Celebrating National Nutrition Week 2024, Integrated Child Development Services (2024) workers from 12 blocks in Madurai district set up nutritious food stalls at the Collectorate here on Monday.
The organisers said the day was observed throughout the month of September to insist on the consumption of nutritious food.
It was focused mainly on children, ante-natal and post-natal women, as the surveys suggest they lack nutritious food in their diets, they added.
Explaining the importance of each of the millet’s, grains and sprouts, dishes such as sweet millet balls, millet pongal, porridge, cooked sprouts, dosa and other dishes were exhibited at the stall and were also distributed to the public.
Along with the dishes, their nutritious importance, benefits and key components were exhibited. Along with this, dolls made of millets and grains under titles ‘strength giving foods,’ and ‘protective foods,’ were displayed at the stalls.
M. Jayachitra, ICDS anganwadi worker from Tirupparankundram block, said that two dishes were cooked from each of the nine grains (navadhanya) - Bengal gram, wheat, horse gram, green gram, rice, white beans, black sesame seeds, chickpeas and black gram.
“In addition to the food that was cooked there during the exhibition, the recipes were also shared with the public,” she added.
A 1000 days (golden days) chart starting from the child in the mother’s womb to its two years, with do and don’ts to be followed by mothers for their children’s well-being, were displayed at the event, she noted.
Collector M.S. Sangeetha, tasting the dishes made in the event, handed over prizes to winners who made innovative dishes from grains.
Published - September 30, 2024 06:55 pm IST
