MAWKYRWAT: Bringing to light the “poor nutritional content in our food”, District Project Officer (DPO), ICDS Cell, Nongstoin, B Nengnong, on Tuesday, said that the state government is providing supplementary food programme through Anganwadi centres to help children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers as well as old people to tackle malnutrition.
“The food in our society includes only rice, potato and tea, which mostly contain carbohydrates,” Nongneng said.
Speaking during a convergence meet on Poshan Maah in Mawkyrwat, the officer informed that one of the objectives of this year’s Poshan Maah is to identify children with severe acute malnutrition and help them.
Home visit is one of the ways to identify malnutrition in children and know the health status of the community, she said.
Nongneng urged upon the village leaders and fathers to collaborate in starting a kitchen garden.
Meanwhile, Dr FR Lartang, District Medical & Health Officer, South West Khasi Hills, said that birth spacing can play a significant role in maintaining good health of the child as well as the mother.
Speaking on severe acute malnutrition, the DM&HO said it usually occurs due to a pandemic, broken families and sickness, during which parents are not able to provide nutritional food to the children.
Symptoms of severe acute malnutrition include fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, slow healing process when sick, and lack of concentration in studies or work, he added.
“Lack of nutrition will also lead to stunting and if not taken care at an early stage, it will be difficult in future,” Nengnong said.
The official also urged people to cultivate habits of eating a balanced diet right from an early stage to avoid complications or illnesses in future.