Stunted Growth Is Still A Matter Of Concern For India

Did you know that nearly 62 million kids in India under the age of 5 are stunted? 

Stunted growth continues to be a challenge in India—it’s constant at 39 percent. This means that the food consumed by many children is far from being nutrient-rich. The right kind of protein required for optimal growth is simply not a part of their diets!

Stunted growth stood at 43 percent in 1999. Today, even after so many years have passed, the incidence of stunting has reduced to only 39 percent.

The new Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT) - 2017 will help nutritionists, public health managers, and doctors address this issue in detail. This is because food quantities can be scientifically evaluated, stated Director T Longvah at the National Institute of Nutrition.

Mr. Longvah explained, “Protein is required for the growth of children. With the help of the new IFCT, we can now understand where this protein is missing and how the situation can be rectified.”

He continued, “Earlier, protein estimates were taken from international charts. But in the present book, we have details of all the animal and plant foods. In the case of animal foods, details are presented precisely in the form of nutrition derived from the animal’s shoulder, legs, brain, tongue, thigh, and liver. This will give an exact idea as to which part gives how much nutrition.”

Soya bean has the highest protein in the family of pulses and whole grains.

Similarly, in chicken, a distinction has been made between poultry and country chicken as well as other birds like duck, emu, pigeon, quail and turkey. Moreover, other animal foods like beef, goat, sheep, calf, pork, hare and rabbit have been clearly classified.

These classifications provide an insight into the protein content present in various food sources. This ensures that growth factors can be evaluated accordingly. High-value protein is present even in nuts and oil seeds; these are good sources that can be added to the children’s diets to deal with their deficiency.