IMPORTANCE OF GOOD NUTRITION AND
 THE SUPPLY OF NUTRIENTS FROM 
FOODS
 

Healthy children are the foundation for a healthy nation. Maintenance of health is basic to happy and productive life. The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.

Two factors which influence the health of a person are: (1) the internal factors which include the thoughts, imagination, feelings and emotional status and (2) external factors which include food, clothing, shelter and economic and environmental conditions. Among the external factors which affect human health, food plays a prominent role.

Food is essential to sustain growth and to maintain the health of children and adults at an optimum level. Food satisfies hunger, and renews strength. Good nutrition helps the child to develop his inborn potentialities to the fullest extent. A well nourished child whose emotional needs are satisfied, tends to be vigorous and interested in what he does. His eyes are bright and his expression happy. In contrast, a malnourished child who does not get the food and nutrients his body needs, is small for his age, lacks the vigour and stamina of the well nourished child, and manifests a general appearance of fatigue and peevishness.

Foods are classified as cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products and flesh foods. These different kinds of foods are made up of a number of components called nutrients, namely, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and water. These nutrients are needed in different quantities by different age groups, for the proper functioning of the human body.

Basically, foods can be divided into three major groups----(1) energy providing foods, (2) growth promoting foods and (3) protective foods. All foods yield energy, which is measured in terms of calories, but carbohydrates and fats are the main sources of calories. Foods rich in protein promote growth of the body. Foods which furnish minerals and vitamins produce immunity, help to protect the body from diseases, and regulate several of the body processes. Water and roughage help in the digestion of food and

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excretion of the waste materials accruing from digestion, absorption and metabolism. Table I gives the nutrients supplied by different categories of foods.

        
        
                                       TABLE  I
        
                 Nutrients Supplied by Different Categories of Foods
                                  Commonly Consumed
        
                                          

        
        No.       Nutrients           Foods rich in the nutrients
        
                                          

        
        1.   Carbohydrates and   Cereals such as wheat, rice, bajra (Gambu),
             sugar               Jowar (Cholam), ragi and maize, pulses,
                                 sugar, Jaggery and honey.
        
        2.   Fat                 Oils, milk, ghee, butter, fleshy foods,
                                 nuts and oil-seeds.
        
        3.   Protein             Legumes and pulses, nuts and oil-seeds,
                                 oil-Seed cakes, milk and milk products,
                                 egg, fish and other flesh foods.
        
        4.   Minerals
        
             a. Calcium          Milk and curds, egg yolk, green leafy                
                                 vegetables, ragi and gingelly seed.
        
             b. Iron             Fleshy foods, liver, egg yolk, green leafy      
                                 vegetables, ragi and jaggery.
        
        5.   Vitamins
        
             a. Vitamin A        Yellow and orange coloured vegetables 
                                 and fruits such as carrot. yellow pumpkin 
                                 and papaya, egg yolk, milk, curds, butter 
                                 and green leafy vegetables.
        
             b. Vitamin B1       Handpounded rice, wheat, gingelly seeds
                (Thiamine)       milk curds, vegetables, bran, yeast
                                 and groundnut.
        
             c. Vitamin B2       Green leafy vegetables, other vegetables,
               (Riboflavin)      milk, liver, fleshy foods, groundnut
                                 and egg.
        
             d. Vitamin C        Vegetables that can be consumed without
                                 cooking, greenleafy vegetables, citrus
                                 fruits such as lemon, orange, sweet lime,
                                 tomato, amla and sprouted grams.
        
                                          

        
                                          

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Feeding children with an adequate diet rich in all the nutrients is a real art. Teachers with devotion, can help greatly in this task through the school lunch. They need to be oriented in their training with the necessary nutrition knowledge.

References :

1. Devadas, Rajammal P. Nutrition and Balanced Diet. Department of Education, Ministry of Education and Social Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi, 1978.

2. Devadas, Rajammal, P. Nutrition in Tamil Nadu Sangam Publishers Company, Madras, 1972.

3. Gopalan. C., Ramasastri, B.V. and Balasubramanian, S.C. Nutritive Value of Indian Foods, NIN, ICMR, Hyderabad, 1976.

4. Manual of Nutrition. Foods and Nutrition Board, Department of Food, Ministry of agriculture and Irrigation, Government of India, 1979.