Last Saturday, actor Vidya Balan posted a photo of hers with a plateful of dates on Instagram. Her post said, ‘One of two women in India suffer from Anemia...I myself have been that one out of two women for years...and I can’t empasize enough how much stronger and healthier I feel with the optimal HB in my body...Feels like gold. My favourite #ironRichfood is dates. What’s yours!? This Dhanteras...let’s not invest in gold but also invest in our iron. Eat healthy, iron-rich food. Get tested. Stay alert and healthy!(sic)’
Her post is a part of Project Streedhan which urges women in India to have iron-rich food for better health. A video has been released by Project Streedhan wherein stunning women are shown enjoying iron-rich foods.
Anaemia is a condition in which a person has a lower-than-normal healthy red blood cells or haemoglobin, which reduces the capacity of their blood to carry oxygen, leading to serious health problems and even death.
Why is #projectstreedhan important when women, and men alike, are thinking of diets and workouts to lose weight and look good? As per reports published in national dailies, 'The prevalence of anaemia among Indian women has seen little improvement in 10 years, witnessing a rather small decline from 55% in 2005-06 to 53% in 2015-16, a detailed version of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) released last year by the ministry of health and family welfare said. The statistics for men are no better, with 23% men in the age group of 15 to 49 being anaemic in 2015-16, compared with 24% in 2005-06.’ NFHS-4 details that about 40% of women are mildly anaemic, 12% are moderately anaemic, and 1% are severely anaemic. Among men, 12% are classified as mildly anaemic, 10% moderately anaemic, and 1% severely anaemic. This, despite a flagship programme to address anaemia in women and children being introduced as far back as 1970.
#projectstreedhan stresses the need to take care of our health rather than accumulate wealth. Invest in iron (for your health). After all health is wealth.
