Improved Nutrition Awareness

India's traditional system of Ayurveda favors a vegetarian diet. World over, several studies are again corroborating the same that there could be lower risk with a plant based diet instead of animal based diet. Ayush department at the start of pandemic also stressed to people the need for proper diet to avoid risks of Covid. Good Nutrition offers immunity and resilience to counter disease. 

Globally, from Israel to USA, many studies done during covid proved that a plant based diet reduced covide risks. They said nearly 33 percent of cases could have been avoided if people had a diet consisting of fruits and vegetables.  It is nice to hear the world too agreeing to what Indians have been practising for centuries, a healthy plant based diet. Most Indians of all religions do not eat non vegetarian daily. They eat home made cooked food prepared from fresh greens and vegetables. Indians do not eat packaged food like in the west nor do they drink from cans. 

Across the world, eating junk and processed food has led to fat depositing in the body which causes several diseases from blood sugar to cancer. All know that a change in diet leads to improvement in blood sugar. Similarly, one can get spiritual advancement the more they eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Animals give us milk eating raw food. We eat non vegetarian food but those animals build their bodies eating only plant based food. A plant based diet also reduces cholestrol which reduceds the risk of heart diseases. Compared to cooked/processsed food, raw food offers more vitality. 

Medically, these plant based foods have higher ratio of antioxidants and fibre. They provide the necessary proteins required for the body which currently doctors keep stressing that only a meat based diet can provide.  Many people are sufefring a unhealthy lifestyle which has caused them less sunlight resulting in reduced Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and iron. Many doctors advise getting vitamin supplements from food and avoid taking multi vitamin supplements.  Meat also has problems of inducing into the body harmful metals. 

Fruits have become costlier over a period of time which also implies that the poor are eting them less than earlier. Also the risk of pesticide infested fruits has also increased health risks. The most selling fruits in the market are those which come cheap. Covid has increased the demand for fruits regardless of cost. The Middle class especially is spending more on fruits than earlier. Many daily drink coconut water and two to three fruits. The market has similarly responded by increasing the supply of fruits. 

Covid Lockdown also pushed many into retailing of vegetables and fruits. This has continued after lockdown as well. Fresh Vegetables and Fruits are constantly in demand thus supplementing people's nutrition. Many are preferring to get their fruits and vegetables online which reduce the time and distance to travel to procure the same. The Bottom of the pyramid suffers from malutrition despite the efforts of government to supplement them with good nutrients, food, eggs,etc. The Midday meal scheme across the nation feeds lakhs of children across several countries to counteract the deficiencies that come due to ill nutrition at home.  The developing and poor nations suffer severe levels of malnutrition. 

Early childhood or nutrition in the first 1000 days is now getting increased attention globally. many nations are adopting better practices to help mothers breastfeed their children by providing them nutrition, supplements, folic acid and deworming tablets. They are also conducting awareness camps for new mothers. In 2019, a Lancet study attributed nearly 68 percent of deaths in India to child and maternal nutrition.