The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Nutrition expo targets school children

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 08, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Nutrition expo targets school children

Staff Reporter

Women's Christian College organises `Eat Right for Better Health' exhibition

HEALTH FOOD: Visitors at the nutrition expo organised by the Women's Christian College, Nungambakkam, on Thursday. — PHOTO: S. THANTHONI

CHENNAI : The immediate concerns of the Women's Christian College Home Science department rest on the food pyramid. Their exhibition `Eat Right for Better Health' is targeted mainly at the young and hungry, lacking what is called `nutrition literacy'.

Lydia Ashok from a Higher Secondary School was actually there for the children. As her students milled around the exhibition `Eat Right for Better Health', the physical education teacher wandered towards the desk were a girl was calculating Body Mass Index. She said, "These children are from class 8, so I think they are learning a lot from this exhibition." Two students, Shyamili and Jessie, said that they have decided to eat better and include fruit in their diet. Shyamili said, "We learnt that you should not eat chocolate and chips. And you should eat vegetables and fruit."

Gomathy Shivaji, co-ordinator, Centre for Nutrition - Counselling, Research and Extension Activities, said that more than 200 school students have visited the exhibition.

Lecturer Anisha Susan said, "The focus is on school children as child obesity causes many of the degenerative diseases that develop later in life."

The exhibition was organised to celebrate National Nutrition Week that ended on Thursday.

The students prepared charts and food displays to illustrate the food pyramid, different food groups. Examples of nutrients, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals were also on show. Students manning the display explained to visitors the importance of each type of food and the importance of exercise. They even managed to put up a vegetable stall of organically farmed vegetables and did brisk business.

The exhibition also included inter-department competitions that included cookery, poster design and a quiz. People could call 42147670 for nutrition advice.

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