A dialogue on health and education some months ago, while conceding that the crisis in human health is a worldwide problem and that there is no easy solution to it, concluded that the most effective way to tackle ill health and impoverishment in South Asia would be, first, to raise awareness through compulsory general education, and second, introduce wholesome meals through the school system. Bangladesh’s food-for-education initiative —- although it is solely grain-based and uncooked, and also not consistently implemented —- could be a step in the right direction, if sustained and developed further to constitute a square meal. That school meals can address malnutrition among children and keep them from dropping out has already been proven by nations that had planned their diets with reasonable care and intelligence. Therefore all enlightened education systems in the world today include at least one nutritious meal for school children.
Balanced nutrition is a pre-requisite for building a robust human resource and the sooner the connections between diet and disease are recognized by policy makers and people alike, the better can this nation develop. More than 80 per cent of the disease burden in poor countries like Bangladesh is due to mal-nourishment and poor hygiene. Coordinated and complementary efforts by all —- government, non-government and other stakeholders in the health and education sectors —- need to be taken, to address the core problem of the country’s population through a comprehensive school education curricula that establish the links between nutrition and health.
Some NGOs have been encouraging their target groups to raise poultry and grow vegetables which, they believe, have helped them overcome night blindness, a Vitamin A-deficiency disease which is still quite common among Bangladesh’s poor. Bonafide development activists in fact have always been stressing the importance of a people’s diet in both overcoming and preventing the ‘impoverishment of the human material’. Indeed, the ignorance or apathy of governments in this regard can cause ‘ a graver mischief than an act of cruelty inflicted by an alien power.’ It is imperative, therefore, that both theoretical and practical knowledge about basic nutrition and related health matters be disseminated all through educational institutions as well as other avenues so that people can begin to look after their own and their families’ health. Decision-makers should seriously apply their minds to this aspect of human resource development.
Sufficient complex carbohydrates and a mix of both animal and vegetable protein are recommended by nutritionists for optimum benefit throughout an individual’s life. Nuts are said to be particularly valuable, being one of the most natural and wholesome foods and comparatively rich in proteins and fats. They also have vitamins and minerals and some starch as well. Peanuts are fairly common as a crop in Bangladesh and it certainly is a food item worth promoting, not just as a snack in the sports gallery or at the bus stop, but as part of main meals as well. High time concerted and creative efforts were made to popularize nutritious mixes and dishes that all can afford. Special ‘Bangladesh brands’ could be introduced, packed with proper nutrition which the poor and rich alike could benefit from. Companies that are currently selling sugary drinks, allegedly laced with addictive substances, should be made to shift to worthier enterprises that could contribute to the better mental and physical health of consumers. – FE Editorial
