u Sohshang/Salangi’ common English name is Oleaster/Wild olive and the scientific name is Elaeagnus latifolia (NESFAS IEC material REC sponsored No one shall be left behind project).
But the problem is because all fruits consumed by the people are seasonal there are times when people do not consume fruits at all. The other problem is in the Khasi Pnar culture fruits are also consumed as snacks and at times people tend to consume more fruits that are required during the particular fruit season. Fruits are never consciously consumed to contribute to the balanced diet of the person, but are merely eaten as a snack.
The idea of eating a balanced diet is still not so popular in the cultural ethos of the people; even today there is a common saying, ‘bam ban kdang’ people eat to quell their hunger. To boost a person’s immune system is to eat a balanced diet and eat the different food groups as prescribed by the Food and Agriculture Organization. According to FAO, it defines Dietary Diversity as a qualitative measure of food consumption that reflects household access to a variety of foods, and is also a proxy for nutrient adequacy of the diet of individuals. According to FAO there are a total of 10 food groups that people generally consume and in a day an individual should consume a minimum of at least five food groups to enable the individual to have a complete and balanced diet.
The first of ten food groups are meat, poultry and fish in one food group, nuts and seeds in the second food group, grains, white roots, tuber and plantains in another. The fourth food group includes vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables, eggs and dairy products are categorized in two separate groups, pulses which include beans, peas and lentils in another group. Then there is a group which includes only dark green leafy vegetables, other fruits and vegetables which are not included in the above-mentioned groups were included in another two separate groups.
Eating a balanced diet is also considered to be expensive proposition for people especially those in the villages. The poor in the rural areas often complain that they can barely afford two square meals a day. The reason is because people tend to think that a balanced diet can only comprise of milk, apples or fruits available in the market and meat. In fact eating a balanced diet everyday is not a problem if Dietary Diversity as recommended by FAO is taken into consideration. North East Slow Food and Agro-biodiversity Society and its partner NGOs are trying to bring this awareness to the people. In the same “No one shall be left behind,” project led by NESFAS, people are taught to eat at least five of the ten food groups in a day. This is not an impossible task. In the context of the Khasi Pnar people cereal which means rice is already consumed in abundance and the other common items in the food plate of the people are meat or dry fish. This means that people already consume two food groups and the other food group could be the different seasonal fruits that are also available in abundance here in various seasons. The other food groups like green leafy vegetables are available freely in nature as indigenous food systems but this again depends on the season. People also eat different types of beans and seeds and egg is also easily available in the villages.
It is not at all impossible to have a balanced diet and a person does not have to be rich to be able to afford a meal with a balanced diet. In the Khasi Pnar context, it is possible to have a balanced diet if only people take indigenous food systems seriously. In fact, indigenous food system has been people’s mainstay. People only need to change their perception about the way they eat food. The minimum of five food groups that a person needs to consume as per FAO recommendations are available in every family’s kitchen garden in the village. People only need to be made aware of the different food groups and to be conscious in their choices and eat not less than five food groups in a day. If food is consumed bearing in mind the Dietary Diversity, indigenous food systems can also help a person’s immune system function to the optimum and protect himself/herself not only from the COVID-19 but make a person healthy. The trick as someone said, is ‘to eat your rainbow,’ the more colourful the food is, the healthier it is.
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