A simple way of understanding the link between us and the food we eat is to observe the forces involved:
There is no particular stage that controls what is grown and what is eaten, it can be seen as a dynamic system. What we demand as consumers is what the farmer is compelled to grow and the market to supply.
On the other hand, we can only stock up in our cellars what is available in the market. A useful way to observe this system and how it affects society is through consumption patterns, in which all three forces are visible. To achieve this I accessed the National Sample Survey of India and various articles and discussions such as this one that observe the changing habits and patterns in our food consumption.
One of the main inferences from the NSSO was the fall in demand for coarse cereals (ragi, jowar, bajra, millets) observed across all classes in society. Also, there is a shift towards processed food among both rural and urban consumers as the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits has declined. Without a doubt, the change in food consumption has an effect on the health and well-being of society. The coarse cereals have served as a source of micro-nutrients in various forms across India. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the only natural source for vitamins and minerals, the deficiencies of which are evident among the lower class who cannot afford to purchase them. And processed food, rich in sugar, salt, fat and preservatives has shown its impact through rise in cardiac diseases, diabetes and obesity.
A healthy, balanced diet is one that involves an intake of a variety of foods in their appropriate portions. As important as diversity is in nature, it is vital in our diet in the form of Dietary Diversity. Our country, with its varied soil and climate distribution can cultivate this diversity and meet our dietary needs. However, the ill-health rampant in the country stand witness to the fact that there is great disparity in accessibility to a healthy diet. A monoculture diet as opposed to a diverse diet can be observed in all classes of society. For one, rice and wheat have become the only cereals that are widely consumed. Not only do they fail to compensate for the nutritional value of millets, they are also expensive to become a part of the households of economically weak.
The matter of concern is that the availability of millets and the land usage for their cultivation is diminishing. At a political level, the Public Distribution System largely distributes only rice and wheat as cereals, forcing a monoculture in both the fields and the diet. The conservation of millets and their consumption on a larger scale is a necessity to maintain agrobiodiversity. Millets have a greater capacity to grow in harsh conditions as opposed to rice and wheat that require continuous irrigation and fertilizers to grow as a monoculture in incompatible conditions.
In recent times, millets are being promoted and revived (read here) in an attempt to draw attention to their health benefits and decline in consumption. They are also emerging as a trend among the elite and the health conscious, at higher prices. As can be read in this article, it is a foolish act on our parts to have forgotten the importance of a diverse diet and the richness of millets, and instead turn first towards cereals rich in sugars and carbs and then towards expensive health fads when the answer to well being was always the inclusion of the array of millets that our land has to offer. To really appreciate the change in diet over the years, here's a blogpost worth reading.
There is no particular stage that controls what is grown and what is eaten, it can be seen as a dynamic system. What we demand as consumers is what the farmer is compelled to grow and the market to supply.
On the other hand, we can only stock up in our cellars what is available in the market. A useful way to observe this system and how it affects society is through consumption patterns, in which all three forces are visible. To achieve this I accessed the National Sample Survey of India and various articles and discussions such as this one that observe the changing habits and patterns in our food consumption.
One of the main inferences from the NSSO was the fall in demand for coarse cereals (ragi, jowar, bajra, millets) observed across all classes in society. Also, there is a shift towards processed food among both rural and urban consumers as the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits has declined. Without a doubt, the change in food consumption has an effect on the health and well-being of society. The coarse cereals have served as a source of micro-nutrients in various forms across India. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the only natural source for vitamins and minerals, the deficiencies of which are evident among the lower class who cannot afford to purchase them. And processed food, rich in sugar, salt, fat and preservatives has shown its impact through rise in cardiac diseases, diabetes and obesity.
A healthy, balanced diet is one that involves an intake of a variety of foods in their appropriate portions. As important as diversity is in nature, it is vital in our diet in the form of Dietary Diversity. Our country, with its varied soil and climate distribution can cultivate this diversity and meet our dietary needs. However, the ill-health rampant in the country stand witness to the fact that there is great disparity in accessibility to a healthy diet. A monoculture diet as opposed to a diverse diet can be observed in all classes of society. For one, rice and wheat have become the only cereals that are widely consumed. Not only do they fail to compensate for the nutritional value of millets, they are also expensive to become a part of the households of economically weak.The matter of concern is that the availability of millets and the land usage for their cultivation is diminishing. At a political level, the Public Distribution System largely distributes only rice and wheat as cereals, forcing a monoculture in both the fields and the diet. The conservation of millets and their consumption on a larger scale is a necessity to maintain agrobiodiversity. Millets have a greater capacity to grow in harsh conditions as opposed to rice and wheat that require continuous irrigation and fertilizers to grow as a monoculture in incompatible conditions.
In recent times, millets are being promoted and revived (read here) in an attempt to draw attention to their health benefits and decline in consumption. They are also emerging as a trend among the elite and the health conscious, at higher prices. As can be read in this article, it is a foolish act on our parts to have forgotten the importance of a diverse diet and the richness of millets, and instead turn first towards cereals rich in sugars and carbs and then towards expensive health fads when the answer to well being was always the inclusion of the array of millets that our land has to offer. To really appreciate the change in diet over the years, here's a blogpost worth reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment