SHILLONG, May 30: As part of the International Year of Millets 2023, Health Quotient Inspired (HQI) on Tuesday organised a special programme at Dinet Manik Syiem Memorial School, Upper Nongthymmai to encourage students, teachers and parents to opt for healthy alternative nutrition.
The HQI is making an attempt to promote healthy snacking alternatives for students, schoolchildren and parents by encouraging them to use products and bakeries made of millet.
A slew of activities were organised during the programme including interactions and games with the schoochildren including the young ones to explain the nutritional content and health benefit that one can attain by consuming millet.
HQI co-founder, Bibhudutta Sahu said that Meghalaya produces enough millet for the children and future generation.
He also said that there is a need to encourage the farmers to cultivate millet again.
Informing that this is the 5th such programme which they have organised, he said that the HQI is planning to reach out to around 60 schools, colleges and universities across the state to encourage the use of millets as part of the healthy snacking alternatives.
According to Sahu, children now are exposed to various kinds of junk food which is not healthy.
He informed that the HQI is planning to reach out to around 60 schools, colleges and universities across the state as part to promote healthy snacking alternatives.
“Whether we like it or not parents can be the best spoilers or the best providers. We want to provide testier healthier options. This is way we are promoting products which are made of millet. We want to make it affordable for parents to buy and provide the children with the nutrients and vitamins. It is a super food,” HQI co-founder said.
Stressing on the need to encourage the farmers to cultivate millet again, he said that people are eating white rice which is the worst thing.
In Meghalaya, millet cultivation has been integrated into the culture of the people of the state.
With government intervention, many more farmers would rejuvenate their farming practices by cultivating millets. It is an eco-friendly crop that does not require irrigation facilities or external inputs and millet can also be used with any food item that is popular in the market.
Meanwhile, school principal Drimsibon Kharkongor said that this kind of programme is very important especially in this age where people always look after junk food.
She assured to encourage the parents to prepare recipes cooked for their children since it is going to benefit their health.
A volunteer of HQI, Aavisha S Kharkongor said that they are trying to encourage people to switch to a healthy diet consisting millet since it is nutritious and almost a super food grown locally.
“Actually, millets are supposed to be cheaper. Not many people consume millets on a regular basis and now it has become more expensive. Most farmers opt not to grow millets. It is easier durable and more nutritious,” Kharkongor said.
HQI volunteer said that they make biscuits, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and pancake and millet milk shake. “We are trying to experiment with more and more products to get into the main stream market,” Kharkongor added.
A Class XII student of the school, Manju Kumari Thakur, said that this is the first time she was trying to bake pancakes made of millet.
