Food is a fundamental determinant of health, accounting for approximately 60-70% of what shapes our overall well-being. It is a source of nourishment for our bodies and fuel for our minds. In today’s world, packaged foods have become integral to our daily lives, resulting in a significant increase in the incidences of underweight, overweight, and obesity. Worldwide, excess weight contributes to approximately 2.8 million deaths annually. Currently, in India, 3.4% of children are overweight, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21). The UNICEF World Obesity Atlas 2022 predicts that India will have over 27 million obese children, accounting for one in ten children globally by 2030.
However, the problem is not confined to obesity and overweight; underweight and malnutrition are equally pressing concerns. India has long been at the forefront of countries with the highest numbers of child malnutrition. This paradoxical situation—where undernutrition and overnutrition coexist—is primarily driven by widespread nutritional illiteracy. Many children and families lack the knowledge necessary to make healthy food choices, leading to both underweight and overweight conditions. As these health challenges are mainly caused by the increasing consumption of unhealthy and highly processed foods, the need for food and nutrition education becomes vital. Addressing these issues requires a multifaceted approach, and one promising strategy is the introduction of basic nutritional education into the school curriculum. Teaching children about a balanced diet, its components, and how to read and understand food labels will encourage a behavior change conducive to adopting a healthy diet. This article advocates for the inclusion of fundamental nutrition concepts and food label literacy as core components of the school curriculum.
Fundamentals of Nutrition
Nutrients from food and fluids are utilized by the body for growth, energy, and other purposes. There are some essential nutrients that the body cannot synthesize and must be obtained from food. In this context, a balanced diet is important. A balanced diet is essential for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and meeting the body’s nutritional needs. The cornerstone of a balanced diet is diversity and proper proportioning of essential nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, water, and fibres. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy diet encompasses several key components:
- Fruits and Vegetables: Consuming at least 400 grams (about five portions) of fruits and vegetables per day, excluding potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, and other starchy roots.
- Legumes, Nuts, and Whole Grains: Including legumes (e.g., lentils and beans), nuts, and whole grains (e.g., unprocessed maize, millet, oats, wheat, and brown rice) in the diet.
- Limit Free Sugars: Ensuring that less than 10% of total energy intake comes from free sugars, which is about 50 grams for a person consuming 2000 calories per day, with an ideal target of less than 5% for added health benefits.
- Limit Fats: Keeping less than 30% of total energy intake from fats.
- Reduce Salt Intake: Consuming less than 5 grams of salt per day.
These principles offer a general framework for a balanced diet that varies based on individual needs and cultural contexts. Despite the importance of nutrition, the present curricular framework falls short of providing comprehensive health education. The Planning Commission, 2008 writes that the current curriculum fails to acknowledge health and nutrition holistically and does not provide adolescents with two major food skills i.e. planning of meals and food purchasing.
A study titled, “Quantitative and qualitative analysis of nutrition and food safety information in school science textbooks of India” conducted to examine the level of food and nutrition education in private Indian secondary schools also paints a grim picture. It reveals that
- Nutrition topics got less than 10% of pages in textbooks of grades I to VII. These topics were omitted in subsequent grades. Nutrition topics in textbooks beyond grade IV became repetitive and inconsistent. Important topics such as nutritional needs during adolescence, obesity, unhealthy foods, and food labeling are not covered.
- The nutrition curriculum was too theoretical and limited. It was further contradicted by the packaged food in the school canteens.
- Food safety got a mere 1% of page allocation, that too only in grades I to III books.
Food Label Reading
When we buy a food item at the grocery store, we usually check the expiry date, but do we take the time to read and understand the food labels? For the majority of people, the answer is no. Food labels generally provide crucial nutrition information, such as the amount per serving of saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sodium, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in a packaged food item. These labels include nutrient-reference values, expressed as % Daily Values intended to help consumers assess how a specific food can fit into their daily diet. As the primary mode of communication between the food industry and consumers, food labels play an instrumental role in guiding healthy food choices.
However, food labels are often underutilized due to a lack of basic food label reading skills. A range of consumer research studies reveals that food labels are often overlooked or misunderstood. For instance, the study titled “Exploring the Influence of Food Labels and Advertisements on Eating Habits of Children: A Cross-Sectional Study from Punjab, India” found that a significant percentage of children did not find food labels noticeable (61.9%) or readable (55.8%). Furthermore, more than half of the children (52.2%) face difficulty in understanding the components of the food label, and only a small fraction (6.9%) could accurately interpret the nutritional information presented. Almost half of the students (49.3%) reported that they were never influenced by food labels. A considerable percentage (59%) said they did not alter their buying behavior based on label information. This aligns with findings from another study titled, “Assessing the Effectiveness of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels for Pre-Packaged Processed Foods in India. The study found that most Indians read food labels primarily to check the brand name and expiry date rather than to examine nutritional values.
Consumers frequently encounter difficulties in understanding quantitative information, interpreting correct serving sizes, and utilizing the % Daily Values (%DVs) to evaluate their diet. Most consumers can locate calorie content on the Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP), but fewer can use the percentage information or serving size data to estimate the food’s contribution to their daily nutritional needs. This highlights a significant gap in public knowledge and suggests a pressing need for educational interventions. Incorporating food label reading into the school curriculum could bridge this gap by equipping students with essential skills for making informed food choices. The forthcoming section will explore the benefits of including nutrition education in the school curriculum.
Benefits of Nutrition Education
Effective nutrition education can help prevent a range of diet-related diseases such as childhood obesity, fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. It will foster lifelong healthy eating habits by teaching students about balanced diets, portion control, and the nutritional value of foods. These habits will contribute to physical health by reducing the risk of chronic conditions and supporting mental well-being. Healthier foods over unhealthy junk foods help students recognize the link between diet and mood, thus reducing stress, and improving cognitive function.
Besides informed choices, understanding food labels is essential to bring a much wider change. If the majority of us start reading labels, companies will be compelled to abandon false marketing tactics. Well-informed consumers can pressure companies to improve their product formulations and cut out poor ingredients. Revant Himatsingka aka food pharmer aptly put it, “The most important skill in the 21st century is not coding, it’s decoding.” The recent reports released by the Indian Council of Medical Research have also emphasized the critical importance of carefully reading food labels. ICMR’s released dietary guidelines state that health claims on packaged food are designed to catch the consumer’s attention and convince them that the product is healthier than it is. Their survey revealed that the use of clear, symbol-based nutritional information on the front side of food packaging can help consumers become savvy consumers who can navigate the complexities of food labeling, and make healthier choices.
Addressing challenges
Incorporating nutrition education into school curricula presents a range of challenges that must be addressed to create effective programs. A primary challenge in this regard is the constraint of budgetary resources. Implementing a comprehensive nutrition education program requires substantial financial investment, which many schools struggle to secure. Budget constraints can hinder the development of detailed curricula, the acquisition of suitable educational materials, and the provision of training for educators. To overcome this challenge, seeking grants from government bodies, non-profit organizations, and private foundations could be a viable solution. For instance, partnerships with health-focused organizations or educational foundations could provide both the funding and resources necessary for the development of effective nutrition education programs and teacher training.
Another significant obstacle is the lack of practical assignments and the presence of an outdated and limited curriculum. Existing nutrition education programs often fail to stimulate critical thinking and are contradicted by sales practices in the school food environment, where unhealthy, energy-dense foods are frequently promoted over healthier options. This disconnect between educational content and real-life food choices highlights the need for a more dynamic and engaging approach to nutrition education.
In addition to these limitations, the effectiveness of nutrition education programs is often undermined by insufficient support for teachers. Educators frequently report a lack of explicit curriculum guidelines, inadequate materials, and insufficient training experience. These deficiencies can impede their ability to deliver nutrition education effectively and engage students in meaningful learning experiences. Addressing this issue requires the creation of a well-structured and comprehensive nutrition curriculum, along with the provision of professional development opportunities for teachers. Training programs should be designed to equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to teach nutrition concepts effectively. This includes offering interactive workshops, and online resources, and establishing support networks for educators to share best practices and challenges.
Limited engagement of parents, teachers, and students in school canteen operations also poses a significant challenge. The absence of clear government guidelines for canteens, coupled with poor knowledge among canteen staff about healthy food preparation, exacerbates the problem. Additionally, students’ preferences for energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods further complicate efforts to promote healthy eating. To address these issues, it is essential to adopt a collaborative approach that involves all stakeholders in the nutrition education process. Engaging parents through informative sessions, involving teachers in developing and supporting nutrition initiatives, and creating opportunities for students to participate in interactive learning activities such as cooking demonstrations and food label scavenger hunts can foster a more supportive environment for nutrition education. Establishing clear guidelines for school canteens and providing training for canteen staff on healthy food preparation are also crucial steps toward aligning the school food environment with nutrition education goals.
Moreover, successfully implementing nutrition education requires more than just classroom instruction; it demands a consistent and supportive food environment that reinforces classroom teachings. Unfortunately, there is often a disparity between the nutritional messages delivered in the classroom and the quality of foods available in school canteens. To bridge this gap, schools should consider adopting the Health Promoting Schools (HPS) framework and the associated School Food Policy framework endorsed by the World Health Organization in 2014. This approach advocates for environmental changes that support healthy eating by increasing the availability of nutritious food options and reducing the availability of unhealthy choices in school canteens. By aligning canteen practices with classroom nutrition education, schools can reinforce healthy eating habits and provide students with a consistent message about the importance of nutrition. Addressing these challenges also involves overcoming various psychosocial, behavioral, and environmental barriers that students face in adopting healthy eating habits.
Conclusion
A lack of understanding about nutrition and food labels can significantly impact the health and quality of life of India’s 1.2 billion citizens, leading to a substantial strain on public health resources. Upgrading school-based food and nutrition education is essential for equipping young people with the skills needed to navigate the challenges of a fast-food environment and reduce their risk of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases.
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