Nutritional Need Of Students Is Of Prime Importance To Schools In Mumbai

A detailed report by the Hindustan Times reveals how schools in Mumbai are giving importance to nutritional needs of their students. Giving the children fruit breaks, organising cooking competitions, guiding the parents to maintain nutrition, these institutions are taking major steps towards health of the students.

Mumbai Schools And Nutrition

“We get students from poor, middle-class households who have a very high junk intake as their parents are mostly away for work. Our annual health check-ups revealed deficiencies in vitamins, calcium, etc, which prompted us to take up awareness around nutrition as a key task,” Rajendra Pradhan, school trustee of Sion’s DS High School. The school has introduced a special curriculum right from grade one to ten that focuses on nutrition and food habits.

On the other hand, parents are even being guided by school nutritionists on what the child should eat and what not to eat as well. The right time of consuming healthy food is also being explained to them. “Giving a fruit on an empty stomach is dangerous as fruits contain fructose- a form of sugar. Similarly, giving them milk before breakfast is a wrong practice although very common. With this, the child loses their appetite and doesn’t eat breakfast well,” Dr Rupal Dalal, a paediatrician in Mumbai suggests to parents says the report.

“I would often send sandwiches in my son’s tiffin. However, the school nutritionist wrote to me stating that eating bread in any form was not nutritious enough. She asked me to reduce the frequency of bread and asked me to add vegetable parathas and other such items in the tiffin routine,” says Reema Singh, a parent who spoked to the Hindustan Times.